I feel angry now. Not disappointed or upset, but angry. It's not just that Town lost, and lost to lower league opposition, AGAIN. It's that we didn't want to win. Or, to be more specific, our manager didn't want us to win: he rested his entire first XI.

If last night's FA Cup third round defeat to a team two divisions below was a one-off, I might not feel this way. But the loss was part of a pattern that, for me, shows not just contempt for the greatest club football competition in the world, but contempt for Ipswich Town's fans.

It's now been six years since Town won an FA Cup tie. Six years. Not just Mick, but seemingly every Town manager since Jim Magilton, has not given two turds about this competition. In my 20 years supporting this club, I've not seen Town go beyond the fifth round. I was born seven years after Town's FA Cup triumph in 1978. I watched that Wembley win on VHS when I was kid, encouraged by my dad who would often regale me of the story.

Those sorts of memories are what makes the perpetual suffering that football fans go through all worth it. Think of Bradford City, a club that's been in decline for 15 years, winning at Stamford Bridge. Their fans will remember that the rest of their lives. Think of Wigan Athletic, winning the cup just three years ago. They may now be languishing in League One, but I bet those fans wouldn't swap their FA Cup triumph for the world. The same can also be said of Town's conquerors, Portsmouth, another unfashionable club that has won the tournament in recent years.

It can happen. Upsets, shocks, glory, is what makes the FA Cup special. But it only happens when you want it to. Mick McCarthy doesn't. Neither did Jewell or Keane.

In 2007, when Town reached the heady heights of the fifth round for the first time in my life as a Tractor Boy, I excitedly went along to Vicarage Road to see Town take on Premier League Watford. It was the most fun I've ever had watching a 1-0 defeat. There was a disallowed goal that I celebrated like a lunatic, before spotting the linesman's flag. We should have won. But it was a great occasion, despite the defeat. It felt like Town really wanted it, and I went home proud of my team.

Now, I just feel angry. Sure, I know what the counter argument is. Our chances of promotion will be improved by Town's early exit from the FA Cup. But really, how much difference does it make? We're talking about two or three extra games. So what? Town had already avoided a tiresome run in the League Cup, a competition that requires frequent midweek fixtures. But by ballsing up the first FA Cup game against Portsmouth, McCarthy had handed Town an extra unneeded fixture anyway. This Saturday Ipswich have a crucial game against Birmingham, a team that haven't had to bother themselves with an agonising FA Cup replay on a freezing Tuesday night. They will be better prepared as a result.

If Town go on to win promotion, most likely via the play-offs, the anger I feel right now will all wash away. Maybe I'll even look back on this week with hindsight and say McCarthy did the right thing. But if we don't win promotion - still the most likely scenario - I'm going to call for McCarthy's head. Why? Because the sort of contempt Mick has shown for the FA Cup can and will only be justified by promotion. Any other outcome, for me, is now unacceptable.

MVBlue added 13:13 - Jan 20 I'll remember the atmposphere and goal celebration at portman road for the norwich play off for a while. Theres only so many games a slim squad can play, when competing in a large league like the championship. We did field a decent squad TWICE against Southampton and couldn't quote cut it to beat them. Mick recognises that as a good test. I did enjoy a 5th round match in 1996 V Aston Villa, I was there. We were outplayed. Mick makes his choices based on information we don't know, such as players needing a rest. Perhaps we should be angry with those players who played, after all in the League cup we played manchester united with a second string and performed admirably.

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stevieiriswattii added 13:32 - Jan 20 Wow, there are some typically vitriolic comments regarding the bloggers opinion. I don't agree with everything said, but it is embaressing the clubs attitude to the cup. Is this a generational thing? There are those of us old enough to remember when cup runs were fun & exciting, & those for whom the cups have always been of secondary importance, because the media, clubs and some fans constantly degrade the cups with their inane comments. By throwing the game it will achieve nothing, other than losing that game. I doubt it will enhance our promotion chances, it hasn't done in the previous 5 or 6 years. Much respect to the 800 or so fans who did trek to the south coast last night.

