Town skipper Luke Chambers says he and the rest of the squad need to start translating their work in training into performances in matches. The Blues are still without a win under manager Paul Hurst and put in their poorest Championship display so far as they were beaten 2-0 at Hull City yesterday to return to the foot of the table.

“It’s been a long couple of weeks since the Norwich game and we put a performance in that that we were going to build on,” Chambers said in a frank post-match interview with BBC Radio Suffolk.

“The frustration is we’ve had such a good couple of weeks’ training and we’ve put a lot of hard work in, the spirit’s been really, really good, really positive, the warm-up was tremendous.

“And all the hard work and all the positive performances in training just seems to go out of the window. Game kicks off, we’re 1-0 down after three minutes.

“We all talk, ‘Start the game like this, spin it in behind, make them turn early on’, but the first time we had the ball we played it out wide, it comes back inside and we get caught on the ball.

“And it’s very difficult to point fingers at a young player like Flynn Downes because, for me, he’s one of our best midfielders at the club and he deserves his opportunity.

“But the decision to play him the ball in that position I think is a very, very strange one the way we talk, everyone seems to talk a good game, everyone seems to be right up for it throughout the week.

“Players are performing tremendously well in training, but at the end of the day you’re a footballer judged on a matchday.

“I’m not sitting here pointing fingers today, I haven’t particularly played very well, I don’t think anyone can say they’ve played particularly well today, but you have to have that bit between your teeth and really try and influence the game.

“Whether it’s your personality, whether you’re getting other people going, whether you’re running in behind, whether you’re making tackles or winning headers or getting on the ball, I just don’t think that’s translating from the training ground to the pitch.

“For whatever reason that is, sitting here right now it’s very difficult to stay calm and give you a truly honest opinion because it’s very difficult after a game when you’ve been beaten 2-0.

“We’ve conceded in the third minute and the 93rd minute, which makes it look like we were battered 2-0. I don’t think we were, they’ve had opportunities, we’re been chasing the game and that’s football.

“But when you make a mistake teams in this division teams punish you. We’ve made a mistake — 1-0 down, make a mistake 93rd minute — 2-0 down.

“We’re not capitalising on their mistakes and we’re probably not playing in a way that is causing the opposition to make mistakes.

“For me there’s a lot to work on still but at the end of the day it’s about translating those performances and that bubbliness, the environment we’ve created in training into matches and right now we’re not doing that.”

Chambers admits he’s concerned by the current situation: “I’m very worried at the moment but I’m going to be worried after the game, we’ve just been beaten 2-0 away from home in Hull and they’ve not won at home this season.

“We need to start, like I said, translating the performances in training and start believing in ourselves a little more. That’s my job as captain, to try and keep everyone going and the manager will be doing the same.

“This is not me sitting here saying it’s doom and gloom, but we have to stand up and be counted because we have a team coming to Portman Road on Tuesday [Brentford)] and we’ve got to be standing up and showing people what we can do.

“We did that against Norwich and hopefully everyone at Portman Road that comes to see us Tuesday night will be right behind us once again because they have been absolutely fantastic.

“I wouldn’t have liked to have been sat there as our support today because we’ve done nothing for them to send them home with any positives whatsoever.

“I’m very frustrated that they have travelled up all this way to support us in the way they have from minute one this season and we’ve sent them home like that.

“We need to look at ourselves in the mirror as players and really ask ourselves questions whether we are really, really having a right go because I don’t think that that performance showed that we are today.”

Photo: TWTD

Mullet added 11:25 - Sep 16 This bloke gets it. This bloke cares. This bloke should be stood with Hurst and Doig laying it down to the lot of them. Anyone not on board can go.
10

warktheline added 11:28 - Sep 16 Chambers should have been first player shown the door after McCarthy! Clean sweep and all that!
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Smithy added 11:34 - Sep 16 Performances in training against fellow poor performing team mates hmm Defending or scoring against the lot who have been plying their trade for ITFC in training would seem to me to be somewhat different to the opposition we have been playing
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BlueBlood90 added 11:38 - Sep 16 Chambo gets it and we all love him for his character and passion for the club, but I just don't think he's up to this standard anymore. He got bullied all over the place by Frazier Campbell yesterday. I'm not getting on Hurst's back as it's still early days but we need to massively improve and soon. Some of his decisions have been bizarre and far from good enough. He's left out our first choice right back at home, loaned out our second best (arguably best) right back and is starting Spence. Why is he doing that whilst leaving Edun on the bench as an unused sub anyway?

