Manager Paul Cook says he’s sure he and his players haven’t yet gained the trust of Ipswich Town fans but says that’s something he will be trying to develop over the weeks to come as his newly-assembled team begins to find its feet following a summer of great change at Portman Road.

The Blues have started the season slowly and are without a win in their first four league games, putting them 20th in the table, while they exited the Carabao Cup at home to League Two Newport County. Overall Cook has won only four of his 21 games in charge of the Blues.

Asked whether last year’s 3-0 defeat to tomorrow’s opponents AFC Wimbledon was one of his most painful, he said: “I’ve had some painful ones, don’t worry about that, I’ve been managing now too long not to have some painful ones, that’s for sure.

“When you manage, I always think it’s educational. I think football’s so educational. I think when you watch games and you watch teams and you study performances, the biggest thing is you want to be able to trust your players.

“We’re at a club where there’s been so much change, and by the way supporters want to be able to trust the manager. At the minute I’m sure I haven’t got the Ipswich fans’ trust, the players will probably be the same.

“That’s something that we’re looking to develop over the next few weeks where they see signs of what we’re trying to do grow better, grow stronger and then trust levels develop more.

“There have got to be bad days for you to get better. There’s got to be bad days at work, there have to be. No one’s got magic wands in football, but the harder you work, the luckier you will get and our lads are working hard at the minute, I can guarantee you that.”

Town's performance in last week's 2-2 draw with the MK Dons suggested a first win of the season isn't too far away.

Cook added: “I just keep going, I very much keep going. I don’t let the results, I don’t let the goals conceded affect me. I’ve been around football long enough to know.

“I’ve been at other teams where we’ve been through similar patches where something will go your way, the rub of the green and eventually you’ll click and eventually all of a sudden partnerships develop in front of your eyes and all of a sudden you go ‘Wow, we’re looking a lot better’.

“I’m 100 per cent confident that that’s what will happen to this Ipswich Town team. I see the work that they’re putting in at the training ground, I see the work the club are doing off the pitch with recruitment and at the minute now we just want all our players fit and available.”

With no midweek game, Cook has had his players on the training field for a sustained period for the first time since pre-season this week with a number of them having been signed since the start of the campaign proper.

Asked whether the week at Playford Road has been beneficial, he said: “Speaking to you as local press, I never make excuses, I don’t believe in it, I think it just brings weakness, and I think it just allows people to listen to you and think ‘What are you moaning about?’.

“For us, the only appeal we have is just for that bit of time for the lads to gel. At the minute the injured lads are starting to return.

“Last week, I think we had three lads making their home debuts, [Hayden] Coulson, [Kyle] Edwards and [Cameron] Burgess, and you can only imagine how difficult that is for those players, with their families, with tickets, with hotels, with moving house and everything.

“So the reality is with that appeal for time, we’re not talking about a long time we’re just talking about a few games for everyone to get together, for us to travel together, for us to get used to each other and more importantly for us to be on the training ground spending those hours that we need to to learn.”

What specifically was worked on on the training field, improving things defensively?

“No, let’s keep conceding goals, we’re good at it!” Cook joked. “Again guys, as you can imagine, in football work when one door opens, one door shuts when one window closes one window opens.

“For us, we’re a work in progress, you defend from the front as a team and it goes right through, you create chances with your full-backs, it’s the modern-day game.

“So for our development as a team, we have to work harder to be a better team and we’ll keep that up.”

Town could find themselves up to 11 points behind the leading sides if they lose tomorrow but Cook isn’t paying too much heed to the early-season table with Sheffield Wednesday currently top on goal difference from Wycombe and Portsmouth.

“If we were sitting where they are now, would we be promoted?” he said. “No, we wouldn’t. If you go three games on a bad run or you win three games your life changes in these leagues.

“I’ve been in these leagues long enough to know. I’ve been experienced when you’re sitting out of the play-offs and [people say] you won’t get in the play-offs, when you’re in the play-offs you won’t go up.

“The only thing which changes everybody’s mind is results. That’s what the game is about and all we want to do is take three points tomorrow.

“If we take three points tomorrow, the likelihood is that we’ll have got nearer or no further than the teams you’ve just mentioned, and we have them all to play.”

