Former Blues star Kieron Dyer has urged dissenting fans to forget their protests and get behind Town’s confidence-hit players as they go into “the toughest run ever” with relegation to the third tier of English football for the first time in 60 years, he believes, a very real possibility.

Ipswich-born Dyer, pictured above appearing on a recent Life's a Pitch, says he was listening to BBC Radio Suffolk on Saturday evening following the 2-0 defeat at Huddersfield - which saw the 14th-placed Blues drop to within nine points of the bottom three - and was concerned by some of the calls.

“I was driving home and I was listened to the Radio Suffolk phone-in and I didn’t realise it had got that bad,” he told TWTD.

“Basically the majority of the callers were talking about boycotting games and protesting because they’re fed up, saying this is their club and the manager and owner are ruining their club.

“I’m an Ipswich fan and everyone’s entitled to their opinion and I don’t pay money to go to games, while they pay their hard-earned money, so if that’s how they feel, then that’s how they feel.

“But I’ve just seen the run of games we’ve got in February and we have got the toughest run ever, and I would just say to the fans that the worst thing that can happen to our football club is us getting relegated.

“I look at our form and the lack of confidence from our players, because that’s what it is, the players have got absolutely no confidence, they all look shot.

“And if there are going to start to be protests and people boycotting the games, then it’s just going to make it even worse because it’s a toxic atmosphere as it is.

“It’s just going to make it even more unbearable for the players, they won’t get any more confidence and we could end up getting relegated.

“All I would say to the fans is, you’re all Ipswich fans, you want the best for your club, if you’re not happy with the owner and manager, I understand that, but let’s support the team and get us mathematically safe.

“And once we’re mathematically safe, protest or whatever you feel has to be done to be heard, then I totally agree, but I don’t think it’s the time with the way the team’s playing, where we are in the league and with the run we have to abandon the club and the players because everyone needs to stick together. Otherwise it’s going to be a really dire situation.

“We need everyone to get together - even some sections of the local media that sometimes seem to antagonise the fans and want the doom and gloom - get us safe and then do what you want. Let’s just get us safe first. This club cannot be in League One.”

Dyer, 38, says he knows what it’s like to be booed by your own fans from his time at Newcastle United and says it can have a huge impact on a player.

“I’ve been booed by 50,000 people and I was a confident player on the pitch,” he added. “But when I was being booed it affected me so badly some games, it was like I’ve never kicked a ball before, it was like I couldn’t even lace my boots up.

“Why Bobby Robson was so good was because he made everyone play feel a million dollars and they went on the pitch and played to the best of their ability.

“Our players at the moment are just fragile. Terry Butcher came out after the game against Lincoln and said they were a disgrace. I think that’s a harsh word because I think the term disgrace should only be levelled at a player who doesn’t want to play for the club, someone who doesn’t try when they’re on the pitch.

“Our players are trying 100 per cent. I go up to the training ground and I look at the stats. The running stats are through the roof.

“Everyone’s trying to put his shift in, it’s just that they’re so fragile. They’re so lacking in confidence.

“The fans pay good money so when they go to a football match if they want to have a moan, I get that, but our club has never booed players really. I’ve never really come across that.

“I know Scowy had a little bit from the boo boys when I was here, but nothing too brutal.

“But, for example, Jonathan Douglas, he’s getting sarcastically cheered off when he comes off and booed. How is that going to help him? He tries his nuts off every time he’s on the pitch.

“I get that fans might not think he’s good enough but the guy is putting a shift in. Don’t boo the players, that’s all I urge. Everyone stick together.

“There’s no better feeling than playing in a great atmosphere and the fans are on your side, it gives you more confidence than anything. I’ve been there, I’m speaking personally.”

He added: “Freddie Sears, I’ve worked with Freddie at West Ham, I see someone so low on confidence. Yes, he’ll still run, he’ll still put a shift in.

“Look at Christophe Berra in the last few weeks. It was only last season or 18 months ago that people were saying he was one of the best centre-halves in the league. Now he’s struggling. It’s not through a lack of trying, just a lack of confidence.

“It seems to me the players don’t want to play at home because there’s often that negative atmosphere.”

