Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
McCarthy: We've Made Progress
Monday, 17th Dec 2012 06:00

Blues boss Mick McCarthy says his side has made progress despite Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Leeds United. The Town manager thought his team had enough chances to get something out of their visit to Elland Road.

McCarthy, who was in the audience at last night's BBC Sports Personality of the Year, said: “We’ve made progress in terms of the team. We’ve had a really good run, so we have to start again.

“We’ve played well, I think we’ve progressed, although it was really disappointing losing a goal from a corner kick.

“We had enough chances in the game, certainly in the second half, but we’ve progressed, we’ve seen progression and got better.”

Saturday’s results saw the Blues remain in 20th in the Championship, five points of the relegation places having taken 16 points from 27 since McCarthy took charge on November 1st.

Leeds boss Neil Warnock says Jerome Thomas’s flick-of-the-heel goal after Tom Lees’s header from El-Hadji Diouf’s corner to take the lead was something which came from the training field: “I love those goals.

“We did actually work on it because we have been winning headers but we’ve had nobody around the keeper and he ends up catching it and it’s an opportunity. There are four or five goals a season there.”

He was equally pleased with his side’s second goal which came after the Blues had controlled the game for a long spell after the break: “It was a super goal, the combination in midfield, releasing Jerome Thomas and a fabulous finish from Paul Green.

“I was really pleased and Paddy Kenny saved me from biting my nails for five minutes with the save he made with his legs [from Michael Chopra]. I thought that typified everybody putting blocks in.”

Warnock expects his former Barnsley team-mate McCarthy to do well with Town and anticipates his own side having a good season: “He’s a good manager. He knows the Championship inside out. I’m not saying he can’t manage in the Premier League because he can, international level as well.

“But he knows what the Championship is about, he’s a bit like me, the old-school type Championship manager.

“It’s a hard league, if you get yourself organised and you gradually bring your own players in, it’s a league that you can do well at.

“We’re improving all the time. We’re still going to get knock-backs but with a few adjustments in January, we can have a decent second half of the season.”

Meanwhile, today marks the fifth anniversary of Marcus Evans’s takeover of the Blues at an EGM held at the Corn Exchange.


Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



RegencyBlue added 07:55 - Dec 17
5 years of Marcus Evans and only now do we finally have a manager who actually seems to know what he is doing.

A lot of wasted years Marcus, not to mention the money!
0

taylor15 added 08:09 - Dec 17
past is past, present is present, and the future is MM! come on you blues!
0

RevAdrian added 08:15 - Dec 17
Very sensible comment, as usual, from MM - I was at the game, the second I have been able to get to under MMs leadership, and it's like all of a sudden we are watching a football TEAM for the first time in five years. There is a very long way to go, loan player sort-outs included, but as someone restricted almost entirely to away games I can now turn up in hope and expectation.
0

Kesgraveblue57 added 09:19 - Dec 17
Under Mick McCarthy you have that feeling you can win games, and yes we are at last making progress! still a long way to go but the club now has a future
0

bobble added 09:43 - Dec 17
the dark lords curse has been lifted by the mcCarthy magician who has all the spells to deal with the keanites curse....we will toughen up and slowly rise like the black swirly patterns in a pint of guinness
0

petermorris added 11:59 - Dec 17
Exactly bobble....
0

Mark added 12:35 - Dec 17
We have made very clear progress, so well done to Mick and everyone involved. Hopefully we can beat Bristol City on Saturday then all have a merry Christmas feeling safer that we imagined was possible during the last days of Jewell's reign.

The next real challenge will be the possible return of the three loan players in our starting line-up: Henderson, Orr and Campbell. I am sure McCarthy will find able replacements if we are not able to keep these three however.
0

cooper4england added 12:40 - Dec 17
A pint of what bobble is drinking please landlord
0

Fatboy added 12:49 - Dec 17
I thought I spotted him sitting behind Ellie Simmonds.
0

bohslegend added 12:59 - Dec 17
Super Mick McCarthy!
0

Liastro added 13:36 - Dec 17
I totally don't understand all this positivity. Although we have seen an upturn in results in recent weeks, it will all go down the drain when the loan players return to their respective clubs.

