Ipswich Town supporters have been processing the news of manager Paul Cook's dismissal, announced after the 0-0 FA Cup draw with League Two side Barrow.

Some fans expressed surprise that Cook wasn't given longer to turn things around, but all agreed that recent performances by the team left a lot to be desired.

As part of the announcement of Cook's departure, Mark Ashton, who took the role of chief executive of the club in June of this year, said that a change was "needed for our long-term interests".

Mark Ramsay, chairman of the Ipswich Town Supporters Club, said: "First of all we want to thank Paul Cook for all his efforts.

"We've always found him to be personable and likeable, really friendly to us as a supporters' club, and we wish him good luck in his future endeavours.

"But results of late have been inconsistent and the new owners have come to succeed and that means deciding to make a change.

"Meanwhile, we'll continue to do what we do best - support the club, foremost at Charlton on Tuesday where we hope the players will provide a winning performance."

After the news broke, social media was awash with opinions - ranging from those who thought it was a "ridiculous decision" to those calling for a more ruthless manager who could lead a run to the play-offs.

The fans we spoke to were slightly more measured in their reaction to the news.

Alexander Dack, a season ticket holder who sits in the Sir Alf Ramsey stand, said: "Like a lot of Town fans, I was really surprised when I heard the news that Cook had been sacked.

"Performances hadn't been good enough lately but while I was starting to have doubts about whether or not Cook was the man for the job, I was certain that he'd be given more time to try and turn things around on the pitch and change the opinions of the fans who were starting to doubt him, particularly with the January transfer window approaching.

"He's always come across as a really nice guy and I'm sure he'll have success with another club in the future."

Andrew Coley, a Town fan from Devon, agreed: "The results have been mixed this season so while we have seen some good wins, other results have been very disappointing.

"As a fan who doesn't go to many matches, I have no idea what the style of play has been like but many on social media seem to have objected to Paul Cook's tactics.

"I do think that perhaps he should have been given more time as he's only been in the post since March.

"From what I remember of the club's history, Bobby Robson took several years to achieve success and always had the backing of the Cobbold family. But these days, it's thought that success needs to be quicker."

And the fans from the Kings of Anglia fan podcast also expressed their shock at the dismissal.

But David Flisher said he thought it was the right decision, calling it "a matter of time" and adding that he didn't see that there was "any other option".

Matt Makin said that he wasn't used to "swift and decisive action" after the 14 years under Marcus Evans's ownership.

And Bono asked the question on many Town fans minds: "where do we go from here?"

The Blues currently sit at 11th in the table, 11 points behind the top three, who are level on 38 points, and seven away from the play-off places.

A caretaker manager is likely to be appointed as the owners launch an 'extensive search' for Cook's replacement.

Names in the mix include Liam Manning, Michael Appleton, Neil Warnock and Lee Johnson.