Boss Paul Cook admitted that his side had put in a “really poor performance” as they were beaten 2-0 at Fleetwood Town and says his players need to “carry a little bit more weight” on their shoulders.

Goals from ex-Town loanee Callum Connolly and Ged Garner saw the Cod Army to a deserved victory.

“The last thing the supporters need to hear is me coming on saying adjectives that can describe a really difficult night for us, a really poor performance,” Cook said. “I’m sure you can come on and you can say so many things when you play like that. To say we’re disappointed is an understatement. To say we’ve got to be better is a given.

“As I’ve just said to the players after the game, we have to be better. To play for this club, you have to carry a little bit more weight on your shoulders because every time you play against opposition, they are bang up for beating Ipswich Town in this league.

“Not different than the Sunderland lads have it probably, no different probably than the Pompey lads.

“And if you dip short on performance, you get beat. And we’re finding that out to our cost at the minute.”

Is that pressure weighing too heavily on the players’ shoulders? “No, you’re not going to drag me into comments that I don’t [want to make]. I just think tonight we got beaten fair and square, we were second best all over the pitch and sometimes you’ve got to take that as a manager.”

Asked why the display was so poor following Saturday’s home win against Plymouth and an impressive first 20 minutes against the Pilgrims, Cook said: “I think if you look at our consistency this season, it probably wasn’t a surprising performance.

“I think we’re quite consistently inconsistent, aren’t we? That’s something as a manager you don’t like. You want a level performance out of players.

“Conceding goals after six minutes away from home, in the three games I’ve watched, Accrington, Gillingham and Fleetwood, you give yourselves mountains to climb away from home.

“If you look back, it was probably only the Accrington sending off that saved us because that game took a very similar pattern to this.

“There’s so much work to be done, I really look forward to getting my teeth into the work. But, like I said to the players, I really am looking for lads that I can see signs of life in and trust, where you go ‘yeah, you can be part of a club and a team that takes us forward’.

“They’ve all got that opportunity at the minute and certainly one or two didn’t play like that tonight, that’s for sure.”

More work than he expected? “No, not at this football management game, if it was easy we’d all be doing it, wouldn’t we?

“We’ve got to stay with these players, that’s my plea to our supporters watching difficult nights like tonight. Managing’s tough because you really do get worked up inside and I can be quite hot-headed with the best of them.

“But on this run-in now, we don’t have time for negativity, we can only have positivity because we have an excellent chance of still achieving something that, albeit tonight as we drive home - and it will sink in with the players - it feels distant. But it’s not distant it really is within touching distance.”

So no need for harsh words? “Oh no, I wouldn’t say that, I think there are harsh words in dressing rooms, I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do in the press because I think the players, for whatever reason now, if you look back 18 months to the relegation, not going up last year for whatever reason, this season similar.

“Sometimes the players have probably heard negativity and conversations from Paul Hurst, Paul Lambert and Paul Cook because the reality is that’s what the performances have been offering up. We’ve got to change that as a group of people and a group of men.”

Cook dismissed the suggestion that injured pair James Norwood and Flynn Downes were missed.

“We didn’t miss them Saturday when we won, did we?” the Blues boss responded. “Flynn went off and James wasn’t there, but you always miss players and this is something we’ve got to get away from - the minute you lose a game now players who haven’t played become better players, and that’s not right.

“The lads who started tonight had earned that right. Cole Skuse came in who is an excellent player, has been an outstanding servant to the club.

“And because we have a disappointing night we can’t just look to say that people who weren’t here should have been here and should have been playing.

“The team that was picked tonight was comfortably good enough to win the game for Ipswich Town.”

Quizzed on whether Myles Kenlock, who was subbed in the second half, had a particularly tough evening. Cook said he could have replaced plenty of other players, as he could have done in the Blues’ previous away game.

“At Gillingham away, no different than tonight, I could have made four or five substitutions at half-time,” he said.

“But as well as trying to get promoted, I’m also trying to find out about the character and the players, and that can be tough for a manager because while you want to help them and make changes, sometimes it’s only in adversity you find out about people.

“We go through adversity one week and pleasure the next, if you like. And that’s not fair on the supporters, that’s not fair on everyone.”

Questioned on whether Norwood, who has been suffering from back spasms, has got a chance for the weekend, Cook joked: “You can’t ask me three questions about James Norwood, you’ve asked me two and now you want to get three in! I think the cleaners at the training ground have got a chance of playing on Saturday the way we played, so there you go, live with that one.”

Fleetwood boss Simon Grayson was delighted with his side's performance.

“I thought we were very good tonight, there were some really good elements to our game, we were positive, and we made a really quick start with and without the ball. We got in their faces and never allowed them to settle," he told his club's official website.

“They have some good players, who with time on the ball they can really hurt you, but we never allowed them to do that because when we had possession with the ball, we were very composed and used it really well.

“Our shape was really good, and we pressed them in certain areas, we dropped off when we needed to and we mixed up our game really well. Overall it was a really good collective performance.”

