Former Ipswich Town player and coach Bryan Hamilton has called on the club's board to give manager Roy Keane continued time and support.Sunday's 4-1 defeat by Norwich City extended Town's losing streak to four games and heaped more pressure on the Portman Road boss.
"Roy Keane needs help at the moment," Hamilton, who played over 150 games for Ipswich, told BBC Radio Suffolk.
"He needs it from his players, staff, chairman and chief executive."
Northern Irishman Hamilton had a five-year playing career as a midfielder for Ipswich, and would later become a coach under George Burley between 2001 and 2002.
His last managerial job in England was, incidentally, at Sunday's derby day victors Norwich, where he won 10 out of 35 games before leaving in December 2000.
Certainly we're in a bit of trouble at the moment but when you look at the league, we're six points from the play-offs
Former Ipswich player Bryan Hamilton
"I'm not one for sacking people, I'm a football man and I would really look at every avenue, from the chief executive right into the management area," he said.
"And if everyone pulls together in one direction, and they analyse what's taking place, it can be, with an open mind, improved.
"Certainly we're in a bit of trouble at the moment but when you look at the league, we're six points from the play-offs, but we're also four points from the relegation situation.
"It's not a great league this year, and I do believe that if a team can put a string of results together then they can find themselves in those challenging positions."
Town head into a League Cup quarter-final with West Brom on Wednesday with a string of players missing.
Goalkeeper Marton Fulop has an ankle injury meaning he joins Connor Wickham, Gareth McAuley, Tom Eastman, Mark Kennedy and Luke Hyam in the treatment room.
Full-back Gianni Zuiverloon is unavailable as he is on loan from the Baggies and Damien Delaney will serve a one-match ban after his sending off against the Canaries.
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport