Town boss Paul Jewell was again left shaking his head after more calamitous individual defensive errors handed Leeds a 3-1 win they hardly deserved at Elland Road. Jewell admitted that the mistakes against the West Yorkshiremen took things to a new level.

Jewell said: “I think we were in control of the game, then I don’t know what the goalkeepers were doing. You have to see it to believe it.

“For 70 minutes we were winning the game. We’ve restricted Leeds to very few chances, if any at all gilt-edged.

“One long ball and our goalkeeper decides he’s coming out for it and handles outside the box. With 10 men we were always going to be up against it but to give the goals away in the fashion that we did. I’ve said it so many times this season, but I think today is another level.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the feet time and time again,” he continued, clearly frustrated by more points having been thrown away after what had been a promising first half display.

“There was so much good about today, about the way we’ve played. We were good in all departments up until decision-making by Alex and Sonko that cost us the sending off.”

Meanwhile, stand-in skipper Sonko said sorry for his mistakes on Twitter: "I do want to apologise for today. My error cost us."

Jewell felt the goals were as bad as the red card: “The second goal is a long ball from the full-back that the goalkeeper should come and collect. The third one bounced on the edge of our box. They’ve scored three goals, and that’s why we are where we are.”

The Town boss is on the lookout for more defenders, having targeted Leicester’s Sean St Ledger and Portsmouth pair Jason Pearce and Joel Ward during the transfer window after a campaign blighted by similar capitulations by his backline: “It’s not just because of today it’s been because of the whole season.

“Having said that, I thought Tommy Smith did well and as a team we weren’t in danger for 70 minutes.

"Leeds were getting very frustrated. We passed the ball better than them, we created more opportunities, we looked in control of the match, we were controlling the tempo of the game. The gifts we gave them they haven’t had to work hard for. Again, it’s the same old thing.”

He says managers can’t legislate for the type of errors made all too regularly by his players: “As a manager, as a coach, there are certain things you can affect, but the decisions I’ve seen today, they’re just bad decisions which have cost us goals.

“I’ll always take responsibility as I pick the team but when people see the goals on TV they’ll scratch their heads.

“It wasn’t as if we were coming under severe pressure. It was just a long ball that our centre-half was going to deal with, he was going to head it back to Alex, and for some reason has decided to come charging out.

“It was windy out there, very windy and I guess even our goal was a mistake from their goalkeeper.”

Jewell says there have been no developments on transfers: “All the offers we’ve made have been rejected but we will be trying to bring in players, there’s no doubt about that.

“I don’t know about [improved bids] yet. We’ll have to sit down and speak about how far away we are from the other clubs’ valuations."

He says he doesn’t expect anything to happen regarding Sean St Ledger, who is back in Leicester’s plans, at least in the short-term, while there are no offers for any members of the current squad: “There are no enquiries for our players. We’ve made lots of enquiries and are pursuing other targets. It’s the same old boring lines I’ve got for you.”

Leeds boss Simon Grayson admitted his team had gained their victory largely by taking advantage of Town’s mistakes but felt the match was not dissimilar to the one between the teams at Portman Road earlier in the season: “That’s what can happen in football matches.

“We were poor in the first half, we never really got going. We would liked to have made a better start in terms of possession of the ball, closing them down and working them.

“We went a goal behind to a soft goal, it took a slight deflection but Andy Lonergan holds his hands up, he should have done better with it, and I think we were fortunate to be only one down at half-time.

“But in the second half we got to grips with things, changed it around a little bit, spoke to the players and gave them the belief that we could go and win the game, never mind draw it because we had to do a lot of things a lot better. We knew that we could still create opportunities and maybe win the game.

“The sending off obviously changed the game and it mirrored the game at Portman Road earlier in the season.

“For part of that game we were the best team, the sending off changed the game and Ipswich went and won the game.

"We’ve won the game off the back of the sending off and we’re delighted to have done that.”

Photo: Action Images

Keaneish added 21:59 - Jan 21 Wish I'd read this a bit sooner too... If this our defensive coach no fookin' wonder. Everything the guy touches turns to dust!! wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hutchings
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pastystringbean added 22:03 - Jan 21 It's all going Pete Tong, could be worse I suppose, it could all be going Tim Westwood. Really worried about our ability to attract players in this window, with Clegg probably offering medals instead of money for wages, what player in their right mind would want to play for us!
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WarkyWonderLand added 22:05 - Jan 21 He would never have survived at another club so why is he still here? Evans and clegg not wanting to admit yet another mistake? If they interviewed Chris hughton then hang your heads in shame given the job he has done at Birmingham. No wins in 6, 2 wins in 15 is absolutely shocking. 8 points from 45. For people who still think he is the right man get real. This is getting worse week by week and when will it end? Jewell should have went after the Burnley game and at the moment we will go down. Surely there are enough people who are unhappy enough to start voicing their opinion at Portman road. West ham at home and Coventry away are huge games but can't see where the win will come from. Dark days.

