Paul Jewell is concerned about F words.

Not ‘fragile’, a term some supporters are using given the defensive options open to the Town boss. Nor ‘formation’ as debate rages over how the Blues should line up.

Instead the Town boss has highlighted a “fear factor” among his players who have only managed a staggering 26 wins from their last 70 games in front of their own fans.

After three successive seasons of winning less than half of their home games, Jewell has demanded an improvement – starting with tonight’s visit of Southampton.

The manager said: “I want to try and embrace playing at home and look forward to it. There is a little edginess and fear factor about us at home, it has been there for quite a while and I don’t know why.

“Portman Road is a lovely place to come but we want it to be less lovely for the opposition. We want it to be a bit more unattractive.”

With little to cheer in recent seasons, and following Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Hull City, Jewell insists his players have to get the crowd off their seats and turn Portman Road into another F word – a ‘fortress’.

The manager said: “It is up to us as a team to get our supporters excited and to get them loud and vibrant and scare the opposition.

“That has to come from the team. I don’t think the fans have been anything but superb since I have been here. We have to give them more excitement at home. Fans pay a lot of money to watch us and entertain them and sometimes we have been a disappointment.”

Jewell is expected to revert to a 4-4-2 formation for the visit of the Saints who sit second in the Championship having won both of their league games.