2

hucks216 added 11:50 - Sep 16 I get the loan situation in that we have 6 but can only have 5 in the match day team but why drop Donacien and leave in Graham who is poor? Ward is a better option than Graham and lets you then play Donacien, who if the permit situation is sorted will be one of ours anyway so will get game time while we wait for the permit. I just hope that we didn't agree to a 'Graham must play' clause in the loan contract.

3

hucks216 added 11:50 - Sep 16 I get the loan situation in that we have 6 but can only have 5 in the match day team but why drop Donacien and leave in Graham who is poor? Ward is a better option than Graham and lets you then play Donacien, who if the permit situation is sorted will be one of ours anyway so will get game time while we wait for the permit. I just hope that we didn't agree to a 'Graham must play' clause in the loan contract.

0

BlueInBerks added 12:01 - Sep 16 When the PH appointment was announced I wrote off August and September with the belief that we would start to turn the corner October at soonest (that means personnel, positions, tactics as well as wins). It's happening, but it's too soon to expect wholesale changes to every facet of our club to guarantee wins. If anything, this goes to show just how far ITFC had gone down the wrong road IRO sports science, aging facilities, management, tactics etc.

2

TimmyH added 12:08 - Sep 16 Trying not to laugh after reading the headlines to this...I think Smithy has it bang on with his post.
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rfretwell added 12:54 - Sep 16 We are now relying on a near 35 year old with a dodgy knee to carry the forward line until Harrison and Jackson find their shooting boots. None of our central midfielders have an accurate shot on them and as for Spence - his defensive positioning is regularly poor, he isn't strong enough in the tackle and he shows no tea fight in his play. Get Dinacian in fast, recall Emmanuel and unload Spence ss soon as. And get Tsiala back in too. And probably Bart.

1

ITFCsince73 added 13:12 - Sep 16 I can't understand it....Harrison and Jackson, banging them in for fun in training. Offensive V defensive for 2 weeks solid. Of course the spine of the defensive was Chambo Skuse and Jonas with the added quality of Spence.
0

arc added 14:14 - Sep 16 “And it's very difficult to point fingers at a young player like Flynn Downes because, for me, he's one of our best midfielders at the club and he deserves his opportunity. “But the decision to play him the ball in that position I think is a very, very strange one" Who is he throwing under the bus there? The highlights don't show–was it Knudsen who played the ball to Downes? Not good from Chambers this.

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Chocorange added 15:12 - Sep 16 Arc, yes it was Knudsen who played it in to Downes for the first goal
0

Carrotblue added 15:20 - Sep 16 Just returned home from my weekend in Hull. simple facts unless we start with two up front we are going down, it's as plain as that. Performance insipid, no desire, no ambition. Back to long ball football hoof it in the air for Walters to compete against three tall central defenders It was like a MM team, Hull three defeats out of three at home the local I spoke to in the pub after the game could not believe how easy it was for them and how bad Ipswich were. division 1 here we come

3

wherescounago added 19:14 - Sep 16 We are in a total mess, we've let the family silver go and replaced it with scrap metal! It's no go blaming Chambo, Downsey, Jonas or anyone else. We have to face facts that we will be very lucky not to go down this year as we do not have the quality of player, being sent out game after game by our new man in charge, to win matches. All very sad! Whilst speaking about sadness RIP The Beat, the greatest player we have ever had such a shame we don't have his like these days.

1

planetblue_2011 added 19:39 - Sep 16 We have got 2 home games to sort it out & get a 1st & 2nd win of the season. If not we will be in serious trouble.
0

cowboynickblue added 19:54 - Sep 16 either get cotter int the 1st team or get donacien visa sorted out whichever but Spence shouldn't be any near that 1st team. Rip king kev.
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SickParrot added 20:41 - Sep 16 Smith is so right (sorry, gave you a minus in error). I reckon I could look half decent in training against some of our current squad!
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SickParrot added 20:43 - Sep 16 Smithy! Flipping autocorrect
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bluelad7 added 21:56 - Sep 16 Get behind PH until the end of November. If he hasn't sorted something by then, we'll he needs to walk....
1

mathiemagic added 08:14 - Sep 17 I was at the game and it was the worst performance i have seen in quite a while. I am hoping it was a one off as the likes of Brentford or Leeds would have smashed us off the park. Second half was slightly better than the first half but Hull just knew they didn't need to do much to see out the game. Two home games coming up. Dont expect much from the Brentford game but Bolton is a must win. Two up front is a must I think. What has Sears done to not get a chance?. MM didnt fancy him and neither does PH it seems. Chalobah and Edun, two of the brighter sparks this season left on the bench?. I am not losing the faith just yet but something needs to change very soon or the locals will get very restless. The bon amie wont last forever i fear.

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busterjames1 added 14:02 - Sep 17 Bring back Mick !
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