Town boss Paul Cook says there’s not much he would have done differently in his first few weeks at Portman Road, despite the Blues having won just twice in his opening 12 matches and now out of the play-off running barring a miracle.

Cook has had a tough introduction to life at Portman Road with the Blues down to 11th in the table, five points off the top six with four left to play having drawn five and lost five in addition to those two wins.

“Not particularly,” Cook said when asked if he’d have done anything differently. “If you look at the starting XIs that we’ve tried and the strikers that we’ve put in, the combinations of strikers we’ve put.

“One of the things I don’t like is that when you’re searching for something you’re chopping and changing and the reason you chop and change normally is because you haven’t found the solution. You’re searching for the solution.

“I’ve never managed like that, I never have. Gary Roberts has played for me at my last three clubs, the reason Gary played for me was because I knew exactly what I got out of him week in, week out.

“I’ve had Samy Morsy, I’ve had him as captain at two out of the three clubs, and that list goes on.

“Here, I’ve come into a different environment, a difficult environment for a lot of reasons, and an environment probably where certain people have carried the blame, whether that be the players, whether that would be Paul Lambert, whether that’s been Marcus Evans.

“The brutal reality is that we were all part of the problem. And we have to find a solution. In football today, there’s such a blame culture, everyone blames everyone else.

“You’ve been around me for six week, the blame being put on to these players stopped at the end of the Northampton game. There’s no more blame on the players, it’s on the manager. It’s all on me now.”

If he had the option just to end the season now, would he? “It’s a good question, I’ve changed my mind three times already while you were asking it. I think when you’re a player, if you’ve got any type of substance in you, in your make-up, losing football games is not tough and even last week at Charlton, the last 10 or 15 minutes we were crying out to lose the game.

“I struggle with it. We’re playing away from home at Charlton, we’ve done smashing in the game and we’re waiting to be beaten at the end. And you sense that in the squad, you sense that even in the staff a little bit now where we kind of hope we’re going to do well.

“I think in these next four games, Andre Dozzell’s been top class in the last two games, has played really, really well. I think these four games are a chance for people. Like I’ve told the lads, you have to be selfish now.

“As a club and as a team, our race is run. As an individual, you still probably have a chance to make somebody look at you a little bit differently so stand up and be counted.

“Losing games of football for any manager, we all know the perils of football today, that’s the job we’re in. You know that when you’re a manager. I was bottom of the league at Christmas at Wigan and you know the perils of what’s coming. And I’ve never shied away from that.

“Coming in here now, it’s been a challenge, it’s been difficult. It will not change me as a person or as a manager ever. I want to watch my team with pride. I love being a manager on the side of a pitch when you know what you’re getting out of your team.

“The famous one that I say to the players, and it’s difficult at the minute, all you ask at the end of a football match is that your supporters clap you off the pitch. When the supporters clap you off the pitch it means that what they’ve watched, they’ll accept.

“You don’t win football games just to be clapped off a pitch, you have to run and work and show them how much you care. And at the minute, that’s something that probably makes me glad that Ipswich fans aren’t in stadiums because we want them to be proud of us and at the minute.

“As you know, I don’t do social media and I’m probably glad, I know our fans are not proud of us, and I include myself right at the height of that. And that’s something that doesn’t sit well with me, that’s for sure.”

How does the challenge compare with the one he’s had at other clubs? “I think if you look at the immediate results, I think we've drawn five and lost five and won two. I think if you've watched the 12 games, including the game the other night where we've probably had the best phases of play in a game that we've had since my time here and lost 3-0.

“The games, including the ones we've won, I'd suggest nearly every single game could go either way on a 1-0. That's the brutal reality of it.

“You look at the results in the division, they’re similar, and then you look at the planning for the future.

“Yeah, it's going to be a tough job because of the changes that come. We all speak about recruitment, and as our fans will.

“I'm sure they will recognise we're all waiting for our first signing, second signing and the statements we make in the transfer market or the recruitment process to bring players in.

“My big thing, and everyone knows how much I love football, I love going to watch my team knowing we've got footballers who win us games and footballers who get it back.

“Unfortunately for Ipswich now for a period, we haven't had any real go-to players and that's sad for us as a football club.”

In terms of the games still to play, has there got to be an element of pride from the players regardless of whether they’re staying or going?

“I tend to disagree with you a little bit,” Cook reflected. “I think the pain has now set in, and as an Ipswich supporter and an Ipswich manager playing for pride is not something we should even be speaking about, is it?

