Dean Gerken has poured cold water on rumours of dressing room unrest as Town look to end their 10-game winless run at Birmingham City today.

While gossip claims manager Paul Hurst and assistant Chris Doig have fallen out with some players, Gerken insists the mood in the camp remains positive.

“If you walked into our changing room in the morning you wouldn’t think we are sitting second bottom in the table and winless,” he said.

“The buzz about the place is brilliant, which it has been since the gaffer and Doigy came in.

“The music’s on, it’s bouncing and everyone is having banter. Within the group we have belief and not having won a game is something we want to fix.

“You could go into our changing room and you wouldn’t know if we were top or second bottom. That might sound like I’m just giving you some spiel but it’s not, it’s the honest truth. It’s the same with the buzz around the training sessions as well.

“It all comes from the top. The gaffer and everyone else has been brilliant. They tell us that we need to win games but there’s also consistency in the way they act and it only helps the atmosphere around the place.

“No one is sulking and there’s no difference between the players who start and those who are on the bench. I know from personal experience that isn’t always the case at other clubs.

“The gaffer gives enough positive feedback for everyone to know they have a chance of playing and it’s been the case since day one.

“We also know that if we do well when we play we are going to keep our place in the team.

“There will always be changes for tactical reasons and there’s nothing anyone can do about that, but there’s a good level of consistency with the gaffer and Doigy.

“Of course they are on at us about winning games and none of the players are shirking their responsibility, but when people are in a consistent environment it’s not up and down, up and down, up and down. People tend to perform to the best of their abilities.

“We’re getting some way towards where we need to be. Okay, we’re not winning games but when I’m in goal looking at what’s in front of me I don’t feel as if we’re being pulled from pillar to post, which I have felt at certain times earlier in my career.”

Gerken has featured in three home draws and just one defeat, at Hull, since Hurst’s surprise decision to replace Bartosz Bialkowski and is set to make it five successive appearances at St Andrew’s today.

He looked back on his recent run of games and said: “Brentford was a game of two halves. First half, it was like playing against the Red Arrows. I didn’t have a great deal to do in the first half, apart from a couple of basic saves, but their movement was amazing.

“I haven’t come across movement like that in this league many times. I was just watching and after the game I had a headache.

“We changed the system in the second half and you wouldn’t have thought Brentford were lying second in the league, although I’ve still got to say they are the standout team from all those we have played this season.

“We even had a great opportunity at the end to actually win the game, so we know we can do it. There were plenty of positives to take from the Brentford game because we made it into a game.”

“We need a bit of luck and goals. When you’re flying and a good ball slides across the face of goal it will often go into the net off a defender, but things like that aren’t going for us at the moment.

“But you make your own luck, you keep plugging away and in our case the snap shots will become goals.”

Photo: TWTD

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 06:14 - Sep 29 Good to be positive - but we need that win!
6

Benters2 added 06:21 - Sep 29 Glad you are all having fun.
4

bluemike1969 added 07:10 - Sep 29 Sorry Deano, it must be just us then. Unless the team are listening to these..... Down down, deeper and down. Whoops I did it again. There ain't no pleasing you. Little lies. Fool if you think it's over You knocked it off. All by myself. Sorry seems to be the hardest word. What would be nice is they actually took a leaf out of a certain Mr Robert Williams book and Played ' let me entertain you'. We can only hope. Deano, tell the lads to carry on having a great time and just leave it to us, the supporters, to burden the load. Ye gods ITFC, if you are going to realese something, don't let it be 'everything in the garden's rosy', cos it clearly is not! Hakuna Matata..... What a wonderful phrase.

