YOU don’t see what I see.

That’s Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell’s message to disgruntled fans who have questioned his team selection following three straight home defeats.

The Blues boss admitted that his side badly lacks pace following Tuesday night’s 5-2 home defeat to Southampton, leading some supporters to ask why quick wide players Jaime Peters and Shane O’Connor remain out in the cold and Luca Civelli’s contract was recently terminated by mutual consent.

“Supporters ask ‘why isn’t he playing him?’ sometimes’, said Jewell. “Well the answer is I see them every day. I see things in training, see these players around the place.

“What goes on Monday to Friday obviously isn’t as important as what happens on a match day, but that’s what I base my selections on.”

Jewell has already explained speedy winger Josh Carson’s minimal use at the start of the campaign is down to the fact that the teenager is ‘not in as good a shape as he possibly could be’.

Left-sided Irishman O’Connor didn’t feature at all in pre-season and was recently on trial at League Two new boys Crawley Town, only to reject a six-month loan switch there.

Peters didn’t do his chances much good with a below-par performance at right-back against Northampton, while Civelli – who scored twice on his debut for top-flight Paraguayan side Libertad on Monday night – was understandably struggling to regain his form following a near two-year absence with a knee injury.

One player that has impressed Jewell – both in training and in matches – has been youngster Jack Ainsley, who now has a strong case for starting Saturday’s teatime trip to Peterborough (5.20pm ko).

Tommy Smith and Damien Delaney, the only fit centre-backs at the club, endured a difficult night against the scintillating Saints and it looks unlikely that Jewell is going to land reinforcements before the weekend.

With Ivar Ingimarsson still at least a week away from recovering from a thigh injury, Jewell’s only real option for change in the heart of defence would be to deploy right-back Ainsley in the middle.

The 20-year-old played in the unfamiliar role for the Northampton match and was one of only a handful of players who came in for praise from his manager following the shock cup exit.

Talking tactics – Page 46