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Rooooser added 13:45 - Jan 20 I'm afraid it's just the way it is at the moment. The magic of the F.A cup diminished years ago due to the money available through champions league and it's expansion. Bigger teams fielding reduced teams started the decline and now we do it too. It makes me sad to see but I cannot blame MM at all
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JollyJourno added 13:48 - Jan 20 Bluestreak - Maybe, but the FA Cup wouldn't be a factor in my feelings towards Mick. To me there's a difference between resting a couple of key players, which is clearly sensible, and resting your entire first XI, which is throwing a match because you don't care.
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radiogaga added 13:54 - Jan 20 Do you need a snickers?
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TR11BLU added 13:55 - Jan 20 'Mick is wasted on you idiots' @blueloo ~ Its funny how some people on here address all those who share dissimilar views as idiots...... I too would rather a trophy ...
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Pip50 added 14:09 - Jan 20 Great blog and spot on. What I don’t get is the bull that MM spouts. Clearly he has no interest in cups understandable most clubs seem to be doing the same. He also can’t say that and risk a fine etc. so he hides behind knocks for Berra & Chambers. But to then hammer those he picks – Mick you signed most of them and we all knew then they were not good enough, neither are you to get us promoted. We don’t need a vast wad of cash. How is it sides like Portsmouth can play us off the park. Why are we not fishing in their pond for players or like-minded clubs, Oxford, Burton, etc. The reason is this manager doesn’t have a clue, is living off the good old Mick, strong team comments, favourites and journeymen from his past. We can’t play football even with the first team; there is no building for the future. Who out of last nights eleven can demand a place on Saturday? We will never be promoted with this manager, getting top six is not enough, when we will meet Derby/Hull/Burnley all of which have the ability to banish us to our 16th Championship season. To the board go after one of these up and coming managers and

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Dalty added 15:40 - Jan 20 Agree with Tractor_Thief, I understand the blogger's frustrations but am generally on MM's side over this. We have a wage bill in the bottom-half in the Championship (15th in the last figures), a squad that cost less than half a million in a league where several clubs have players that cost at least ten times that, yet MM has turned us from relegation certainties into legitimate promotion contenders. In a way last night's result may prove to be a good thing, in that it'll prove to ME that our squad is very thin and ideally requires bolstering in order to sustain a promotion push. Yes some of the football may be stodgy, but teams with our relative budget that are greater than the sum of their parts often have to be in order to compete. Personally, after years of watching Ipswich teams who generally (with a few notable exceptions) didn't look like they cared, I'm delighted to have a team that plays with such spirit and is competing for a return to the Prem against considerable odds.

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lukey130490 added 15:41 - Jan 20 This has to be blub of the season, or just top trolling? anyone who went last night expecting to the first team squad, should probably get themselves checked into a ward somewhere!
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Witchesaswell added 15:52 - Jan 20 MM, definitely has no respect for cup competitions and whilst we could debate the various points made on here all day I know I would be seriously miffed if I had been one of the 800 or so that made the journey to watch my team being totally outplayed by a league 2 side.
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alfromcol added 16:03 - Jan 20 If we win on Saturday, then MM could be considered to have done the right thing. Who is to say that we wouldn't have won if the "1st team had played against Pompey. If we lose on Saturday then resting all the "1st team" was a complete waste of time and resulted in us losing to a 2nd division side and going out of the FA Cup again. It's not about resting them so we get promotion, that is many games away. The only advantage, if there is one, is having no more injuries and rested players for ONE game on Saturday. Looking back over recent years, being knocked out of the competition by fielding weak sides, has never resulted in promotion so why should anything be any different this year? The practice in the past has given us no advantages.

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Nthsuffolkblue added 18:11 - Jan 20 I think the article misses the point slightly. If Mick was the only manager doing this, the accusation would lay firmly at his door. As it is, virtually every manager does it. The Premier League Sky money has done this to the FA Cup. The only way to change it would be to have so much prize money that getting through rounds was equivalent to the money made getting into the play-offs and winning promotion. The biggest (financial) prize in football is the Championship play-off final!

