Boss Mick McCarthy has defended his approach to Saturday’s relegation six-pointer at Huddersfield, which ended 0-0, dismissing suggestions that the Blues went into the game with a negative outlook.

McCarthy, who apologised for the game’s lack of quality, said he was delighted with the point and was asked how he thought travelling fans will have felt about the match and the result.

“I’d like to think they’d say ‘Mick’s team played 4-4-2 away from home, we had two wingers on the pitch and we’ve come and tried to be an attacking force. I really appreciate that from Mick and him not shutting up shop’,” he responded in a lively, occasionally sweary, but good-humoured post-match press conference.

“But today we didn’t play particularly well. We’re going four and a half hours back, we’ve got a point, we’re a point nearer safety and we’ve taken two points from them, which is brilliant, instead of coming back from Bristol City having been beaten 2-1, a goal in the 46th minute, one in the 93rd minute.

“I haven’t tried to play negative, I haven’t tried to play badly, I’m happy about it. You write whatever you want, take that negative view on it, it does my fruit in.”

The 50-point mark is generally viewed as the safety line in the Championship but McCarthy says he’s not sure whether that will be enough with one of his former sides having gone down with a higher total, coincidentally after a last day 0-0 draw at Portman Road.

“I’ve no idea,” he admitted. “They all tell me that 50 is enough but Millwall went down in 1996 with 52. The way it’s all concertinaed up, I think anybody even on 44 or 46, anybody spiralling down could suddenly [be in danger].

“You can have a bad run. Any one of us can have a bad run. It was important for us not to lose two on the bounce.

“That was really important. Don’t get beaten twice on the bounce. Can you win two on the bounce? I don’t know. Points total? I don’t know. It could be more.”

Huddersfield manager Mark Robins thought Town had “come for a point” and said that he expected that approach: “That’s not a criticism of Mick because he’s a really experienced manager, a really experienced campaigner at a higher level and also at this level.

“I figured how they were going to set up, I figured how they were going to play with those personnel. It hasn’t surprised me.”

McCarthy said he would have accepted a draw at the start of the game, but Robins admitted he was disappointed only to claim a single point: “I was really optimistic that we’d get all three.

“Having seen the game and having had time to reflect on it, I’m justified in thinking feeling slightly disappointed that we didn’t get all three.”

Photo: Action Images

BrettenhamBlue added 07:09 - Feb 25 It could hardly be called a positive approach either. We got 1 shot on target and 1 (dreadful) shot off target the entire game. Very poor. Good result though
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tractorboybig added 07:35 - Feb 25 Who cares? Staying up is the aim. point gained.
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Dragon_Blue added 08:06 - Feb 25 Well done mick! This is exactly the performance and result we need under these circumstances. Now is just about staying in this league, as a passive viewer on these threads I am amazed at the negativity that is reguarly written, I love my town and my club and even when times are not so good I cannot bring myself to spout negative nonsense in public. This club deserves a manager of Micks stature and now is the time to back both him and his tactics, and show our appreciation for Mr.Evans whom without his support heaven only knows where we would be. This club is going places, we just need to believe and trust in those who know the facts

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bobble added 08:43 - Feb 25 mick will keep us up but we wont be in europe or playing south american champions under his guidance......i like his attitude especially when he played for the republic and his treatment of the spoiled brat keane,but one day i want the best damned manager in the world with the best bloody players in the world playing at pothead rd
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walberswick added 08:55 - Feb 25 having only scored 10 goals this year is negative
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mikeybloo88 added 09:18 - Feb 25 We've still got 32 more points than we had when Jewell left - I reckon that is definitely more than Jewell would have achieved so I'm happy enough. Still not sure we'll survive, but either way I'm looking forward to next season as I think Mick, with a summer to reorganise and the likes of Taylor and Woody coming back, will get us going well next year, whichever division we are in

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Vic added 09:43 - Feb 25 A month ago Mick was hailed as a hero; now things have tailed off the boo boys come back and he's touted as negative and hoofball. If that's true then so was Sir Bobby in the first 8-9 years here. Lets remember his football was fast, direct, using wingers and often used long balls to the likes of Mariner and Whymark. I'd encourage those who like to hark back to the good old days to sit and watch as much recording as they can, or talk to those of us that remember it! SBR was a pragmatist much of the time - anyone remember the game against Barcelona?!

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BroskiBeen added 10:20 - Feb 25 doesnt matter if it was a clean sheet , well done point gained if we stay up against a team who would want to bounce back
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BergholtBru added 10:22 - Feb 25 I was a travelling fan. I appreciate the result if not the entertainment value and understand what MM is trying to do. Mick, just ignore any whinging non-football brained a...holes and keep up the good work.
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battyblue added 10:35 - Feb 25 i know we have to have faith and i as so many are looking forward to next season for exciting flowing football instead of what we are enduring now but i am a doubting Thomas and i dont think things will change that much but i hope i am wrong
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RetroBlue added 10:35 - Feb 25 We cant afford to be sentimental about playing flowing football at this stage in the season, when safety is the ONLY aim now. If Huddersfield feel disappointed they only got 1 point and feel they should have had all 3 , Id say that was a job well done by us. How many teams have come to PR and the same thing to us ?? What we must try to do however is win our home games - assuming opponents dont come here to defend in depth, like so many do.