Former England international Dyer, who having retired in 2013 watches most games from the East of England Co-op Stand, says supporters stuck by their team in the last Portman Road fixture, the 3-2 victory over Blackburn, and he hopes the same will be the case when seventh-placed Derby visit next Tuesday.

“At the last game I went to the fans were brilliant, especially when it went to one-all. The fans could easily have switched but they stayed with the team and that was one of our better performances.

“But, as I say, the fans are entitled to their opinions, they spend good money, I don’t spend money to watch Ipswich, so they’re in a very different situation to me, but just stick with the team and give as much support, get us safe. The worst thing for this club at the moment would be if we went down.”

Dyer, who is currently an academy sponsor and previously coached at Playford Road, disagrees with some supporters’ perceptions of manager Mick McCarthy, who he believes has been a victim of his own comparative success in his earlier seasons.

“The grumble I hear from fans about Mick is the way he comes across in post-match interviews and they’re calling him arrogant,” he said.

“Mick is not arrogant, but he is very blunt and he feels that he doesn’t have to answer for things and that’s the just the way he is, and that riles the fans.

“The football’s not been great for a while, I totally get that. But Mick has overachieved, he has had no money to spend and he has found gems.

“He’s found Daryl Murphy for peanuts, he found Didz for peanuts, he found Tyrone Mings, he found the two loans, Jonny Williams the first time, Ryan Fraser.

“But you can’t keep producing free transfers and players for 50 grand that are going to get us to play great football to win the league.

“He’s overachieved, now the reality is that it’s hard to compete in this league with free transfers and cheap signings.

“And that’s where the owner [Marcus Evans] has to take responsibility, I feel. But again, and I’m not sticking up for the owner, but you’ve got an owner who has given all this money to Roy Keane and Paul Jewell and we were in the relegation places.

“He’s then employed a manager who he’s given no money to and we’ve got into the play-offs one year, nearly in the play-offs another and we’ve always been in the top half of the league.

“He thinks this is the way forward now. Because Mick has done well with no money the owner thinks that’s the norm now.

“But it’s not the norm. You can’t get success on free transfers and cheap signings. It’s crazy.

“I was peed off with the owner because I thought we should have got Cat One for the academy, gone all out for Cat One.

“Then again - like with the Mick situation where he’s thinking he doesn’t have to spend money because we’re doing really well - I’m saying we should go for Cat One and was fed up we didn’t get to Cat One.

“But then you think of it from the owner’s point of view and we’re Cat Two and are producing Andre Dozzell, we’ve produced Teddy Bishop, we’ve got Ben Knight coming through, we’ve got Tristan Nydam coming through, we’ve just sold Charlie Brown for £750,000 to Chelsea.

“He must be thinking ‘Why do we need to go to Cat One?’. But if we want to have the best academy, in my opinion we have to be in Cat One.”

He added: “I feel sorry for everyone, I feel sorry for the fans, I feel sorry for Mick and I feel sorry for the owner because he’s not a football man, he hasn’t got a background in football.

“He’s seeing the academy producing players, he’s seeing Mick getting great results with no money, so he thinks it’s the norm.

“Mick’s overachieved, now the reality is that he’s struggling like hell because he hasn’t been given the funds or the quality of the players and that has a knock-on effect on to the fans.”

Photo: TWTD

blueboy1981 added 18:53 - Jan 23 I know many people who are inwardly and deeply hurt by what is happening at our Football Club - some of whom have been following /supporting the Town for 50+ years (I sincerely feel for them to be honest). Maybe such feeling for a Club is not how it should be - BUT IT IS A FACT - and I personally can understand why. We had a GREAT CLUB - we still have a GREAT CLUB (just) - but people who care much less than the above mentioned people, are ruining it, more and more by the day. Over to you - EVANS & McCARTHY - don't let a GREAT CLUB DIE. Straight rom the Heart.

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DoseOfReality added 18:55 - Jan 23 You were outstanding for this club Kieron & highly respected but what this situation needs is urgent action to get rid of the current management regime. It is the management the protests would be very understandably directed at not the players. The biggest threat to Towns survival is staying as we are. Get rid of MM & TC NOW .. appoint temporary man from within club .. stay up & rebuild when league status confirmed .. Every true blue will get right behind the lads no matter what if that happens .. otherwise ME will get what he deserves if we go down coz the criticism of MM is nothing compared to what will go his way .. if he ever shows his face that is !!

