Town boss Mick McCarthy said the Blues need to be more ruthless at both ends of the field after their 2-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic.

Latics keeper Scott Carson was on top form and made a number of good stops, but McCarthy says his side should have taken at least some of the numerous chances they created.

“We’ve got to score them, we’ve got to be ruthless and we weren’t,” he said. “There were good saves, good blocks, but we should have scored.”

The Blues manager was disappointed with the first Wigan goal: “We let them off the hook in the first half with the goal.

“It was a good header from Ryan Shotton but he shouldn’t get in, we should have marked him better and we let them off the hook with the chances that we missed. It sounds like a broken record.”

McCarthy had no complaints about Nick Powell’s second goal despite keeper Dean Gerken’s protests: “He’s made a rick, he’s trying to keep it in and get the ball up the pitch.

“It’s easy afterwards, he knows he should have headed it and we maybe could have got round and helped him better but he didn’t and it ended up in the net and it kills us off. There were still two or three minutes left. He made a rick, but we can’t do anything about it now.”

The Town boss, who confirmed that Gerken will start against Brighton next week despite his error, felt the match was similar to the games against the two other sides relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season: “We’ve got to be more clinical, ruthless, whatever word you want to put in. We had enough opportunities.

“We’ve got the points that we have and we are where we are because we’ve not completed the task that we should have done, even at Reading, at QPR and here today, all the sides which have come down.

“Everybody says we’ve had a hard start but that’s rubbish because we’ve been better or equal for most parts of the games and we come away losers. It’s not good enough.

“You get what you earn, don’t you?” he added. “You’ve got to put the ball in the net, if we’d have done it today we’d have earnt something, but we didn’t.”

The Blues boss said there was no finger-pointing in the dressing room afterwards: “I wouldn’t be singling people out for missing chances because they get in there and they’ve got to be in there for the opposition to block them or save them. But the two goals we’ve given away were just mistakes and it’s costing us at the moment.”

One positive for McCarthy was striker Paul Taylor’s performance from the bench: “I wanted to get him on the pitch, I thought he might have been the Johnny on the spot and, to be fair, I thought he did well. I was pleased with him. There’s a goal in him definitely.”

The former Peterborough man replaced winger Paul Anderson, who the Town boss said was suffering from the niggle which saw him miss the Yeovil game: “He had ice on his groin. I thought he did well, Ando, he had a couple of chances as well.

"It was to get some fresh legs on as much as anything, he’s missed a bit of training with his injury.”

Wigan boss Owen Coyle said he was expecting a tough match against the Blues: “Coming into the game today we always knew it was going to be difficult.

"I felt we were playing against a very good side in the shape of Ipswich, I said that prior to the game.

“They were a team that had won two successive games in the Championship and looking to push on into the top part of the league, while we were coming off a tough European game on Thursday night.

“The players had worked their socks off to get a terrific point and put in a terrific performance in the club’s European debut.”

Despite seven of his XI having started that game, Coyle was delighted with their performance: “They were an absolute credit to themselves. I think we’ve got to give credit to Ipswich and accept that Scott Carson made a couple of good saves in the first half.

“But we worked on the set plays and scored a good goal and had one or two good chances ourselves.

“Coming in at 1-0 at half-time I said to them that we had to be more effective on the ball and more creative.

“But knowing the heart and courage and spirit they’ve got for the fight, that was never going to be a problem.

“We stood up to everything, Carson made a save from Berra and one other in the second half, but we had numerous opportunities to get that second goal.”

Photo: Action Images

WirralBlue added 19:02 - Sep 22 I'm not sure either Loach or Gerken are up to this level. More ruthless is right!
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Stato added 19:05 - Sep 22 The team is set up for a hoof up to Murphy and hope for a lucky bounce which will work sometimes but there is no plan B. Surely Marriott worth putting on the bench for a home game ?
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Smithy added 19:11 - Sep 22 as always Town are so frustrating, suppose we will get outplayed at times this season and win the game, don't always get what you deserve in football, but hark back to last season and it refreshing to be disappointed in losing to what is virtually a premiership side rather than getting rolled over easily each week, massive signs of improvement shown in just 10 months with MM but we really do need someone to step up to the plate and become that poacher in the box.

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martleshamitfc added 19:13 - Sep 22 Taylor back in favour? at least he has a goal or two in him, first start against Brighton?
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suffolkpunch1978 added 19:14 - Sep 22 Lost 1 game in 3 looking at the bigger picture, Gerkin had a howler, gk,s do that from time to time, it happens, We do need to be more ruthless though as mick has said, im of the opinion we shpuld be patient and give it time, micks not an idiot
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bluefeast added 19:21 - Sep 22 im bored of us away , ive seen all but Stevenage game. we lack guile .
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ChrisMakin2012 added 19:22 - Sep 22 Get Tabb or Wordsworth back in midfield and drop Nouble completely, bring either Marriott or Lee in. Oh and resign Henderson in goal.
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TractorBoy666 added 19:25 - Sep 22 So Loach makes an error and gets dropped? Gerken makes an error and stays in. Nice logic there MM.
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battyblue added 19:28 - Sep 22 WE have to be more ruthless and put the ball in the net ..yes we most defiantly do but what we have are not capable of being clinical finishes or they would be doing it already, good to see Paul Taylor getting some match time perhaps he can help with the lack of goals problem time will tell.. glad to see Edwards where he belongs at the moment just need to keep Nouble there with him imo