Photo: Matchday Images

blues1 added 15:08 - Aug 27 Cheshireblue . Fortunately our owners have already stated clearly, if some fans bothered to listen or read their interviews, that it may take a few years to put things right. So anyone who thinks they will lose patience with Cook in such a small space of time, are kidding themselves.
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ArnieM added 15:15 - Aug 27 Keep going Paul , you'll get us there . Onwards and upwards 👍 COYBs
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blues1 added 15:15 - Aug 27 Ringwoodblue. Hes been here for 21 games. Not even half a season. No manager of any club is proven in that space of time. If that time is the criteria as to when a manager should be judged, thered be very few managers still in a job. Sir bobby would have been sacked here on that basis. Alex ferguson took a few seasons before he got any success at utd. Just to name 2. Think what the history of utd and ourselves would be if theyd be sacked using that criteria. Yes, owners expectations have changed since those days, but sacking managers every few months rarely gets a club success. So let's not fo down that route.

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dirtydingusmagee added 15:40 - Aug 27 Blues1 , lol yap yap yap .
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Blue56 added 15:56 - Aug 27 Sorry Paul, still not convinced, can't keep using excuse about gelling as a a team, 2 points out of 12 is unacceptable, please prove me wrong.
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BurleysGloryDays added 16:20 - Aug 27 Right behind you Cookie! Record speaks for itself, players attracted are impressive! With you all the way mate, keep the confidence high. Noisy tiny minority will bang on whatever you do and think they know the game better than you. Buckle in Blue Army!
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blues1 added 16:26 - Aug 27 Blue56. I know some fans dont like it but it will take time to gel. Anyone who knows anything about football knows that's a fact. If u went out onto the street and got 11 totally random guys who play football, but who dont know each other and pitted them up against say, an established sunday lge team, I'll guarantee you what the outcome of that match would be. And that's what in effect weve done. And even then, if not for individual errors we could have won every game so far. Those errors are partly due to the players not knowing each other tho. So that's why time and patience is needed. Of course it cant go on and on. But let's not hang them yet.

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Marcus added 16:36 - Aug 27 We're a bunch of supporters who were considered the unhappiest in the country. Over the summer we were given hope, now there's a weight of expectation that is probably somewhat unrealistic for a squad with so many changes both on and off the pitch. We all need a little more patience (some more than others), however I do understand why some are showing frustration - they're perfectly within their rights to do that, however it really doesn't help by putting excess pressure on the players.

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runningout added 16:36 - Aug 27 I trust PC to succeed. If it's at ITFC even better. 3 points in every blooming game (League or Cup competitions v anyone in any League) is the objective surely. Not just the next one. Got to be aiming higher than what we seem to... onwards
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Letchworth_Blue added 17:07 - Aug 27 Trust is all we have at the moment. Stop saying how long you've been in football and start winning matches. We had all this talking a good game from the last manager...
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ringwoodblue added 20:02 - Aug 27 Blues1 - sorry but comparing now to a bygone era of football doesn't really hold any water. As you say owner's expectations have changed but so have so many other things in football. It's a cut-throat world for football managers and like Cook or not, he will only be judged by his results. Anyway I'm not saying sack Cook, just saying he hasnt proved himself yet and the clock is ticking

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blues1 added 22:21 - Aug 27 Ringwoodblue. No the clock isnt ticking. As i said, the owners have already made it clear that iit could take some time to put right the demise of the pastc10 years
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blues1 added 22:26 - Aug 27 And that cook was their number 1 choice. So he will be given the time that he should rightfully be given. Certainly while there continues to be signs of progress. Obviously if things were really to turn for the worse, then yes, I'm sure theyd look at it. But now is not the time for the criticism or the calls for his head that some fans are doing. The team need our support. Not to hear boos and calls for the managers head. Especially when most have them have said it was bcse cook is here why they came here.

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blueboy1981 added 06:40 - Aug 28 Only numpties don't have Faith in what's going on at the Club Paul - the revolution had to happen, and it has only just begun. Only individual errors see us currently in 20th place, and make no mistake it's a tough League and NOT a given to be immediately succesful. Anyone who saw the Burton v Cheltenham game will understand how tough this season is going to be - in REALITY that is .... !!!

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BobbyBell added 09:32 - Aug 28 We are playing good entertaining attacking football which I'm sure we all want to see. So we have given away at least 4 soft goals, missed a penalty and missed an open goal. That's all part of football and it happens but would we rather be playing how we did with 35% possession and not a single shot on goal? This new style of play is going to take us up and it will bring in big crowds. Why are some people so impatient? Two draws and two defeats in four games will happen during a season, possibly several times so why make such an issue of it just because it's the first four games?

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