Spot on Algarve though not certain about Jim Mag not being ready, he was slowly learning and after the January of that season we were beginning to show signs of progression that was after Glen Hoddle's former assistant joined us (sorry cannot remember his name) and, as usual, Mr Blind Evans, in his total ignorance, jumped in and the rest is just history. Apart from that do agree 100%.

It appears to me that some people are happy with big boot football MM does not play the sort of football that most supporters want to see, yes he saved us from relegation but so did PJ but they are both yesterdays men, we need a young hungry manager.

Mick is doing a brilliant job! A year ago we were in a desperate situation. This year we are comfortable in mid-table and, before yesterday's defeat against the second place team who have spent millions, we were within touching distance of the play-offs. of course we won't go up this year, we are no-where near good enough, but neither will we have the worry we have suffered for a few years.

I will be happy to finish where we are this season, it will be progress upon which to build. I am just grateful that at last we have a proper manager.

Chrismakin last time we had Nathan Ellington ... this time we have David McGoldrick. Anyone can take a fringe player and compare him with a key player. Plus the big difference is DJ Campbell was only ever on loan.

Good post StanwayBlue and one that I entirely agree with. There are too many moaners on here who have too short memories of how things were before MM arrived last year! We were in an absolute mess and it will take Mick a good couple of seasons in order to sort things out. He inherited more deadwood than Jewsons!

Two points.

It took the best part of ten years to get us into the mess we eventually came to last season. It is going to take longer than a year to repair the damage, whoever the manager is.

Second, MM or anyone else can only do so much with free transfer or out of contract players. If he wants us in the Premiership Evans will have to make money available for quality signings at some point!

Well said nthsuffolkblue, ....coyb

thinking about the job MM and TC are doing with Town and whether or not they are the men to take us up....as Burnley, Leceister and QPR have shown this season, you only have to be a little better than everyone else to get out of this mediocre division. so in that respect we may well be a little better than we are now NEXT season which will be good enough for us to mount a decent challenge for promotion. so MM should stay i hope for another season

absolutely correct Billm, the maximum he can invest this year (if he does) 2.5 million I understand his interest will be nearly 6 million. How he will ever get it I do not know .

Marcus - "Look Mick, I've wasted millions in the last couple of years and I can't justify it again, sorry"

Mick - "Ok, how about I stabalise our league position without spending a lot to start with, then if we're challenging for the top six come the new year you let me have some cash to push us that little bit higher?"

Marcus - "That sounds fair."

Mick "Done."

At least I hope that's how it went. If Mick can get us near the top six come January, maybe the purse strings will be loosened a bit at the prospect of Premier League riches?

Marcus - "Sorry but some of that wasted money went on your bonus for keeping us up"

Mick - "Nah that's ok, some of the easiest money I've ever earned, I'll try my best thereafter to stabilize the club"

Marcus - "That's fine Mick because you won't get much to spend on players due to that bonus"

Mick - "No worries, I can grind out a few wins but not to spectacular to watch though"

Marcus - " As long as we keep enough fans interested that we could be building for the future"

Something like that I feel.

Looking back 11 years since Burley departed, we are now on our fifth manager. Joe Royle was undoubtably the pick of the bunch, we came very close to promotion with no money to spend, part of the time we were in adminstration. Jim Magilton was too inexperienced, a young manager who was bound to make mistakes. Roy Keane was a disaster! He did his best to destroy the club from top to bottom. Paul Jewell steadied the ship and at times we looked good, something was wrong there though? When he left the players were low on confidence and not gelling as a team, relegation looked a certainty. Mick McCarthy definately rescued us from the third tier of English football. He restored the confidence and got the players playing for each other and created a team spirit that had not been seen for many years. The question now is 'can he take us forward?' I am not personally sure that he can? But who can? It is obvious that the team lacks pace, also a creative midfielder and we are too dependant on McGoldrick for goals. Before we blame Mick, I would ask who and where these players are and could we even afford them? I think Mick and Terry are doing their best with what is available but we have to be realisitic in our asperations?