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svendust added 18:59 - Jan 23 Agree. I want Mick out as much as most but we need to support the club in hard times, otherwise relegation beckons. Just look at them lot down the road. Relegated to league one but their support never dwindled. At the time I thought they were just too stupid to see how cr@p their team was but what I thought was blind faith has brought them success.
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grubbyoik added 19:00 - Jan 23 It's not the players were after.. it's Mcarthy.. and Evans for not getting rid of Mcarthy.. Get him gone and life will return to normal ..
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Cheshire_Blue added 19:00 - Jan 23 Let us all have a go at Kieron Dyer now for talking common sense.
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HarryfromBath added 19:01 - Jan 23 I remember being at the Molineux Wolves game late on in our recent play-off season when we drew 1-1. After we took the lead you could sense the Wolves fans start to turn on their team and I must confess that my heart soared when this happened as this could only work in our favour. As a player, it must be horrible to experience during a game and perfect news for an opponent. That said, there is no doubt that many fans are feeling taken for granted and displays like the Lincoln one will only add fuel to this fire. It is really good that Kieron has picked up on the strength of feeling and it may help to bring home to the club that fans are genuinely worried about how this season will pan out. It is reassuring to have footballers with Dyer's history speak with such passion about the club and it will hopefully help focus everyone's thinking.

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StowTractorBoy added 19:02 - Jan 23 Most things Kieron has stated are correct but yes there are a few anomalies. In the main though I agree with his comments particularly with regard to not going to games and demonstrating. If the players read this board as I am sure they do - how do you think they feel ? You can never accuse them of not giving 100% albeit under strange team selections. Make no mistake we are in danger of being relegated this season which is why the players need our wholehearted support. I get dragged down just reading the toxic comments on here alone, which just makes the negativity around the Club worse than ever. The local newspaper seem to glorify in our failures when years ago it backed the Club to the hilt. Lets just see out the season and get behind the Club and players and hopefully we will not be going to the likes of Wimbledon, Bristol Rovers and Walsall next season.

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cat added 19:03 - Jan 23 I completely agree with what KD says and it makes perfect sense!, however from my point of view it's just gone to far. ENTERTAINMENT is all I ask. It's a vicious circle:- no entertainment = no fans = no revenue = no hope. Change the manager and style and the fans will return.
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Walk_the_Wark added 19:05 - Jan 23 Leave McCarthy and we won't be relegated. It's that simple
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Geddis78 added 19:14 - Jan 23 Well said Kieron. I have never known Portman Road to be so toxic. Anyone would think we are in the bottom 3. Considering we have sold Murphy and as usual, have all of our most entertaining/creative players injured, things could be a lot worse. We need to get behind the team for the rest of the season, make sure we stay up and take it from there. It would be a disaster for us to go down. COYB!

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Dissboyitfc added 19:14 - Jan 23 Terry Butcher was right in saying what he said after the Lincoln debacle, wasnt that we were unlucky in a one off match we were outplayed over the two matches. It is "disgraceful" that professional footballers who train all week cant make a pass and struggled to contain a Non League side who thoroughly deserved the victory. And dont credit MM with bringing Daryl Murphy to the club. KD mentions Sir Bobby and how he made everyone feel special, i dont expect Josh feels very special when having played well gets dropped for any reason, MM's underperforming mates are back or a loan player walking straight into the side. MM quotes fatigue as the reason Josh was dropped, saying he looked tired on the Tuesday, well thats 4 days to get ready for the next game. Anyway was one of the better players against Lincoln. A young player not able to recover in time after a Tuesday game, whatever is happening in training? I totally agree with one thing KD says though, i have never booed an Ipswich player, i never will and will never agree with it. I think people staying away is perfectly justified and its a line i will continue to take. As perfectly put by Blueboy1981, we have some of the most patient and understanding fans and its because of our patience we have the Pee taken. MM's position is untenable, no protests or staying away required if he does the decent thing and walks. The product on offer is no longer Value for money and the situation needs addressing! If we all go to Portman Road create a massive atmosphere it will more than likely keep MM in the job. Dont want him in the Job, END OF!!!!!

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bohslegend added 19:16 - Jan 23 KD. A legend on the pitch and off it too. He has this 100% right. But that won't stop the boo boys who have the bit between their snarling teeth.
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battyblue added 19:17 - Jan 23 why should we get behind an arrogant totally inept manager 75% want out of our club,i would be happy with relegation to get shot of him if Evans won't take the action now, sack him and then we will get behind the team when the right selections are being made and the right tactics to try and win games instead of this spoiling tactics every game ,,its MM signings its his squad his selections his tactics and his fault we are where we are,supporters have to do what is necessary to get him out of our club.

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positivity added 19:20 - Jan 23 boston, that's way too simplistic. if you think huddersfield, fulham, reading and brighton were put together without very significant fees and/or wages you're not paying attention! birmingham did play a style of football that made us look like barcelona, they sacked rowett and brought in zola to change that and have slumped ever since. mccarthy is part of the problem, but the players are too and the confidence of everyone is probably the biggest single issue. this isn't helped by booing them, kieron's bang on, support them through thick and thin, until there's nothing to play for, (even douglas and mccarthy!)

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Surco72 added 19:21 - Jan 23 However many fans turn up and cheer at any home game it won't make Skuse and Douglas good pairing ever , they are just not good simple as , yet they have started 21 games together . A new manager would lift the players and the paying crowd , it us really now that simple
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Gcon added 19:33 - Jan 23 He's bang on. It's times like this you really need to support your team.
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blueboy1981 added 19:36 - Jan 23 Gcon ............. ever disagreed with yourself ?? ..... or is your finger super glued to the minus button.... ?? I would check if I were you ... !!
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BluedanW added 19:41 - Jan 23 You were a great player for us keiron but your comments don't wash with me. For one you don't struggle to pay to afford to go and watch, oh wait a minute you don't pay full stop. You are employed by the team so you will be affected by us going down as in your wages would have to drop. I'm sorry but the players are not giving 100% or they would not of been outplayed by a non league team twice. Unless the players really aren't food enough of the manager hasn't got a clue what he's doing. Sorry but I will not be paying anymore money to go and watch that shower. Last season my mate had a spare ticket for home games and I used to avoid the phone to get out of going as I couldn't bare going to watch. Paint dry comes to mind

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martin587 added 19:41 - Jan 23 100% spot on Kieron.It needed somebody like yourself to come out and express the problems from within.We,the supporters have had enough,but to hear this from you helps.Thank You very much Kieron. It would be great if the owner would get a grasp of the supporters anger and with wishful thinking put his hand in his pocket.
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Dolly2.0 added 19:43 - Jan 23 Well said positivity. Boston is talking absolute nonsense. Brighton have spent a forture... Fulham spent £10m on one striker!
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Surco72 added 19:43 - Jan 23 We had bigger crowds' when we were adrift at the bottom before Mick took over than we have in reality to a comfortable league position now . That is not down to results but the football on display and the managers attitude
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martin587 added 19:44 - Jan 23 I forgot to say,and review the managers contract.!
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casanovacrow added 19:45 - Jan 23 I'm getting the feeling lots of people around the club blame the owner for being tight and clueless but are careful with how they word it.
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dirtydingusmagee added 19:46 - Jan 23 NOW...........Kieron Dyer was'' DIFFERENT CLASS'', those were the days, its a world away now .
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christiand added 20:03 - Jan 23 Very honest from KD, especially with his involvement in the academy set up. What i don't understand is that even though we have spent very little, that doesn't mean we have players that are unable to pass the ball other than lump it forwards aimlessly at every opportunity. It sounds like we have signed players from Sunday league who are unable to play and lack basic skill - we haven't! We have players that are decent, on very good money, but play in a manner that is so limited and one dimensional. That is down to MM, he and his coaching staff are the ones working on styles of play on the training ground. ME is certainly not blameless and has been poorly advised with matters both on and off the pitch. I feel it is going to take something extremely dramatic to change the fans' point of view about the club's management for us to move forwards. It's difficult to support when they aren't giving us much to cheer about!

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