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runningout added 10:39 - Feb 25 depends what you want and what your used to as an Ipswich Town supporter. I'm afraid I dream of the good times of old coming back.. What a fool I am! TWTD
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Wickets added 10:46 - Feb 25 Glad Wolves got beat Sunday, makes this point look better.
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walberswick added 11:05 - Feb 25 league one would do our bunch of molly coddled wannabees a lot of good. especially chops and jet. let's hope clegg put in a large salary cut for league one.
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blueherts added 11:28 - Feb 25 Oh yes - the usual suspects - glass is always half empty brigade - remember MM and TC have dug us out of a pretty deep hole . Think back afew months Huddersfield away on a bouncy old pitch in Feb ( who have not lost their last few Home league games ) and people expect us to go out and ping it around and entertain. Couple of things ;Home Truths maybe or call it the real world 1. In recent times I cannot remember us pinging it about even when we have won . 2.A point away is better than none - in the position we are currently in 3.Mick did not send out a negative team - yes we were pretty poor but we are not exactly a top 3 side finished article yet( or even a top half) - so not sure what people expected - afew more shots - of course - but any fan knows where we MM needed to strengthen first. When Mick came in and we lost by 5 and 6 at Leicester and Palace - two painful matches - it was obvious where he needed to focus - We have as stable and good a defence now as we have had in a long while - and he has just added to it We have a young very good local boy Defensive Midfielder( as good as we have produced in a while ) who , I hope ,may develop into a more attack minded player - we have a multitude of attacking options - some I believe are ready to dispose of next season - CE and LM and some who still need to prove themselves - We will score - Chopra and McGoldrick are good enough ( imo ) Just please dont bang on about being negative - If you named our top 5 players this season - none in our squad now - none would be attackers/Wingers MM added Wordsworth , who I believe offers that link - it was plain bad luck he got injured - I would like to see Hyam pushed forward and play NDaw with Brown ( would have to drop another loanee) MM is building his team and will be a succes - we will not go down - and whilst all can have an opinion it has to be tinged with a sense of reality Cmon Town ( Would fans also stop talking about Campbell and Scotland !!) MOVE ON

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warktheline added 11:45 - Feb 25 MM and TC are working very hard to keep us in the Championship.Grinding out points is fine by me this season.Next season will be much better for us Town fans under this management.We are lucky to have MM considering at the time our league position and previous history,i.e Jewell and Keane.I no longer fear teams in this division unlike i did under PJ and RK.We are on the up,finally,after 4 years of one embarrassment after another.

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blockb_steward added 12:08 - Feb 25 WIth the form of the teams at the bottom, this is probably a good result. We need to start scoring at home...that will make or break our season.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 12:26 - Feb 25 Hasnt taken long for the same old names to pop up having a go at MM has it, coincidentally the same names that slated PJ. No we havent played great football for the last three games now, however we have got four points from those games, and with about twelve left by my reckoning if we carry on in that vein we would amass another 16 points, plenty enough to stay up. Good teams always build from the back and at the moment we do look a lot more solid, and on our day (Mboro) we can score. We need to trust MM and then in the summer hopefully he can assemble his team. I will be disappointed if we carry on like this next year but at the moment i think we just need to grind out points. Whats the alternative, attack and leave gaps ? Hasnt worked out too well over the season for P'Boro has it.

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bluey123 added 12:38 - Feb 25 What do you expect from the garbage that is ITFC Smith and Chambers excluded 0-0 was about our level now
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 13:13 - Feb 25 Ah, bluey123 - right on cue
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blueherts added 13:17 - Feb 25 -3 wow even more deluded folk than I thought - live in the real world
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RetroBlue added 13:27 - Feb 25 Under PJ We got the following points Aug 4 out of a possible 9 ie 4/9 Sept 2/15 Oct 1/15 Enter MM: Nov 10/18 Dec 13/18 Jan 2/18 interestingly coinciding with the disruption of the team as many loanees left. Feb 7/15 So apart from Jan Town have actually demonstrated promotion form: Shame it took so long to dispense with PJ and get MM in I think!
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wkj added 14:51 - Feb 25 people who are booing Mock need to realise that MM has picked up the legacy of errors left by Keane and unfixed by PJ. Thos season is as if Mick was a passenger on a 747 and the pilot had a heart attack; Mick is trying to do his best just to keep the plane from crashin with the resources at his hands. Let next season be when we judge Micks abilities; as it will be his flight from start to finish. Things to look out for next season: 1. Murphy joins the blues on another season long loan 2. The only summer signings are season long loans 3. Mick announces a 3 year plan if those three things happen maybe then I'll start to worry a little.

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marco007 added 15:06 - Feb 25 Guess, we are all just sick of accepting football of such a low quality over such a sustained period. With every glimmer of hope, there seems to follow dross. eg 4-0 win v Middlesborough followed up with 1 goal in 4 games! Our supposed wingers have contributed a whopping 0 goals in over 60 games between them!!
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Seasider added 15:19 - Feb 25 Apologise,I should think so;not one meaningful shot on goal and just kicking the ball up field.If that isn't a negative approach,then I should hate to watch Ipswich'park the bus'! We have won just 1 out of 9 matches against teams below Ipswich in the table;so it is no wonder Town have been unable to pull away from the bottom 3. Prior to MM's arrival always thought of him and his teams of being a bit dour,and in performances this year it seems he has now stamped his personality on the team.If you have 11 players back defending,as Ipswich did at times on Saturday,then you are not going to put the opposing defence under pressure,and dont forget were playing the worst form team in the league. Only played well once this year against Boro when TC was in charge.

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