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Manager Eddie Howe isn't having it easy right now. In recent weeks his two central defenders have been out of form. He left Michael Duff out for the last game at Bristol City when Clarke Carlisle had a difficult day. This time he opted to leave both of them out meaning a new partnership with Andre Bikey, recalled at Bristol, alongside new loan signing Shane Duffy who got an early debut.
A ridiculous yellow card for Danny Fox at Ashton Gate saw him ruled out whilst Jack Cork was unavailable having been taken ill during the week on England under-21 duty. Brian Easton came in for Fox and fit again Dean Marney filled the gap left by the absence of Cork.
The only other change was a recall for Nathan Delfouneso at the expense of Wade Elliott who took his place on the bench alongside Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Chris Iwelumo and three central defenders, Duff, Carlisle and David Edgar.
It was a strange looking formation at kick off. Eagles remained in a wide position as he'd done at Bristol but it was Delfouneso on the left with Ross Wallace in a central position. Again Rodriguez was the lone striker.
It all started well enough. We were the better team in the opening exchanges and had the first chance of sorts when Wallace was set up for a shot by Marney and Eagles. He wasn't able to get it on target unfortunately.
That apart, we were hardly threatening and Arran Lee-Barrett in the Ipswich goal wasn't being called on. As in the last game we looked reluctant to get players up in support and every effort to create something came to nothing.
Nothing much had been seen of Ipswich other than the occasional bit of petulance, often from Connor Wickham who was somewhat fortunate to get away with no card after a bad foul on Tyrone Mears. Referee Trevor Kettle played an advantage and waited until the game had stopped before going over. Incredibly he took no action.
Having said that, Marvin Bartley was equally guilty in one challenge that again went unpunished. The Kettle was definitely off the boil at this point but by the time this eccentric fool had finished it had boiled enough for everyone in the ground to have a hot drink.
What had been an okay start soon turned unfortunately. With 17 minutes gone Ipswich scored the simplest of goals from a left wing corner and there were so many players at fault. It was hit over to the far post where Duffy was easily beaten in the air and, as the ball dropped, Easton missed his kick.
It looked as though we'd got away with it but Wallace inexplicably left David Norris whose shot went through and in past Lee Grant. The goalkeeper could possibly have done better but was obstructed by Rodriguez.
A goal against was just what we didn't want and from then to half time the performance was way below what was expected. They were nearly two up within a minute but Jason Scotland made a right mess of a good chance after good work from Jimmy Bullard.
They didn't have long to wait for goal number two however. From a right wing cross, Wickham got above Tyrone Mears, headed the ball down and the bounce took it over Grant and in. Fingers were being pointed at the goalkeeper but I don't see it. I'm not sure there is anything he could have done.
The murmurings of discontent were already increasing. We'd lost our way completely and something needed to change. That change came eight minutes before half time with the introduction of Iwelumo.
It could have been any one of three for me to go - Wallace, Delfouneso or Eagles - they were giving us absolutely nothing. The choice was Wallace who'd just become the first player yellow carded and, according to Howe, was looking as if he could be sent off.
There was no real improvement up to half time but Kettle got going with a four yellow card haul in five minutes that led to him receiving an escort from the pitch at half time.
From the first goal onwards it had been totally unacceptable and was as bad as anything at home this season. We needed to get things changed at half time and give it a real go, and to our credit we did just that.
It was still very much disjointed and we were still struggling to create much in the way of goalscoring opportunities but the drive that was so absent during the first half was back with Bikey often going on his surging runs.
Howe eventually brought on Elliott. Delfouneso had been doing much better in the second half in a more central position and Eagles was the only candidate to come off. He's having a difficult time right now; it seems an age since that 15 minutes of brilliance from him that won us the game at Watford.
One supporter close to us appeared distraught at the change, shaking his head in disgust as the change was made, but within a minute Elliott had played his part in a goal. He had some good fortune as he went in for the ball out on the touchline and was able to find Marney.
Marney in turn played it inside to Jay Rod. He took one touch with his left foot before crashing in a right foot shot from around five yards outside the penalty box. It fired into the bottom right hand corner and gave us a real chance of getting something.
We had half chances but nothing more. Both Delfouneso and Bikey went close but it wasn't to be. Delfouneso found himself booked for going in on the goalkeeper whose rolling round in agony performance was worthy of an Oscar, and the chief diver Carson was substituted as time ran out for the Clarets.
This time some of the top teams did win, but with Forest's defeat at Leeds we remain just three points behind the play offs although that's now Reading on goal difference from Forest.
We won't make it if there are too many more performances like this but we do have it in us to go out and get wins in this league. Howe says we are not far away from winning again; it can't come soon enough.
The teams were;
Burnley: Lee Grant, Tyrone Mears, Shane Duffy, Andre Bikey, Brian Easton, Dean Marney, Marvin Bartley (Graham Alexander 75), Chris Eagles (Wade Elliott 67), Ross Wallace (Chris Iwelumo 37), Nathan Delfouneso. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, David Edgar, Clarke Carlisle, Michael Duff.
Yellow Cards: Ross Wallace, Andre Bikey, Nathan Delfouneso.
Ipswich: Arran Lee-Barrett, Carlos Edwards, Gareth McAuley, Damien Delaney, Mark Kennedy, David Norris, Grant Leadbitter, Jimmy Bullard, Connor Wickham, Josh Carson (Kieron Dyer 79), Jason Scotland (Andy Drury 74). Subs not used: Marton Fulop, Colin Healy, Luciano Civelli, Jaime Peters, Darren O'Dea.
Yellow Cards: Connor Wickham, Gareth McAuley, David Norris, Arran Lee-Barrett.
Referee: The boiling Kettle (Rutland).
Attendance: 14,484.
Footnotes
I'm sure we've had younger and less experienced starting line ups but the team that started this game had only previously started 315 league games for the club. Chris Eagles, with 78 starts, had played the post often. The seven subs had 938 Burnley league starts between them.
This is the first time we've lost successive league games at this level since January 2009. That was a run of five defeats that ended with a 3-0 reverse at Watford.
The last time we had a run of three home games without a win at this level, during one season, was an eight game run during the 2007/08 season; the last two home games under the management of Steve Cotterill and the first six games with Owen Coyle in charge.