For the second time this season, Ipswich Town head into an international break with a somewhat flat feeling.

Despite encouraging wins over Sunderland and Crystal Palace, defeat at Everton in mid-September dampened early-season optimism a little.

Fast forward a few weeks and the euphoria that came with another injury-time winner against Fulham (followed up with a spirited and battling display at Manchester City) has been hit by recent results, and to some extent performances, against Hull City and Bournemouth.

Town are not playing badly, but they are conceding some really bad goals, and it is costing them.

Manager Gary O'Neil has told us he doesn't see there being an issue with team structure at the moment. He feels there is a good balance between defence and attack. I tend to agree.

He has also told us that, over the course of a season, the amount of goals you concede will impact on where you end up. Again, we're aligned. History will tell you that conceding an average of two goals per game in the Premier League will prove fatal in the end.

Prior to kick-off last weekend, O'Neil was asked about his side's lack of a clean sheet this season. His response was that it hasn't given him a cause for major concern. For me, though, one can't come soon enough.

The frustrating thing for Ipswich is that they are not being routinely outplayed. In fact, there have been plenty of occasions this season when they have looked competitive for long periods against good sides.

Too often, however, one lapse in concentration, one misplaced pass or one failure to deal with a seemingly innocuous situation has undone much of the good work.

Right now, Ipswich's biggest problem is not what opponents are doing to them, but what they are doing to themselves.