Town boss Paul Hurst admitted the Blues put in probably their worst performance of the season as they were beaten 2-0 at home by QPR. Town are still without a home win this season with their last victory at Portman Road the 1-0 defeat of Barnsley back in April in Mick McCarthy’s final match in charge.

“We weren’t good enough, bottom line,” Hurst said. “We were second best. It’s another game where ultimately we certainly didn’t help ourselves yet again and a combination of that and not a good enough reaction overall to going behind made for a very disappointing afternoon.”

Asked whether the type of defensive errors which again led to both goals are tough for a boss to take, he said: “At the end of the day I’m the manager and we all know that whoever’s the manager of the team gets criticised and that’s part and parcel of the job. I understand that and I can accept that.

“Those things, the mistakes, I’ve never been involved in a season - and we’re not even a third of the way through yet - where there have been so many mistakes in that period of time, as a manager or as a player, certainly from memory, admittedly my playing days were some time ago.

“That just makes the task more difficult. And ultimately goals do change games or change moods, change feelings, outlooks, everything.

“There were 77 minutes left plus injury time today were still left when we scored, so there was still lots of time left.

“The penalty was certainly a kick in the teeth right on half-time, not that we had particularly shown signs of getting back in the game, but while it’s 1-0, we’ve had games here where that has changed [from that scoreline] and we’ve seen a much different second half.

“In the second half today, there were naturally some moments which were slightly better but nowhere near enough in terms of realistically getting back in the game.”

He admitted that having got the first win of the season at Swansea, the defeat was more disappointing, although he pointed out after the win at the Liberty Stadium that result wouldn’t be a panacea.

“Obviously sat here now, I certainly wish would have played sooner to see if it would have been any different but overall the mood’s been good,” he said.

“As I said at the time, one victory doesn’t suddenly make you a good team or change everything, but you certainly hope it would have given the players a little bit of confidence and it felt that way around the place looking at them.

“But it didn’t reflect looking at it today, a lot of the same sort of things were happening, misplaced passes, miscontrols, but I have to say today I just felt even the absolute basics of football we were second best.

“We didn’t win enough headers, and I don’t mean as in Freddie Sears, I don’t expect him to out-jump the centre-backs, but in the middle of the pitch.

“How many tackles did we win? How many times did we drive with the ball compared to them to get to those second balls? We didn’t do enough of that, so it was going to be a massive ask to try and get anything from the game when I think there were a lot of things wrong in truth.”

The crowd showed their frustration with boos at the end of each half, which Hurst says he was aware of but feels the Portman Road faithful are far from the harshest supporters.

“Of course, I’ve heard that a couple of times but nothing that players shouldn’t be able to handle,” he added.

“That was just mentioned in the dressing room downstairs. I think the lads that have been around a little bit know that the crowd are far from the worst that they’re going to play in front of in terms of adding pressure and being really disgruntled.

“They show that they are but a lot of them show it in a certain way and not like you get at some places.

“So from that point of view, if they can’t play here then I think they’ll really struggle pretty much anywhere because I think they are willing the team and the players to do well.”

Quizzed on whether that adds pressure going into the next four games ahead of the November international break, he responded: “We’ve got to try to make sure it doesn’t. It doesn’t put us in the best of spirits going to Leeds on Wednesday but ultimately that’s football.

“There’ll be lots of teams good and bad that have days like today in terms of the performance where they just have a bad day and things aren’t right.

“Again, it’s how you react to that, how often it happens. You can look at the table and look at the results, but I genuinely, don’t think we’ve been that bad that often to be where we are in the league, I’ve said about coming out on the wrong side of things. So today was disappointing from that point of view.”

Hurst admitted it was the poorest display of the season at Portman Road if not anywhere: “Certainly the worst at home and probably overall as well. I think at Hull we had a spell where we were better, in truth, and could have quite easily got back in the game. I understand there was frustration today, 100 per cent.”

But he says those two matches aren’t typical of the season as a whole: “Not overall, but at the same time, we’ve got to try and make things happen, haven’t we? As a group, as a squad and I was hoping that having had the victory at Swansea, not changing everything, but getting that monkey off our back that we spoke about, having that confidence and belief to try and make things happen.

“I’ve opened it up in the dressing room and we’ve had a discussion and people have got their own opinions.

“I’ve had my say in there naturally. One thing that came from the players is we can’t keep making it hard with the mistakes we’re making.

“No one goes out to make a mistake but at the same time it does make it a lot more difficult. And when you’re in that sort of run you don’t seem to get too much the other way and it’s difficult to stop that from happening.”

Regarding the mood of the dressing room discussion, was it frank and loud or a more measured debate? “A bit of both some measured, some a bit louder, some look as though they’re a bit in shock almost.

“But let’s not kid ourselves, we were second favourites to be relegated at the start of the season, so we are clearly are not the best team in the Championship.

“We’ve got to do everything we can to make it extremely difficult for the opposition first and foremost to give ourselves a chance of winning games of football and at the minute all we’re doing is giving teams a helping hand more often than not.

“Even at Swansea we showed a much better reaction but the first goal was more a freak, an own goal that I don’t think JD could score again if he tried.

“We’ve got to change that and it’s only the players that can do that because we’re obviously in a hole and we’ve got to try and do everything we can to get out of that.”

Hurst dismissed the idea of a senior figure more experienced at this level coming in as a director of football to help the Blues get out of that hole.

“I find the level thing is not what this is about, that’s my personal view,” he said. “I can accept people have opinions.

“Again, if it was an experienced manager sat here or upstairs, does he suddenly stop the mistakes happening? I think if that did happen, it would be coincidence rather than anything else. No, I don’t really see personally any reason to do that, so I can’t see that happening.”

With the fans starting to get on the team’s back and the team back to bottom of the table, is he worried about his job? “No, I’m kind of past that stage. I know what I’m doing and the effort and also just generally, ultimately working with the group of players that I have got to try get the best out of.

“Are we managing to do that? Clearly at the minute, no. As I said, we’re all in this together, I’ll take my responsibility but the players have to take theirs as well and I think a lot of those, if they were honest and were sat in front you, they would say that they can do better than they’re doing at the minute. That’s part and parcel of football.

“You’re reliant as a manager, when things are going well, the lads are playing well, when things are going bad, they’re not playing well. It’s that kind of give them that confidence or give them that kick up the backside to do better because we certainly need to.’

QPR boss Steve McClaren was pleased with his side’s victory, although felt they had chances to have won more comfortably.

“Very professional, that’s what we said at the beginning, that this is an opportunity and if you’re professional and do your job we’ve got a chance of winning and that’s what they did right from the first whistle, they were ready,” he said.

“We controlled the game, got the goals and saw the game through. A clean sheet, two goals, should have been more and we’ve started the week well. Recover, Tuesday.”

Regarding the first goal McClaren was adamant it should be credited to corner-taker Luke Freeman rather than as a Dean Gerken own goal.

“It’s Freeman’s goal, it was direct, it was going straight in without him [Gerken] touching it.

“[Assistant coach] Matty Gardiner and [assistant manager] John Eustace work really hard on set plays. They’re very important in this league, for and against.

“And with [goalkeeper-coach] Gavin Ward they work tirelessly and we work a lot on set plays and every time we get one we turn around to Matty and Jon and every time we defend one we turn round to Gavin and say, ‘Well done boys’.

“They can make a massive difference. How many games do you see at a weekend and the first goal or the most important goal is a set play? You saw that in the World Cup with England and in this Championship it is very important.

“[The second goal], the same again [from a Freeman corner], it was a definite penalty, well done to the fourth official for spotting that.

“We were a little disappointed not to see the game out easier than we did. You’re always susceptible to conceding one goal which could have lit the fire but credit to the organisation of the team, we kept a clean sheet but we do need to score more goals from the opportunities that we’re creating.”

Photo: TWTD

ArnieM added 19:54 - Oct 20 Sorry PH Just not good enough . Over a 1/4 of season gone and only 1win. This can't be allowed to continue . Evans MUST act now.
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stringtheory added 19:56 - Oct 20 Quote, 'we are clearly not the best team in the championship'. Quote, 'we're in a hole'. Your team and your hole Paul. 'Pressing' football? No, Definitely de-pressing football. I have heard today, second-hand admittedly, but from an impeccable original source that Mr Hurst has lost at least some of the dressing room.
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ArnieM added 19:59 - Oct 20 How about a new owner ?
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Michael101 added 20:00 - Oct 20 Mr Evans you have appointed 4 manager's now all them have been as much use as a fart in a thunderstorm.you are a multi millionaire you could not have given any of your business manager s as useless as them a top job, maybe at the next interviews for itf c you use the marcu s Evans plc system
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brittaniaman added 20:00 - Oct 20 He has acquired League 1 players and they are not up to Championship standards so hence we are holding up the Championship with our position of BOTTOM !!! (there are certainly no Vardy's here) But surely Mr. Hurst show some Passion from the touch line instead of standing there with your hands like handcuffed behind your back, you seem to look as though you have lost the plot ??? A two week rest has really done us no favours, still we have another two weeks rest after the next 4 games, let us all hope that we can grab some points before then, otherwise we will be further in sh**t street, than we are now.

