Former Ipswich Town striker Ian Marshall says supporters are entitled to voice their frustrations, but says they should think twice before calling for change.

The Blues were booed off the field, and there were chants of ‘what a load of rubbish’, following last Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to relegation-battling Rotherham.

Manager Mick McCarthy inherited a team that looked destined for League One in 2012, but he completed a much-needed stabilisation job and then had the club in the Championship play-offs for the first time in a decade, last season.

Progress has stalled in 2015/16 though and with the hopes of another top-six finish fading fast, questions are being raised about entertainment value and owner Marcus Evans’ long-term plan.

“It’s an expensive thing to do, going to football – the fans pay their money and they are entitled to have their say,” said Marshall, who made close to 100 appearances for the Blues between 1993 to 1996 and is now running his own football academy at Gresham Sports & Social Club.

“People say ‘let’s get a new man’, but it’s a difficult one. This is a cut-throat business and the average life-span of a manager in the top two divisions is something like 14/15 months. Mick has been at all his clubs a lot longer than that, so that tells you something.

“That sort of stability shouldn’t be underestimated. People start shouting about change as if change guarantees success – it doesn’t.”

The former Everton, Oldham, Leicester, Bolton and Blackpool man added: “There’s no doubt that Saturday’s game was disappointing. Mick picked a team that he thought would play well and get a result, but it doesn’t always work out like that.

“I think he was just trying to nick a result really. That’s been the trouble with Ipswich this year. If I’m being brutally honest, I don’t think they are a top Championship side.

“The limit of what they could achieve was probably always sixth and it’s going to take a really good run to get that now.”

And on forward David McGoldrick, who made an encouraging injury comeback in Monday night’s Under-21 draw with Nottingham Forest at Portman Road, Marshall added: “He’s one of the few players Ipswich have with a bit of flair. Take nothing away from the rest of the lads, but it’s a team made up of hard-working players.

“It can’t all be about flair, but you need one or two that can do something special and create something.”