Photo: TWTD

therein61 added 18:27 - Mar 17 Dear Mr Cook you are i feel a valued addition to the this football club and will go strength to strength in your quest for promotion, you obviously need to have a big clear out and i might suggest that you ship out 4&8 a.s.a.p who have been Marcus Evans ears ever since the ridiculous contracts handed to them by big gob they have under minded the managers since then thinking they are bigger than the club there is no way these two should be awarded new deals after years of abject failure on the pitch continually messing up and blaming all around them(was Skuse actually on the park last night!!big selection mistake but if your hands are tied?) unload and i think you will find a happier group of players to work with.

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SickParrot added 19:47 - Mar 17 I think PC knows that a massive clearout is needed, and he has the rest of the season to work who he should keep. We might still make the playoffs (but only because of the equally poor form of other teams) but promotion is still very unlikely given that we never turn up for a must win game and we struggle to score any goals. Promotion next season or the year after is possible. I think PC will want to bring in his normal assistant and he must be allowed to build the squad he wants but this is of course dependent on Evans or a new owner providing the cash.

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TB42 added 20:13 - Mar 17 Some interesting, positive and incisive comments by PC - it would appear he really does have his work cut out!! The two performances against Gillingham and Fleetwood really do hit home - as I have said previously, you would expect players to give their all to impress the new manager and put themselves in his future plans. I know others on here will disagree but the simple reality is that a full cultural change of the team is required and that means thanking CHAMBERS and SKUSE for their services and moving on. If PC was yelling from the sidelines, why wasn't CHAMBERS marshalling and inspiring on the pitch? The Captain's arm band needs to go to somebody younger who can lead by example on the pitch and inspire and translate the manager's tactics and strategies into action and be part of the longer term future of the club. Like others I think CHAMBERS has far too much influence on and off the pitch and so long as that continues, PC will have an uphill struggle. I do hope that we don't get to the point of reiterating the EINSTEIN theory about "change!!"

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runningout added 20:19 - Mar 17 Paul Cook is Spot on. He has his work cut out. Hope he is here for ages. Promotion this time of not
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Help added 20:25 - Mar 17 In contract or out a lot of those players currently on the ITFC books will see themselves out the door come the end of the season. 50 odd players of which 25 of them are nowhere near the team, and of the 25 near or in it. Maybe 5 are capable or show the spirit and desire. There are so many that don't appear capable. Don't appear like they care. Don't appear like the know what to do. Professional footballers who look like they may have played their last games for any club. Because I cannot see any other club wanting most of what we got, and that in itself is probably the problem. We got a lot of players no one else wants, and now we know why. How we are going to attract better quality footballers, unless PC can work some magic and be the influence to get them to join us. As a footballer would you honestly want to come to ITFC?

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BrandonsBlues added 20:38 - Mar 17 PC take a look at the youth. Bring some in to replace the disinterested first teamers. They will have the desire. They may even have a different attitude to the current first teams inability to play football. Why do we give the opposition so much space, why do we not get closer and mark a player, or even heaven forbid get a tackle in.
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Dockerblue added 20:38 - Mar 17 Previous posters are right, we need a leader on the pitch, someone like Magilton who grabbed games by the scruff of the neck and Chambers isn,t that Leader unfortunately. You would never have seen Jim come off the pitch laughing after a defeat, he would,ve been livid! I remember the play-off semi against Bolton, Jim was geeing every other player up and leading by example, something l,ve never seen Chambers do! I like what l,ve heard from PC so far but hope he doesn't rely on our 4 & 8 too much, 3 other managers have made that mistake.

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blueboy1981 added 21:44 - Mar 17 It's step up, or step out time. If this lot doesn't step up to the plate in the next game - blood the youngsters as an acid test, and see what we REALLY have there - what have we to lose in doing so ? - a very outside chance of promotion - and what an embarrassment we would be in the Championship with this lot ? An awful lot of lightweights and pretenders in this squad - but far, far less in terms if what's required - least of all quality, effort, and commitment. Being some of the main reasons we have so many ‘injuries' ... !!!

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blueboy1981 added 21:56 - Mar 17 Desperately needed - a Midfield General and workhorse that drives a game and players on who the players respect enough to not fail, or drop a shoulder. Magilton had all that as a previous poster mentioned - sloop the shoulder playing next to him if you dare ... !! That's the type we need in Midfield as team captain - Chanbers, a good Club man for sure but not effective enough to be team captain to be honest. I don't think we have the right candidate in the squad - unfortunately.

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Barty added 10:51 - Mar 18 My biggest worry is our negativity on the pitch and our total lack of any goal threat. Our goals scored is one of the worst in the division. We desperately need some creativity in midfield and a couple of decent strikers which we sadly lack.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 13:24 - Mar 18 Actually, I think all the teams in L1 would struggle in the Championship - even the three that finally get promoted.
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madmouse1959 added 16:33 - Mar 18 The situation at this club is beyond ridiculous. Player clear out needed and a new owner as well.
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ChrisFelix added 09:36 - Mar 19 No coincidence that our best performance this year happened when we had Matheson & Kenlock in the team. Also i had faith that Skuse would be the ideal replacement for Downs. Oh dear why was Mcgavin sent on loan.
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Facefacts added 09:51 - Mar 19 A manager annoyed in private with the players selected. Why not do the Crystal Palace away selection (Mick era) in the League Cup, but include Parrott and Matheson. Start to prepare these older underachievers for their P45s. That is backing up the investment in the academy.
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