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Ipswich Under Mick Start Rebuilding Brick By Brick!
Written by Pessimistic on Thursday, 8th May 2014 15:26

Jim Magilton liked to use the phrase 'It is a work in progress'.Under our Mick we are rebuilding brick by brick and perhaps a more fitting description could be 'This place is under construction'.

I was never a fan of Mick McCarthy I have to say and before he was appointed I had a list of ten other possible candidates and he was not even on the list! I was disappointed when he got the nod because I knew that it was unlikely he would bring entertaining football to Portman Road and we would have to grind out results.

This is what has occurred in the main but strangely I am not too despondent. In the cold light of day he has proved to be a miracle worker and just what the club needed.

It may not be the medicine that we wanted to take but his appointment was critical, as the patient was on the danger list. Town finished ninth which is their best league performance for six years and perhaps more astonishingly having spent just £25,000 on a player who never even kicked a ball in earnest and is now back in Ireland rebuilding his career. He may return, but I am not banking on it.

As for owner Marcus Evans, he must be wondering why he let Roy Keane and to a lesser extent Paul Jewell, spend so much and perhaps that is why he has decided to keep his wallet in his pocket for now. To be within a whisker of the play-offs in his first full season in charge is a quite remarkable achievement and his past loyalty to other clubs suggests that the reconstruction process under Mighty Mick might continue for some time. Let us hope so.

He has not got everything right of course, but who does? What I see in Mick is transparency and this is reflected in the way the players rally behind him. When I was in Ipswich for the last game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, I was told by a taxi driver who ferries lots of players around Town that he was respected by everyone because of his honesty and directness.

Frank Nouble said that he would not have joined the club if it had not been for McCarthy and I think his pulling power means we have assembled a half-decent squad for peanuts so far and there is certainly more to come.

I suspect Aaron Creswell will go but we have in my view a more than adequate replacement in Tyrone Mings. As for Scott Loach, I guess being second choice is not something any former England U21 keeper can handle for too long. Paul Taylor showed lots of promise until his injury and I get the feeling his face did not fit.

Francis Bacon once apparently said that hope is a good breakfast but a bad supper and at least in Mick The Man, hope springs eternal!

Having supported this wonderful club for longer than I care to remember, I too am hopeful that we have finally turned the corner and that that deep depression that has overshadowed the club for so long is soon to replaced by some high pressure and lots of sunny intervals!




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tractordownsouth added 16:12 - May 8
Good blog. Of course McCarthy has his flaws, everybody does; but he is much better than Keane and Jewell will ever be. I think it is proved by the fact we have not spent a penny and improved our league position by five places ( i dont think jack Waterford's money should count because he hasnt played) . It was always going to be a challenge with a lack of resources compared to his previous jobs at Wolves and Sunderland ( noted that Millwall is an exception) but he has shown he is developing a good side who actually care and want to play for their manager.
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KBsSocks added 13:55 - May 9
Is this Francis Bacon a wide midfielder ?! ;-)

MM seems not only to get players in for the present, but also for the future. Nouble has shown marked improvement in games recently. Mings is fab, but not quite fab enough to keep Cressy out !

We've Hyam in, Veseli and Henshall and Marriot hovering around, and Lawrence and Bishop and McQueen and Hammond and Doherty all lining up to take their places if called upon.

One Williams-type Midfielder and we're sorted, in my opinion, for the Playoffs next season.

Two "big" signings, and we're in with a chance of the Top Two spots.
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KBsSocks added 14:01 - May 9
... and Hewitt - forgot to mention Hewitt !
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MVBlue added 15:57 - May 9
Could be worse. Could be Norwich.
Micks done fine and with his football contacts I am hopeful there will be more players to come. My real hope is that year on year we improve. He built a good reputation at Ireland, Sunderland, Wolves. So he should come good. But less displays like those against against Burnely will be needed.
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tractordownsouth added 10:21 - May 10
KBS I doubt we will finish in the top two. There is always a team that has limited finances though that surprises everyone. I am probably just trying not to go get carried away. The 2012-13 season i thought we would be relegation candidates and i was correct until jewell left. In last season, 11/12 and 10-11 i thought we would be play offs. Haha I was only 10 at the time. Immature delusion from myself.
Not saying it is impossible - we are in much better shape than the last few seasons.
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78ShadesOfBlue added 14:03 - May 10
....Or McGoldBrick by McGoldBrick...
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Cambonbleu added 09:03 - May 13
We lack that prolific striker - look at the Vokes / Ings partnership at Burnley. Both came good at the same time after indifferent careers prior to this season. 7 goals between them last season, 40+ goals this season. If you add McGoldrick & Murphy's tallys together we're a 10 goal a season striker short of promotion. Didz could get 20 goals, Murph another 10 - if we can get someone in who can get 10 more we might be in business!
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