What are we going to do when DJ Campbell goes back to QPR, when N'Daw goes back to St. Etienne, when Murphy goes back to Celtic...with our current permanent crop, we are no where near challenging for promotion, let alone the play offs, and I can see us going down. Seeing my beloved club relegated would be a low point in my supporting life.

To be quite honest, I think Jewell, with our continued support, could have got us out of the mess himself. Even though Mick has got us going in the right direction, I, and we as supporters, will never have experienced what Jewell may have done. I personally feel that we would have secured automatic promotion if Jewell had stayed, and performed a Reading like last year under McDermott.
0

LankHenners added 13:48 - Dec 17
Liastro_3109 - what the hell?! We may get those players permanently and we have our permanent players becoming more confident now. What about Cresswell, Smith, Chambers, Edwards, Hyam, etc. Jewell was getting us nowhere! He couldn't inspire us at all and thus we built no confidence and ended up bottom of the table! Jewell: nice bloke, but not what we needed.
0

Kesgraveblue57 added 13:51 - Dec 17
Liastro_3109 Dream on Jewell was failure on so many aspects of the game, but some fans like good yourself have a soft spot for failures, it a shame you no nothing about the game! but have a great Christmas
0

LankHenners added 13:53 - Dec 17
Exactly, Kesgraveblue57!
0

itsonlyme added 14:13 - Dec 17
Liastro_3109 Where the hell have you been for the first half of the season - asleep?
If you seriously think we would have got promotion this season under PJ then you nothing about football! I just cannot believe some of the statements made on here!
0

itsonlyme added 14:14 - Dec 17
Whoops - meant to say' you know nothing about football'
0

afrodids added 15:24 - Dec 17
Liastro_3109 you budgie Troll 0121. Phil sort it out!
0

greentractorboy added 16:18 - Dec 17
how can you say we are making progress when chopra is still at the club once he is out of here only then can we say we are making progress the man is rotten to the core
0

oscarwhiting added 16:28 - Dec 17
Liastro are you on crack there's no way that jewell would have done any of this maccarthy is a fantastic manager who acctually knows what he is doing the first since magilton I'd say


And there is no way that Leeds where practercing that corner that click was a flick he couldn't of done that again even if he tried 100000000 times


Hopefully we can go and produce another convincing win at pr next weekend. The stadium is becoming a fortress again which is what all town fans want to see COYB
0

jas0999 added 16:30 - Dec 17
There is little doubt we are much improved under MM. The Leeds result was disappointing, but overall we have made progress. The concern is some key players will leave when their loan expires in January. The defence is still relatively poor - but considering what MM inherited, he has worked wonders to get 16 points from 27!
0

Keaneish added 16:45 - Dec 17
I won't have a pint of whatever Liastro is drinking thanks Barman!
0

Talbs77 added 19:57 - Dec 17
We are making progress, lets not let one bad result make think all is lost.

Even if we dont acheive getting our loans permanently, theres a big wide world out there with players available.

Dont get your knickers in a twist over Liastro, whoever he is he's obviously in urgent need of medical attention, especially if he's a budgie.
0

Garv added 23:42 - Dec 17
I wasn't at Leeds, but I'm more concerned about our midfield than our defence to be honest (in response to Jas' "the defence is still relatively poor"). There's no creation there at the moment, and our wingers are pretty average if we're honest (letting Lee Martin hold onto the title 'winger' is generous).

At this moment in time we are relying on graft and strength (N'daw is colossal) in midfield to win games, which is fine, but we really do lack quality at times.

The headline is correct though, Mick's done brilliantly.
0

R_LAMB3 added 01:02 - Dec 18
Liastro when Jewell left the club we were bottom of the table and do you honesly think he would have got us in the playoffs i dont think you DER.
0

austractor added 05:31 - Dec 18
5 points since arriving would have been progress. We have been reborn
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024