NIGEL Reo-Coker has read the riot act at the “embarrassing and lazy” defending of his team after the Blues were hammered 5-0 by Crystal Palace.

Calamitous Town gave away three penalties in 11 second-half minutes to gift Ian Holloway a debut victory in charge of the newly-installed league leaders.

For Mick McCarthy, the size of his task at Portman Road has been made abundantly clear with basement club Ipswich now five points adrift of safety and with a minus-20 goal difference.

And former Premier League midfielder Reo-Coker spared no feelings with a brutal assessment – that mirrored loanee Richie Wellens damning criticism of the team last month.

Reo-Coker said: “The goals we conceded were embarrassing. That’s not the level we are at – and that’s not Championship level.

“It was schoolboy defending. I have made it very clear in the dressing room that this will never happen again. They didn’t have to work hard at all to get the goals, we gifted them five through lazy defending and no will-to-win.

“We should all be embarrassed about it. You don’t concede three penalties in a game, not at this level.”

Four second-half goals, including two penalties scored and one missed, saw the rampant Eagles soar to the top of the Championship.

Now with McCarthy’s first home match in charge against Burnley on Saturday, the experienced Reo-Coker has made it clear what he expects.

He said: “This is not about management, new or old – I think that’s just an easy cop-out for some players.

“This is about the players, they need to stand up as men and be counted. It is about having desire and working hard and we did not work hard enough.

“Today is the bottom line – this is where it stops. I haven’t come here to be made to look like a fool. As long as I am here, it’s not going to happen again.”