“I think therein lies a problem that I am part of at the minute. And the solution, if you have to be told to play with pride, you shouldn't be at a football club.”

Photo: Matchday Images

tempzzzz added 11:08 - Apr 23 “I think in these next four games, Andre Dozzell's been top class in the last two games, has played really, really well. I think these four games are a chance for people. Like I've told the lads, you have to be selfish now." Oh no! Not only did he say Dozzell was top class (what has he been smoking?) he also said "really really well". Remind you of anyone? I like Paul Cook, I appreciate his honesty but he keeps changing his mind. One week the players were no good and he didn't care if they were hurting, this week he's saying he's not gonna blame them and we should blame him. I just hope he gets enough budget to bring in a lot of new players but unfortunately it sounds like 'Dozza' is here to stay!

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karl1426 added 11:17 - Apr 23 I don't really understand! Prior to him taking charge, we won 3 games on the roll! What he has done in 12 matches can't even matched the last 3 games prior to his appointment! If that's the case, then we will have to admit Paul Lambert has done a wonderful job here and why do we still want him out! We have tried for many seasons, replacing with ‘supposedly' managers who have achieved promotion targets with their previous clubs. Paul Cook is no exception in this case. After so many failures, I am just concerned Cook will be no difference from those we had. Nevertheless, hopefully he can cook up a good team to challenge for the title next season!

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TractorRoyNo1 added 11:42 - Apr 23 Hurst and Lambert were not bad managers, just too weak in getting Evans to back them, the cancer was always there Cook has a scalpel and owners who have told him to use it.
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grow_our_own added 11:47 - Apr 23 Really Paul? You'd have: - Started rotating Bishop out of the team? - Dropped our most improved player this season: Myles Kenlock in favour of Ward? Ward's immobility is a defensive liability and he offers little attacking threat. MK Dons' Laird was the latest in a long-line of L1 right-wingers ripping him to pieces. Wimbledon's goals came down his side. Kenlock is stronger defensively and brings the ball forward better. - Played Woolfenden at right-back instead of Chambers who'd been playing there all season? Woolfenden is a centre-back. Chambers is too, but has had some good games at RB this season and knows that role well by now. - Played Sears instead of Dobra? Played Sears full stop pretty much. He's finished at this level. These are all clear mistakes that have contributed to our failing to reach the playoffs this season.

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DifferentGravy added 11:53 - Apr 23 It seems the majority of the team inherited from Hurst/Lambert are league one level and that the 4-5-1 cautious, negative approach helped to paper over the cracks. Cook must have felt he could come in and tweak this approach and we would be a shoo-in for the playoffs. It didnt work and so he tried a variety of players/formations. I think most of u would have felt and done similar. However, the frustration for me was that in desperation he began to implement tactics/players that clearly hadnt worked under Lambert and the continual changes really unsettled the team. Even if Lambert had snuck us into the playoffs we werent showing any sort of quality to get through. Dont be blinded by Lamberts mini run towards the end of his tenure....our performances were below par all season and we had generally struggled to create/score goals. Some fans are already calling for the head of the manager. Personally, I can now see that many of these players are not good enough, too old or (even worse) not fit enough. However, the manager has to be held accountable and his record for us does not make good reading whatsoever. I can understand why some are anxious to allow him the opportunity to build....given our current plight. All I can say is that this wasnt his squad and it does need a massive overhaul.

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AlanG296 added 11:55 - Apr 23 Reaching the playoffs would have just delayed the essential clearout and rebuild. Anyone that thinks any manager would get this bunch of invertebrates to beat 2 top 6 teams is deluded.
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Europablue added 12:00 - Apr 23 With the greatest respect TractorRoyNo1, what are you on about? The problem that ME made with Hurst (other than hiring him in the first place) was backing him to replace the entire playing squad and providing him with significant funds. Hurst was my pick for manager too, but I didn't know anything about his personality and how he was act under pressure. I still think he could be a good manager, but Cook has a tougher job on his hands than when he was at Wigan.

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BettyBlue added 12:17 - Apr 23 He's crap, just like Lambert.
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Suffolkboy added 12:22 - Apr 23 PC impressed with his affability , honesty and integrity ; alongside his love for the game and enthusiasm we can but hope that together with others in the newly restructured Top team ,he will be enabled and helped to thoroughly identify the weaknesses ,AND implement the sort of surgery and reconstruction so vitally required . So far ,and n this latest interview, it could be well argued he has been biding time ,occasionally window dressing by way of diversionary tactics ,but new brooms often sweep clean and he will know that he and HIS management team will have to measure up sharpish ! COYB

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