Who Are Mick McCarthy's Top Five Signings as Ipswich Boss?
Written by GeorgeITFC24 on Thursday, 6th Aug 2015 10:22

Since walking through the door and taking the wheel of the sinking ship left by Paul Jewell, Mick McCarthy has made some absolutely fantastic signings for Ipswich. Almost every single one has been a free transfer or a loan deal, but which of the many new recruits has served this club the best?

[b]5. David McGoldrick[/b]

McGoldrick has really been a breath of fresh air ever since he first came here on loan at the end of the 2012/13 season. He netted four goals in 13 games and did enough to win a two-year contact after his deal at Nottingham Forest expired. He has since gone on to play a huge role in the squad (albeit only in the first half of seasons) playing 57 games and scoring a very respectable 21 goals.

Since his performances for the club have been very impressive he has sparked attention from some good teams like Fulham, Derby and Leicester even bid a huge Â£8 million for him. Quite amazing since he had gone from being a 'Forest reject' to a multi-million pound player in 12 months.

An all round great signing and would almost definitely have been higher on this list if it wasn't down to injuries.

[b]4. Teddy Bishop[/b]

Technically not a player MM has signed, but has been incredibly influential since breaking into the starting XI from the Academy.

It came as a shock to many of us when his name was on the team sheet to play Derby away last year, but he played fantastically on what was his debut. Since then he has gone from strength to strength and ended the season as a crucial player in Town's midfield.

Since Bishop is just a teenager and is playing regularly in the Championship, links to bigger clubs have unsurprisingly come along. Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United were all reportedly keen but just like with every interesting transfer nowadays an astronomical fee would be needed to even tempt the club to sell.

A fantastic midfielder with huge potential and MM has done very well in introducing him into senior football.

[b]3. Christophe Berra[/b]

An obvious inclusion in this list, Christophe Berra has been one of the club's most consistent, and simply best performers since his arrival two years ago.

MM has always described him as a top Championship centre-back and has been proven absolutely right. He is rock solid at the back as expected but his goals, 11 in 87 games, have come as a nice surprise to us all.

Still an underrated player, this proven by his exclusion from the Team of the Year, but is a crucial part of the Ipswich machine.

[b]2. Daryl Murphy[/b]

Many of us, including me, wasn't as shocked to see him sign permanently but when he was handed the number nine shirt. That's the goalscorer's number! Why on earth has DARYL MURPHY got that shirt?! 13 goals here and 27 goals there showed why he has the iconic number.

When McGoldrick picked up his injury in the 2013/14 season the pressure of scoring goals was placed on Murphy and he really pulled it out of the bag. Then on the opening day last season he scored and never stopped. 27 goals made him the league's top scorer, six ahead of Watford's Troy Deeney, and even earned him a Player of the Year nomination.

At the age of 32 Murphy is no spring chicken but has aged like a fine wine and has scored 40 goals in 89 games. Very impressive.

[b]1. Tyrone Mings[/b]

Do we really need to say any more than the transfer fees involving his name?

The left back was a Â£10,000 signing from non- league as a 19-year-old to then be sold for Â£8 million as a 22-year-old. An absolute managerial masterstroke by MM.

Mings was a very good player but his form did drop towards the end of last season. Football clubs are now almost being run like businesses and MM has shown he is the Alan Sugar of the soccer world with this amazing profit.

The money gained from the sale will really help the club to move forward and this has been shown by the Â£350,000 signing of Jonas Kundsen, something that definitely wouldn't have happened without this money.

Have I left anyone out? Maybe Richard Stearman for his contribution in the relegation battle of 2012/13, the ever-present midfield anchor Cole Skuse or even the top class professional Jay Tabb! Who would be in your top five list of MM signings?

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bluefeast added 11:09 - Aug 6 Murphy ,Mings ,McG ,Berra ,Skuse are my top 5 , i would add in sears , his goals were instrumental in our play off finish last season
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Blue_Again added 11:19 - Aug 6 No banjo no party or summit
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mow_the_lawn added 12:14 - Aug 6 Freddie Sears (although only based on 5 months with us) would be on there as a signing.
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Illinoisblue added 12:32 - Aug 6 Wrong to include Bishop in here
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mills added 13:02 - Aug 6 I'd suggest Cole Skuse as well
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Fatboy added 13:41 - Aug 6

Taking just the five players listed above, I'd discount Murphy and Bishop as both were at the club prior to McCarthy's arrival, albeit not on permanent professional contracts.

Of the remaining three, it depends on the criteria applied. Berra has probably been the best signing from a footballing viewpoint, although being a previous McCarthy player and being out of contract he probably didn't take much persuading to come to Ipswich.

McGoldrick had no previous links to McCarthy and joined early on in his reign at Ipswich, becoming instrumental in our battle against relegation that season (2012/13). He has gone on to be one of the best players in the Championship, although season-shortening injuries have meant he hasn't always got the respect he deserves.

Mings hasn't contributed as much on the field as the other two, but his well-documented rise from non-league to Premier League is surely one of the most amazing football stories of recent years. Still only 22 and as level-headed as they come, he has a great future ahead of him. More importantly to Ipswich, the money from his transfer to Bournemouth has helped fund the acquisition of several new players, who will hopefully lead us to promotion.

rugbytomc added 13:47 - Aug 6 Agree with all of those who said to add Sears! Does Terry Connor count?
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rickw added 14:17 - Aug 6 Surely Chambers deserves a mention too, not just for his football but for his leadership! Bishop shouldn't be on the list, I can see a case for Murphy as McCarthy made his loan permanent, but perhaps Sears and Chambers are better suited as signings
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SamWhiteUK added 14:45 - Aug 6 Chambers wasn't signed by MM
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dav86 added 16:41 - Aug 6 Has everyone forgot Kevin bru! Maybe the best technical footballer at the club.
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parhamblue added 07:26 - Aug 7 It's too early to say, but some of this summer's signings are likely to prove very influential. Proven Championship scorer Pitman; midfield kingpin Douglas. Knudsen looks a very good player, but don't forget he is a direct replacement for Mings who was very good for much of his first Championship season. Agree about Bru and Sears.
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karls_dad added 08:20 - Aug 7 Its young Freddie for me as his masterstroke, the lad is just a ball of energy and trickery, could watch him all day!
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Nthsuffolkblue added 09:05 - Aug 7 Isn't it great to be able to talk about signings in this way after the likes of Chopra and Priskin!
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rickw added 09:37 - Aug 7 But Chambers was a good signing, I can't believe Paul Jewell could have done this!! ;-)
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Hegansheroes added 12:12 - Aug 7

MM has made some great signings but I wouldn't count Bishop, Murphy or Chambers as all were at the club prior to MM even if Murphy was on loan as far back as RK. I would put Bru in the list as he has been an inspiration in midfield. Against the very good signings there have been some terrible ones & I would include Steven Hunt & Anderson in that last. I think the close season signings look a far better bet than this time last year, the interesting one for me is Toure, if he is half as good as Bru then we have a good player

Shotleytractor added 19:49 - Aug 7 Bryan Klug & Freddie Sears
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Currie10 added 22:42 - Aug 7 Banj Wordsworth Orr on loan Nouble!? Struggling to think of much else absolute rubbish he's brought in
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Currie10 added 22:42 - Aug 7 Banj Wordsworth Orr on loan Nouble!? Struggling to think of much else absolute rubbish he's brought in
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rfretwell added 17:55 - Aug 9 Freddie Freddie Freddie all day long. McG needs to sharpen up or on his Brentford display as sub he will be fourth in the striker pecking order. Out muscled on the ground and poor in the air he was a big reason our defence came inder so much pressure late on.
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jas0999 added 20:02 - Aug 10 Sears would be on that list in my opinion.
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ArnieMsBigToe added 08:51 - Aug 13

Agree with everyone that has nominated Sears.
I would've added Bru, Berra, McG and Yorwerth.
I know it's very early with Yorwerth but I have a sneaking feeling.
McGoldrick is class. You can't get away from it.

When you think of the other new signings Mick and Terry have brought in . . .
and the players that are coming through the academy . . . Wow!!

I also have a sneaking feeling about Toure. Once he gets his fitness, I reckon he could be our new midfield maestro. (Garvin-esque ??)

And then there's Knudsen . . . I could just go on and on and on . . .

Bergholtblue added 09:16 - Aug 13 I know Currie10 has added some names to show that not all MM selections have been successful but at least they didn't cost anything other than wages. When I think back to the money wasted on the likes of Paul Taylor, Tomas Priskin, Lee Martin, Michael Chopra, they were dark days indeed.
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