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marco007 added 20:02 - Oct 20 Stop insulting our intelligence by going on about mistakes! Yet again, we didn't look like creating or scoring a goal. The squad that Hurst has built is awful and all our qiality has been stripped away. There is no coherent formation, no strategy, and we are in freefall. If he goes he leaves a pile of poo for any manager that picks up the baton 😥
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SickParrot added 20:03 - Oct 20 Still glad that the beligerant dinosaur has gone but turns out we got rid of 1 stubborn yorkshire one trick pony and appointed another. Yes individual errors have been costly and I guess we can't blame Hurst for those but he is to blame for totally dismantling the team that McCarthy left behind that could have been competitive with a few additions and the right management, for his ridiculous tactics of playing a lone striker who is always isolated and hoping to score goals without getting more than one player in the box when we get crosses in and for signing players who are not good enough.

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inghamspur added 20:08 - Oct 20 You know you're in trouble when Freddie Sears is first choice forward & Grant Ward is in the starting line up. That was truly awful today and reached new lows. Need 14 wins to guarantee staying up & where are they going to come from? Feel there's a heavy defeat coming which may be the final straw. The only way is down at the moment.
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Pilgrimblue added 20:08 - Oct 20 What Hurst hasn't addressed is that the players HE brought in aren't good enough. He just thinks they will but from where i'm sitting they will never make it at this level apart from Edwards and Chalobah perhaps. On top of that Hurst can't decide on his best team let alone his tactics. Why have right back playing on left and why is CB playing at right back. Were's Emmanuel fcs! And why are our keepers just punting the ball upfield in the hope our 5 8" striker will out jump a 6 2" CB. Yet their keeper was always trying to pass it out in order to keep possession. Crazy!! 1) Bring back Woolfy (he's much better than Toto) 2) play 442 (as showed today Sears needed support) 3) promote Nash to first team with Klug in support

15

Cageyblue added 20:08 - Oct 20 QPR must have been quaking in their boots at half time with that dangerous 2-0 score line !
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 20:14 - Oct 20 So sad really.... but Evans was, is, and always will be the MAIN culprit here!
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runaround added 20:17 - Oct 20 So the players have to take responsibility do they Mr Hurst. Well they are YOUR players playing YOUR tactics. Leaving World Cup players to play a very right footed right back at left back & a central defender at right back? That's just wrong. Suppose you will blame Dozzell for today and bring back your mate Nolan? 4 massive games now in next 3 weeks, massive improvement needed. If not then you will go down in history as not only the shortest Ipswich Manager but the one with the shortest tenure! I really wanted you to succeed and believed you were exactly the the man we needed but it's not working at the moment. Improvement needed now

4

StowTractorBoy added 20:23 - Oct 20 I have managed top Clubs in the amateur local football fraternity and the first rule of thumb for me was round pegs in round holes. Today we had a right back who is a centre back. Chambers playing on his wrong side and Donacien at left back who is not just weak on his left foot but he appears not to have one. Ludicrous team selection and then bringing Jackson on not to play him as a twin striker with Sears to me is unbelievable. How is Sears able to feed off hopeless high balls against towering centre backs. These are elementary tactical mistakes by the Manager which gives us little hope for the future if he does not change his approach. I said to my colleagues after the game at Forest last season that Gerard Nash could do a good job for us and I stand by that as he could do no worse than Hurst. The vultures appear to circling to take Nash away so if I was Evans I would promote him to Manager now with the guidance of the likes of George Burley or Mick Mills who if nothing else does speak a lot sense. It will be expensive to fire Hurst now but cheaper in the long run if we avoid relegation and at the moment we do not look like staying up. Swansea was a one off and we got lucky but be assured we are in real trouble with this regime. Sad days for our wonderful Club and its wonderful fans.

12

KiwiTractor added 20:36 - Oct 20 The worst we have played all season, but you still don't use all the subs? I don't get it....
3

TimmyH added 20:45 - Oct 20 hahahaha!!...@brittaniaman - funny thing is before a ball was even kicked this season with all the transfer talk on here there were a few posters (I guess millennial's, didn't recognise their names) obviously all I read was 'great business' being mentioned every other sentence re: Waghorn and co. leaving and being replaced by several non-discript league 1 players and one post mentioning 'surely with all the cream that Hurst was getting from league 1 it would surely get us near the top of the Championship' - personally feel whoever that poster was (come forward) has been playing Football Manager too much...I'll wait for him to come forward but not holding my breathe for too long.

1

alfromcol added 20:52 - Oct 20 Perhaps, just perhaps, Evans really doesn't care what division we play in? Cheaper to run a team in the 1st Division and even cheaper in the 2nd!!!!
7

Swn98 added 20:54 - Oct 20 Well you and others got what you wished for Timmy!!!!!!!
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Skip73 added 20:55 - Oct 20 Our last home win was the last game under McCarthy. Coincidence or what!
2

Bluespeed added 20:58 - Oct 20 It really pains me to say this however I thought the worst management decisions were being made last season with MM , I now believe we have made a big mistake with PH & the investment in untried management, I can remember the calls for Sir Bobby's head all those years ago & WOW how he proved the doubters wrong ! But monetary times were so different then & im sorry but I think you only get one of those chances in a football lifetime , we have to accept that we are in a very different age now & old farts like me can't keep living in the past & looking back to the good old days ! It's time now for me to say goodbye to my dreams of returning to the Premier league & wish my 11 year old grandson & granddaughter who have season tickets a tenth of the happiness I have had in my 51 years as a ardent town fan ! as I fade away looking back on a wonderful journey with my beloved ITFC I can only wish with all my heart the good times return to Portman Road for you all very soon ! Thanks for the magnificent memories ITFC ! X

9

Horseboy added 21:00 - Oct 20 Evans - You are sowing the seeds, harvest time mate.....
2

CornardBlue added 21:01 - Oct 20 What a state our club is in, A clueless manager an owner who could'd give a toss players. We have the best kepper in the league sitting on the bench, Pennington our best centre half playing right back, a right back at left back and a midget as a lone striker. Hurst and Doig must go this week-end if we are to have any chance of staying up they are out of there depth.

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Suffolkboy added 21:07 - Oct 20 Do I delay , no dare I delay ?- it seemed most of our side delayed today !Delayed ' running ' into place, delayed preparation to tackle , to receive the ball OR to think let alone move , into vacant spaces to help fellow players or maybe EVEN have a chance of shooting , let alone scoring ! PH preached alacrity and energy when he came , players to actually show they wanted the ball : there was none of that',and it seems clear he has lost the dressing room . Gerken in goal was back to his worst in so many ways ; we understand ,almost from the horses mouth that ' Bart has done nothing wrong ,he's simply out of favour ' : why isn't JK in the side ?-- my guess is he is out of favour too, PH has not liked him at all , and made it plain ,from day one ! There's so much quite evidently totally wrong at ITFC , especially on the pitch , AND in the dressing room ; I believe PH and CD are faced with and by players of greater character and certainly experience than them , and really don't know how to handle themselves , let alone systems, tactics .formations , man management , general LEADERSHIP and thus we are truly like lost sheep , with not even a shepherd to show the way around the field , nor even the way to the farm ! Mr Evans , you've ( again ) made a gross mistake -- so put it right by spending money on paying off CD and PH , by their own defensive admissions they have no clue how to put things right , and today , after a prolonged journey from Kent , it was all so terrible and lack lustre we couldn't feel angry but were unbelievably sad !! What is happening to ITFC , I can remember John Duncan retreating into himself and , rightly , being asked to go BUT please Mr Evans do anything to get us out of this black hole !

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bingboast added 21:15 - Oct 20 so many people on here last season said becareful what you wish for, well how true that has proved. Ipswich has history of giving managers time, Bobby R, Alf R well its not third time lucky, Hursts points accumalation shows how far he is away from them. Hurst is out of his depth, waste no time ME the order of the boat is essential.
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bingboast added 21:17 - Oct 20 Seriously, lower your pride ME McCarthy must be returned.
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Skip73 added 21:22 - Oct 20 Probably our worst manager of all time
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