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WeirdFishes added 19:34 - Sep 22 So Loach makes one error and is dropped yet Gerken makes one and keeps his place? Oh that's fair.
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Mark added 19:39 - Sep 22 Disappointing, but at least we have now played all three teams relegated from the Premier League away from home. I hope we can do better at the likes of Derby and Sheff Wed coming up. Goal scoring continues to be a worry though.
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oscarwhiting added 19:39 - Sep 22 At least mcarthy knows the problem, under previous managers they somehow failed to see what was wrong. Quite a frustrating result as we have done this quite a few times this season but we need to pick our selves up and go again next weekend COYB
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alfromcol added 19:40 - Sep 22 Loach made more than 1 error. Two in one game as i recall.
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Michael11 added 19:56 - Sep 22 I think we need a proper number 1 GK. You can't just have two poor one's and alternate them after they make some mistakes. I'd also like to see us sign a right back as i prefer Chambers/Smith as our first choice pairing at centre back too. No pace in the side whatsoever is a worry for me, there was plenty of times when the game opened up today but we were too slow to execute it.

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TimmyH added 19:58 - Sep 22 Other than McGoldrick we don't have the players to be more ruthless, our midfield are firing blanks and still we don't really know what player should be up there alongside McG...maybe time for Taylor as others have mentioned getting more minutes on the pitch. Away form is starting to getting a bit concerning we haven't won away since early April against Derby and today we had an opportunity against European tired Wigan.

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prebbs007 added 19:58 - Sep 22 Oscarwhiting - yes MM may know the problem but what is he going to do about it or should I say be allowed to do about it by ME !!!! We need to be more ruthless at both ends of the pitch is what MM says. Of course he is right anyone who has seen our games knows that. When do we all accept we don't have the correct personnel to do it??? Is 8 games enough??? It should be because it is clear !!! So we either change the personnel or we accept mediocrity for another season.

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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 20:02 - Sep 22 Those of you saying Loach made one mistake !!! Really ?
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jas0999 added 20:05 - Sep 22 Agree. But Murphy is not the answer. A hard worker yes, a goal scorer no. Also need goals from midfield, but can't see where a goal is coming from. Loach has had plenty of opportunities and has proved to not be good enough. In fairness, this is Gerkens first error but whether he is good enough remains to be seen.
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manualthetisfanclub added 20:10 - Sep 22 All very well competing against relegated sides,but the fact remains we have come away with nowt! As other posters have said need to be more ruthless at both ends of the pitch,but my main problem is up top and lack of creativity in midfield,all bar mcgoldrick the rest ain't got barely half dozen goals in em all season.MM knows the crack but his hands firmly tied by ME after the debacles of the previous 2 managers and FFP.crying out for more goals,creativity but I can only see more mid table mediocrity IMO.

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froudy added 20:15 - Sep 22 At least McCarthy still went in for a kiss with coyle!
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Stourbridgeblue added 20:29 - Sep 22 I hope he'd had a fresh mint - that's evidence of sexual harassment at least!
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LankHenners added 20:37 - Sep 22 Mick's got it spot on - ruthlessness definitely needs to be added to our side. Today was a game that epitomised Ipswich: we can dominate and play well for the majority of the game but fail to take their chances; the other team is below par but takes the opportunities that they get and come away smiling. We need someone who can finish off chances. McGoldrick has the ability to do that but he can't do it all the time and won't always be in a position to shoot so we need someone else upfront to help him. Murphy, who can play very well, just isn't a goalscorer, Nouble has looked very ineffective, Taylor could be the answer but lacks match fitness, Lee must be worth a go (he can be no worse than what we've got otherwise) and I'd like to see Marriot given a run out to see what he can do.

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BriggEnd added 20:40 - Sep 22 Our strikers are not goin to score enough goals week in week out to get us on a good winning run. so at the moment it will be win a game or two and then lose a game or two thats we are a middle of the table team at the moment and that is frustrating for all of us. The striker situation should have sorted out this summer someone in the dj cambell mould would have won us at least 2 or 3 more games already this season. We need a fox in the box very soon in the way of the loan market.

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NoelTheDub added 20:47 - Sep 22 20 attempts no goals if we dont get a goalscorer in after that i rest me case,We are going to be saying this all season.Maybe taylor in to start murf on bench and marriot on subs instead of nouble.Keep murf for plan B.
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manualthetisfanclub added 20:49 - Sep 22 No money left in the pot for loans me thinks,so got to persevere with this lot till January,gonna be a struggle.
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