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runaround added 22:06 - Jan 21 Feel a bit for Jewell as players keep letting him down and whilst Clegg/ME may publicly back him they are not backing him in transfer or contract negotiations hence the protracted ranglings which end with us losing good players, missing out on targets and annoying everybody in the process. Clegg is not a football man and this club will not improve with him here but he is vital to ME with his links to the olympics, which its obvious is more important to our faceless owner. However Jewell also seems to have lost it and needs to be replaced. Without manager changes in next 10 days it will be too late for new manager or CEO to make a difference and we will be relegated. My worry is, even if ME is aware of this he doesn't care

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cressi added 22:12 - Jan 21 SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES top to bottom i gave up my season ticket this year i just couldnt face it,or afford what it cost to watch such dross money better spent elsewhere i now do a few home games and away but for the social side to see friends as i know the football will drive me mad and ive being going since 1969
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jerry53 added 22:12 - Jan 21 This. Is just absolutely awful..just pay the money marcus.It will cost you a lot more in div 1
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Karlosfandangal added 22:13 - Jan 21 At least McCarthy kept his first clean sheet. found a plus point
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walberswick added 22:15 - Jan 21 Hutchings? Got 100% win record at Derby.
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chepstowblue added 22:15 - Jan 21 The usual irrational dross. How the hell can todays bewildering errors be anybodys fault but the individuals responsible. Those players dont walk off and think"i was sh*te today but its ok cus its the managers fault",hopefully they look at themselves for ONCE AGAIN letting the boss down.On performances alone we should have picked up 7pts from the last 3 games.I go with what i see in front of me,a half decent football team with half decent players,some of whom currently are prone to inexcusable lapses of concentration. But if i was a sportsman id hav more balls to my character than to blame some fella stood in the dugout. For 70 mins nothing was said,then the circus came to town and b4 we know it.... PJ this PJ that. I find it worrying that some people are allowed to vote and bring up children!

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Tractastic added 22:16 - Jan 21 Its no good blaming players Jewell,you brought them in and this team is your shambles.Why else do we pay huge wages for managers? Jewell's a very poor mamanger,ask any Derby fan and the 2 non footballing decision makers at the club got it wrong again and should publicly apologise for putting ITFC fans through this dreadful period. The only way i will forgive Clegg and ME for this mess is for Clegg to sack PJ immediately and then for Clegg to resign himself and then ME bring Warnock in to keep us in this league. But it won't happen and Jewell will fail to attract the right palyers in the transfer window and we will probably be in League 1 with the potential situation where ME pulls his money out (after the Olympics) and we go into administration. The situation is now that serious and Jewell has to go now to start the ball rolling. If you care at all about our club Jewell and Clegg walk now with some respect.

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Keaneish added 22:17 - Jan 21 What's the chant at the next game though because quite frankly, it's so rotten I don't know who's head to call for!?
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dunkz84 added 22:20 - Jan 21 Let's get Scott loach in he's an Ipswich lad an a huge fan of this club an might actually givea s**t about what he's doing for itfc! Unlike the shambles that is McCarthy who will just go swanning bak to reading in three months whatever the outcome of our season!!!
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blueherts added 22:23 - Jan 21 just saw the highlights - Sonko is totally at fault for the two key goals that killed the game - the pass was just unbelievable in its execution - if you didnt know better u would think he meant it !! and as for the second - why stop running - he could have cleared away for a throw but instead he lets him through on goal - if he plays next game , there is no hope . Good teams build from back and it is no good us saying on here - we were gt for 70 , 80 , 60 minutes - we have to be good for 90 plus minutes and we are not - whose fault - the management pure and simple , and I cannot even imagine what the morale must be like - the midfielders and cresswell put in a decent shift only to keep watching keystone cops in defense - get an experienced keeper and three defenders NOW

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WarkyWonderLand added 22:36 - Jan 21 As people were saying on radio Suffolk, PJ knew when he took over that he needed two centre halves and a right back and did nothing. Sonko was signed after the season started as we had nothing else. And the goalkeeping situation is just appalling. Giving him more players will make no difference. His time is up for me.
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Keaneish added 22:42 - Jan 21 It's man management and character building that cuts out those stupid mistakes though chepstowblue as they're not one offs, they're repeatedly happening. You think we'd have thrown away that many points through bad defending in the last 20 minutes of games under keane? No chance. What I'm seeing is schoolboy defending and if this happens week in and week out it means it's not being remedied in the dressing room or on the training pitch and that means Jewell and Hutchings are responsible. If the players aren't good enough well then replacements are required and that's a Jewell, Clegg and Evans responsibility. Everyone is culpable off the field as much as on.

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kipper added 22:45 - Jan 21 Keaneish I remember hearing an old saying once that was along the lines of "When the fans call for the manager to be sacked the board will back the manager, but when the fans call for the board to be sacked the board will sack the manager."
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Tractastic added 22:48 - Jan 21 If he(PJ) cared about us (ITFC) he would have walked 5 games ago so a new manager could have spent money in the transfer window on positions we all know were required.Nice guy but have absolutely no respect for him anymore and his position is becoming untenable.The problem is though if a new manager does come in he will now have no time to bring in new players. p.s. Can someone please explain to Clegg that the fewer points you have in football means the worse you are and therefore the manager is sh*te!

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BrettenhamBlue added 22:50 - Jan 21 There have been a few positives from the last few games. Martin has been good. He switches position well these days and looks so much better than before his stint at Charlton. Carson has performed well. We have 2 capable, Championship wingers. JET is getting stronger every game. The way he went through the Leeds midfield was impressive. Keeps hitting the post but eventually they will go in. Hyam and Drury both look as if they can run the midfield competently. Scotland is performing well every game. His consistency gives us strength up front. Bullard is back from his illness now and will be ready for selection next game. Cresswell has turned out to be a very good signing at LB. Fair enough, our rightback and our central defence is a disgrace. Why we let Fulop, Trotter, Rhodes, Harding etc go I will never know. But if we can sort this out we WILL be a reasonable team that is able to compete and take up its rightful place in the middle of the table. I believe that we can remain and stay a Championship Club. Paul Jewell needs to make some difficult changes though/ 1. Sack Chris Hutchings and bring in a new defensive coach. He has a terrible record and with good reason. 2. Terminate contract of Nathan Ellington, or at least get him out on loan 3. Multiple Signings need to be made. GK, RB, 2 CD's, another exciting CM, a young and exciting striker. I don't care where these players come from...why are we always hunting in our own backyard (Championship). Why not look at Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Greece? Get in players who want to come to England to play football. Right now I would clap and dance if I found out we had signed 2 6ft 6 Swedish CD's.... 4. Sack the Fitness Coach and Get in a new one. Invest in a Motivational Coach. 5. Transfer List Delaney and Leadbitter (aka Leadboots or the Human Crab).If they don't want to leave,- send them out on loan to Siberia. Join Priskin in the cold. 6. Get in a Fresh, young Assistant Manager who has new ideas. I still trust in Jewell. He just needs to dig down deep and show some guts. Its isn't good being nice all the time.

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VanIsleBlue added 22:54 - Jan 21 Exaclty the same week after week after week...last minute goals, throwing away leads...one sob story after another. Whats next mmm...winning 3-0 and end us losing 4-3 to a 99th minute goal which was 20 yards off side to the worst team in the World who only had 3 fit players, the goalie was making his debut and was an 11 year old girl
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VanIsleBlue added 22:55 - Jan 21 Ipswich Town 1 West Ham 6 next week
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Tractastic added 22:58 - Jan 21 @.JewellisaGod I agree with a number of your points but while Jewell is here they just are not going to happen. A) Jewell wil not get rid of Hutchings. B) Jewell will not get rid of Ellington C)Multiple signings? We will be lucky if we get one loan signing before the window closes? Who wants to play for Jewell? D) Delaney is pretty much worthless and Leadboots contract runs out in the summer. E) A fresh young assistant NO a new manager YES !

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Keaneish added 23:06 - Jan 21 Is anyone up for helping me make a banner to unfurl along the length of the north stand upper to the effect of 'Our patience ran out with the white wine. We are now in crisis! Save our club'.
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Notts_tractor added 23:23 - Jan 21 No doubt others not at Leeds were watching Nodge v Chelsea earlier. This match highlighted everything that is right with them and wrong with us: 1. Solid goalkeeper, been established in the side for 2-3 years 2. Unspectacular but highly effective central defensive partnership 3.Determination in every position, backed up with muscular presence -Holt/Morison 4. Young, astute, perceptive manager 5. Packed ground, good home support 6. Great team spirit 7. A fraction of the money we've spent in our journey to 21st in the Championship 8.Hunger 9.Good blend of youth and experience (not one instead of the other) 10. Need I go on?

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stoofer added 23:24 - Jan 21 WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO SIGN FOR THE TOWN AT THE MOMENT!
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lazzaitfc added 23:25 - Jan 21 same old think every week u r starting 2 bore us pj do every1 a favor pack ur bags and f~*k off clegg u can join him 2 no 1 wants u hear you have no passion 4 our club. coyb we still beleave!!!!
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