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Fatcatevans added 19:16 - Jan 20 As soon as the fixtures come out I book a city break holiday on 4th round of FA cup day, confident in the fact that Town won't be involved with the current manager at the helm.
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Fatcatevans added 19:17 - Jan 20 As soon as the fixtures come out I book a city break holiday on 4th round of FA cup day, confident in the fact that Town won't be involved with the current manager at the helm.
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Tractorboy1960 added 19:39 - Jan 20 Christ reading all this is making me sick. We are IPSWICH pack it in and lets move on !!
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Priskin9 added 20:43 - Jan 20 Reading game now on a Tuesday as a result! And we never lose on a Tuesday! Good thinking MM
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Stato added 22:31 - Jan 20 If you watched Brian Talbot score his diving header against WBA in a FA CUP semi final then you probably understand why so many of us would like to see us every season giving the FA CUP our best shot.
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tractorgrl added 00:37 - Jan 21 Personally i agree with this view, it smarts when we lose any game.
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tractorkent added 09:38 - Jan 21 Stop taking the fans for granted,we don't all have the salary of football managers.i would love to see a good cup run but I guess the needs and wants of bread and butter supporters comes second now to the dream of the premiership football.every year I am finding it harder finantially to keep up with my season ticket payments,but alas I m only one hard working fan.
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Tractor_Thief added 09:38 - Jan 21 Jolly, re: your comment about being a bookkeeper. As fans we can all WANT Ipswich to win every match, I mean why wouldn't we? However for many years now football has all become about money. Some facts: - We are what £80 million in debt, and being bankrolled by ME. Without him where would we be? (i.e. His money is keeping us afloat) - As of this/next season it's something like the best part of £100 million for being in the Premier League. - The FA cup, although I love it would give us what financially? So although I AM a fan and want to win everything the raw fact is that we just can't afford such luxuries, IMO we have to chase the PL dream we everything we have only then can we start balancing the books / paying off our debt. If not being involved in the cups gives us just a 5% better chance of making the play-offs (so 3 games from the PL), I for one will take it. The above comments noting how being in the cup and winning the cup would be a great experience for the fans are true, but feelings will not keep Ipswich afloat, money will. So am I a fan or a bookkeeper? I'm a fan in my heart, but the reality is I know money talks and I want Ipswich back in the PL.

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Town4me added 09:56 - Jan 21 You don't think Wigan would swap there f.a. cup win for being back in the premier league?? Some how I think they would.
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Chaffy added 10:03 - Jan 21 I came away angry and frozen on Tuesday night. Had same feelings as Jollyjourno. The '78 final is still the greatest feeling I've ever had supporting Ipswich. Just think it a shame that others will never experience that again.
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MVBlue added 10:53 - Jan 21 Chaffy thinks we can't do a Leicester and raise our profile in the coming years?
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CalneBlue added 12:38 - Jan 21 Good blog JollyJourno! I'm with alfromcol on this. The policy is a very negative one and hasn't worked yet. Why? If you aren't a premier league side and don't have a strong squad then chances are that by putting out a weak team you'll get beat. The players selected will know they are second best and that there's little chance of getting into the first team, so they won't be up for it. Plus put together 11 individuals who haven't played together before does not make a team. Result - match lost, move on and concentrate on the league. And no blubbing please! Fair enough? Not quite. The trouble is confidence is fragile and a good run of form can easily come to an end. An inglorious defeat like this IS embarrassing and makes the whole club and its supporters feel bad, not just the second string. I would argue this is a bigger risk than resting your entire first team for one game.

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Pabloisgod84 added 13:05 - Jan 21 decent article mate , nowt wrong with it in my opinion. all the other clowns on here thinking it will make a big difference to our league form for resting the first teamers are clueless. granted this was a replay but we should of played a stronger team in the home tie to get the job done. surely winning encourages morale and more cup tiers against bigger clubs possibly away keeps players pumped and competing for places. this squad isn't good enough to go up, they don't want to go up, who would keep their place in the prem?? not many hey. clowns

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