Ipswich Town midfielder Cole Skuse says it’s the players who must take the blame for a current dip in form.

Blues boss Mick McCarthy was among the Championship manager-of-the-month nominees recently following a nine-game unbeaten run, but he’s since received some criticism for his team selections, substitutions and tactics after three successive defeats.

The Blues are out of the FA Cup and have dropped from sixth to 10th in the table after conceding seven soft goals in successive defeats to QPR (3-1), Preston (3-2) and Millwall (1-0).

McCarthy admitted that Saturday’s loss at The Den was his side’s flattest performance of the campaign, with keeper Dean Gerken allowing a mis-hit cross to loop over him for the winner and Town lacking ideas going forwards as a series of long punts forwards proved meat and drink to centre-backs Danny Shittu and Shane Lowry.

“A lot of us have held our hands up in the dressing-room and the manager has said his piece after the game,” said Skuse.

“It was one of those games where nothing went for us but at the same time we didn’t really create any chances, which is disappointing.

“You have these days in football. It’s frustrating the way we let the game fizzle out. We didn’t really have enough about us today. It was just a bad day at the office.”

For Millwall, it was their first win in eight games, the south London team playing with real heart – and the crowd responding – in what was manager Ian Holloway’s home debut.

“A new manager has that affect,” said Skuse. “The lads here said how lifted they all were when the manager and TC (Terry Connor) came in last year.

“That doesn’t excuse our performance though. We played into their hands. That’s the first team this season that we’ve let a team bully us a bit. Normally it is doing that to other teams.”