2

juniorblue added 07:51 - Sep 29 Good to hear that the players remain positive. But, please put this energy in to securing a win. These players have everything done for them, unlike the majority of hard working fans so we need to see a good result at Birmingham. Gerken means well, but I found his comments a little bit irritating.
4

Currie10 added 07:54 - Sep 29 Glad you lot are enjoying listening to the Grease mega mix and having good bants.
1

WoodfordTim added 08:18 - Sep 29 Dean means well & it's good to know that there is still a good spirit in the squad, but lets face it, what a wonderful priviliged life a professional footballer leads. The interview hasn't come over too well for me as I'm really worried and even waking up in the night thinking about it. I can't see where our goals are going to come from.
4

bluemike1969 added 08:18 - Sep 29 Currie 10....ive got chills and they are multiplying. Sergio..... Its a joke mate... Chill... No need to mark me down on that one surely?.
4

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 08:30 - Sep 29 Good god , some of you will moan about anything and everything. Obviously the season is going very poorly at present but a player releases a positive news piece and you twist it and still whinge .
10

Cakeman added 09:13 - Sep 29 I agree Dozzells Bobblehat, no matter whatever any player or official of our club says of a positive nature is ripped to shreds by some. It is quite depressing and cannot help the authors if they do read these type of comments. It is no wonder the likes of Waghorn, Garner and Webster wanted out. Hopefully Paul Hurst and Co will ignore the constant negative comments and win the day in the end.

5

GiveusaWave added 09:19 - Sep 29 I'd have them watching 300 on a continuous re-run and have Chambers shouting out every hour "THIS...IS....IPSWICH!!!!!" Hursts way sounds a bit lighter and a bit more fun....
1

1psw1ch added 09:58 - Sep 29 right lets get first win today and get this season going,,,not gonna be easy but birmingham are very beatable ,,,we dont belong anywere near the bottom of the table,,,still on 11 points off the play offs lol so come on ipswich lets do this
2

afcfee added 10:15 - Sep 29 No unrest but our best player has been dropped without a proper run in team after being made highest paid player? Gerken as much as I like him he is a liability, Bart is a beast who can win games or at least keep you in it. Pretty weird when you look at some of the sure starters this season and how they've played.
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ghostofescobar added 10:41 - Sep 29 Some of the comments above are unbelievable. What would you rather, that they had all thrown the towel in? That confidence was at rock bottom? That they were all digging each other out? That the wheels had fallen off behind the scenes? I do get the impression that some on here just want the club to fail. If we don't fail, they won't have anything to moan about. Twonks, the lot of you. If only you put as much energy into being positive, imagine how much better that would be. I'm off to have a lie down now...........I haven't been this angry since my wife left the light on in the downstairs toilet.

4

SamWhiteUK added 11:18 - Sep 29 bluemike what in the actual f*ck are you talking about?
1

armchaircritic59 added 11:20 - Sep 29 ghostofescobar, you must be pretty steamed!Lol
1

tractorboybig added 11:47 - Sep 29 yep, promotion and relegation are from the dressing room lads, what the f has a football pitch got to do withy it?
1

Europablue added 11:56 - Sep 29 For me, before and during the match we should be only sending positive support to the team and creating the environment to succeed. So I'll be positive and looking forward to a win as I always do. It's interesting that so far we have struggled away, so we can't exactly blame poor support.
1

TimmyH added 11:57 - Sep 29 what has happened to Bart?...I bet he's not buzzing.
1

andehpandeh added 13:16 - Sep 29 So let me get this straight: -Rumours start about unrest in the dressing room -Regular player addresses and tries to dispel the rumours -Everyone is annoyed at this, as opposed to the alternative of dropped heads? So negative from everyone. I'm glad the mood is still high, hoping it translates to a win soon. COYB
2

poldark added 13:43 - Sep 29 Rubbish Gerks another ITFC attested PR job fails miserably Hurst has lost the dressing room whatever the players say
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runningout added 15:23 - Sep 30 a more professional buzz would be ideal
0

Bert added 17:38 - Sep 30 I see or hear no evidence to support the claim that Hurst has lost the dressing room. Why on earth would Gerks say what he has if it wasn't true ? His player mates would round on him. Too many posters want to believe the negatives to further their own agenda. What I do know is that Town are in trouble, Hurst has yet to convince me he is the right man but for now I will be supportive in the hope that the newbies can play their way out of the mire. Like MM I will give Hurst time but he does need to stop making such silly comments that a 2-0 lead is a dangerous one. That really was codswallop.

1

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