Boss Mick McCarthy admitted that getting the Wolves crowd on edge was part of his game plan after the Blues defeated his old club 2-0 at Molineux on Saturday.

The home support became increasingly jumpy as their side failed to threaten in the opening half an hour and got more and more on their team and current manager’s back as the afternoon wore on, singing ‘what a load of rubbish' at the final whistle.

McCarthy, who has repeatedly impressed the importance of good home form since taking over at Portman Road, is well aware that Molineux isn’t the most patient of grounds.

“I’ve been here five and a half years and if you don’t start well, the crowd get edgy, and they’ve just lost against Peterborough 3-0,” he said.

“It gets to every club in the league, so when we tell you that it doesn’t, don’t believe us. It does but you’ve got to ignore it and just play, that’s what you have to do.

“It’s not easy when the ball’s coming towards you and someone’s going ‘Ooooh! Hold on a minute’, it doesn’t fill you full of confidence, but that’s not just here, that’s every club I’ve ever been at.”

He says his players kept what he believes is a very good Wolves team quiet: “That team, I look at it, it’s a good Championship side. Half of them have won the Championship — Kev Foley, Berra, Wardy, Johnson, Karl Henry, more than half of them.

“So I said if we could stop them and keep them quiet, we might have a good day. If you give them an inch, they’ll take a yard with you because they’ve got good players — Sylvan, Doyle — but we didn’t give them an inch.”

McCarthy believes his old club would have been looking for a bumper haul of points from their two home games over the holidays: “I would have thought that eight weeks ago they were planning their Christmas and looked at Peterborough and Ipswich at home and thought ‘Happy days!’. How the tide has turned.”

Wolves manager StÃ¥le Solbakken admitted the displays against the Blues and Posh were their “two worst performances of the season”.

The Norwegian felt the crowd gave his team what they deserved: “To be honest we deserve all the stick we have had over the last two games.

“In the Peterborough game when we had the 15-minute spell before half-time they were right behind us and then when the second goal went in they got disappointed.

“When we didn’t manage to open them up in the second half they are entitled to speak their opinion and the same goes for today. It would be harsh to blame the crowd for anything, we have to blame ourselves.”

Photo: Action Images

Navistog added 07:18 - Dec 31 Words of a good manager who knows what he is doing and the knowledge of how to get the best out of players, good work MM. How good it is to feel confident going in to games now!!!! COYB
0

Ipswich24 added 08:12 - Dec 31 Super super Mick super super Mick super super Mick super Mick McCarthy
0

jas0999 added 08:15 - Dec 31 Two excellent results, but Brighton tomorrow will be tough. Hoping to remain unbeaten at home under MM!
0

SpecialK79 added 08:54 - Dec 31 super mick, a man with a plan COYB!
0

Michael11 added 08:58 - Dec 31 If you offered me 7 points from bristol city, charlton and wolves i would've snapped your hand off! Its great that we're in this good form but worried that half the team will be seperated when loans/short term contracts end in january (henderson, orr, reo-coker and campbell)
0

TooleyBlue added 09:11 - Dec 31 Great performances since MMs arrival. I'd just echo e concern about reliance on loan players. I'd love to see some deals for the likes of N'Daw and Orr and to start seeing a bit more of our own players like Hyam and Jet. Still, the big worry is Campbell - what are the chances that bottom of the table QPR won't want a striker with 10 goals so far back? Still, in Mick we trust - I have far more confidence that, with him, there is a plan B.

0

dommyboyblue added 09:20 - Dec 31 The good thing about n'daw is that his contract with his parent club is up at the end of the season. So technically we could get him to sign pre contract to make him permanent in the summer. Same with murph. MM has been a breath of fresh air. No hint of panic, clear and simple game plans and players playing in the positions they are accustomed to.
0

carsey added 09:35 - Dec 31 Thanks for that dommyboyblue I was wondering the same about N'Daw for me he is one of the best players we have brought into the club this season. Not always pretty to watch but he manages to win the ball and give it to a blue shirt most of the time. Alongside Luke Hyam I always feel happy when they are together in the middle. Still not sure we will be lucky enough to get Campbell and if we do will the "Bullard" factor kick in and he will suddenly become useless? What ever happens Mick McCarthy has worked a miracle with the same squad PJ had just imagine what he could do with players he really wants here!!!!

0

jonnysuave added 09:41 - Dec 31 Probably the same tactics opposition managers use at PR. Our whingers kick in at 5 mins.
0

Lombokblue added 09:48 - Dec 31 If its 0-0 after half an hour against Brighton don't get edgy.
0

runningout added 10:12 - Dec 31 same plan a lot of clubs use v us..........
0

runningout added 10:13 - Dec 31 sorry... Didnt mean to repeat....
0

runningout added 10:14 - Dec 31 Sorry ... Didnt mean to repeat : )
0

Wickets added 11:37 - Dec 31 Oh for those heady days of Keane and Jewel!! 'appy new year 2 all Town fans everywhere. X's 4 bluelady.
0

Mark added 12:48 - Dec 31 I am so pleased that McCarthy has put to bed the myth that we can only play one-up-front in the tougher matches. Both Keane and Jewell played with one striker much of the time, even at home, and it seems to be thought of as the modern thing to do. Here is Mick though, a good old fashioned manager, who plays two-up-front in tough away matches despite our lowly position and he earns win after win. Fantastic!

0

michael99 added 13:01 - Dec 31 Where are all the stupid people who said "oh no please not a dinosaur like mm he is like paul jewel football has moved on we need a young manager like that joe dunne at colchester" well he's currently sending them down from a reasonable position where as mm has took us from rock bottom and we are now flying,and another thing these same stupid people seem to forget that we have had 2 young managers before pj,do you remember their names they were jim magilton and roy keane you dickheads

0

Wickets added 16:13 - Dec 31 Blimey michael99 you 'av a bad Xmas?
0

michael99 added 18:17 - Dec 31 lol,wickets you are probably right i have been working over xmas i was getting a bit fed up with reading stupid things that people post because they heard somebody say something on sky sports or the like,football is a simple game not rocket science doesnt matter how old or young you are if you are a good manager then you are a good manager,just because you are young dont mean you are gonna be any good!HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL ITFC FANS

0

Blogs 296 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls