The contract situations of many Ipswich Town players and the change of playing styles between Paul Lambert and Paul Cook are big factors for the Tractor Boys' struggles in the last few months, according to former player David Norris.

After a positive first few months to the 2020/21 campaign, results started to slide at the start of 2021 and Ipswich slipped to a mid-table position and it led to Lambert's departure as manager, although there were disagreements between both manager and then-owner Marcus Evans which also contributed to the Scot leaving Portman Road.

Since then, Paul Cook has been appointed as manager and Evans has sold the club to an American consortium, so there has been quite an upheaval even though there's been no playing squad changes.

Those changes look to be coming this summer though with a squad overhaul on the agenda for Cook, who has been disappointed with his players since arriving in Suffolk.

Ipswich haven't scored in six games and there's clearly problems in some form on the pitch and perhaps off it, and speaking exclusively to Football League World, ex-Tractor Boy Norris has tried to dissect why things have gone wrong once again this season

"They're not scoring, they're not creating chances, but like I say it will be difficult the whole thing from the change of ownership - there's so many players out contract, their heads are going to be all over the place," said Norris.

"From the couple of fans I spoke to it looks a little bit of downed tools, with the uncertainty and knowing that they're probably going to be moving on in the summer.

"And then you've got a manager who's come in and knowing Cooky and the way likes to play, it's going to be a big change as well.

"Normally a manager will go in and you'll get something out of the players, you'll get a change there - fortunes turn around initially anyway, but that tends to normally be a manager coming into a club not playing well and they'll just shore it up and go defensively - with the way Paul Cook likes to play, he's doing it the opposite.

"So I think it was going to be harder for him to start going and get results because of the players might not fit the way he wants to play, it's going to take some time and he's going to need a summer as well.

"But I think it's just a big transitional period for the club at the minute and I think that's going to continue for possibly the next year."