Usual split in supporters. MM is ok, and he did well keeping us up- but some of us look for a bit better than OK in life

Marcus - "TimmyH do you need a drink?"

TimmyH "Yes please Marcus, my glass is half empty!"

;o)

For those expecting signings in January can I remind you of the Financial Fair Play regulations that the club has said it will comply with, that means any incomings will be balanced by outgoings, assuming anybody else would like to buy some of our players.

Of course if the gates were higher and/or we were receiving some major sponsorship money that could be used for funding, but we're not so the chances of too much action is highly unlikely.

IMO the general downsizing of the club shows that Marcus has settled on the status quo of the last couple of seasons.

Hard to understand how that fits in with any future strategy for him but I don't expect he is going to enlighten us anytime soon on that.

Firstly TimmyH, If the £1m ME paid was the motivation behind MMs succsess at keeping the club in the Championship, then it's clearly the best £1m he's ever invested. In the same way that £10m bonus to get us to the PL would also be a great piece of business. You need to do the maths on that one, because before MM arrived we were going down...FACT!

Secondly, WTF is Pulis thinking? Let me see, never been relegated before, currently cemented in the bottom 3. I know, I'll bring Paul Jewell in to help. Do that and you deserve to be relegated!

So if we had got another manager in (other than MM) without that £1m bonus we still would have gone down? let's face it was a lot PJ's team and quite a few loans that got us going up the table under Mick, whose to say that another manager couldn't have done the same thing, a majority of managers have their honeymoon period in this league, it's just a question how long it lasts.
Don't get me wrong I think what Mick's done has been ok and a good job last season defensively but it looks all a bit dull this time round and not helped by the purse springs being tightened, let them strings go (to a degree) and let's see how good Mick really is!
By the way @billysdad I see myself as an realist rather than a pessimist but obviously going by your avatar you've got your 'Mick can do know wrong' goggles on :)

* no (know) :)

Blimey! Reading comments on here sometimes is like watching Bald Blokes fighting over a comb! It strikes me that it is mostly whinging for whinging sake. We aren't going up this year nor are we in danger of going down and it is a year of rebuilding. ME wont be opening his wallet up and so Mick is doing what he can with the squad he has got. Yes it may be boring and tedious at times but this is the reality and all the moaning will not change this fact.

@TimmyH

I would also class myself in the realist category, however in my reality Mick has stablised a sinking ship and I will be content with a steady season this time round.
I believe the making/breaking of Mick will be next season when (hopefully) the purse strings are loosened following a strong end to the current season.
I would hope at this point we he can attract players that can really make a difference in a game (much like Leicester had on Saturday just gone - I was fuming that Mick reacted too slowly to thier substitutions, however I was also struggling to see in our current squad who would have stopped Leicester during the second half).
I would love us to be playing an amazing attacking passing game, however I think at the moment Mick is doing OK with the squad at his disposal.I also think he has had an awful lot to sort out at the club since he has come in.

Is he my ideal manager - no. Is he the best option for Town currently - I believe he is.

Doing media work ,you mean he has been on the dole ..

Cant believe some of the daft comments on here, we are lucky to have a manager of Micks quality. Onwards and upwards COYB.

perhaps MM is a victim of his own success after turning the club around last season we were expecting further progress and a push towards the play-offs. Now it seems wiser heads are suggesting consolidation is the name of the game, and that we would be better off getting promoted when we have a stronger, more cohesive squad next season...so although promotion would be great we'd have a better chance of staying up if we added to the squad this season and allowed time for the team to gel.

....... it's all very well to keep condoning MM's 'saviour' performance last season, we know all that, and he was very well paid for just that.

Problem is now that he will never change from what he is, and his tactics will remain as they are.

This served the purpose for us LAST SEASON - BUT IT'S GONE and we now need to move on and PROGRESS.

Alternative is:- Mid Table Mediocrity with Mick McCarthy - that's what he and his tactics are capable of.

algarvefan - ...... absolutely, and totally agree with your post. I think you're spot on with that opinion.