Boss Mick McCarthy says it wasn’t a difficult decision to recall Dean Gerken in goal in place of Scott Loach ahead of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Leicester but admitted it was a harder task to tell the former England U21 international that he had been left out.

Loach had put in a man of the match display in last week’s 0-0 home draw with Blackpool, regular first-choice Gerken having been sidelined with a neck problem.

“Gerks has been great, that’s my feelings about it,” McCarthy said. “It’s not difficult to make the decision but it’s difficult to tell Loachy because he played really well.

“He might think he’s got a chance and I would hope he has. What I would say to him is ‘Make sure that next time you get in you play exactly the same, as well as you did against Blackpool and next time you might stay in’.”

Regarding his decision to replace injured top scorer David McGoldrick with Frank Nouble rather than Paul Taylor or Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, he added: “Frank’s been in the team, he’s played when we’ve had three up front. He’s been the one that’s been next in line.

“Sylvan did really well when he came on for half an hour but being on for half an hour and being on for 90 minutes and starting the game is a different ball game, as we know. Tayls hasn’t [been starting games], Frank’s been the next one in line, so he got the nod.”

Ebanks-Blake is set to start for the U21s when they take on Crystal Palace at Portman Road this evening (KO 7pm).

Meanwhile, Foxes manager Nigel Pearson said striker David Nugent had, unsurprisingly, been keenly anticipating the chance to add to his remarkable total of goals against the Blues.

The one-time England man netted Leicester's second of the afternoon in the 31st minute to claim his 14th goal in 13 games against Town and his sixth in five matches for the Foxes against his favourite opponents.

“He was looking forward to playing against Ipswich again," Pearson said. "I don’t suppose they were too keen! I don’t know why these things happen, in all honesty.”

He added: “Whenever you play against one of Mick’s sides you know it’s going to be a tough game but I think we’ve proved so far this season that we’ve found the answer to a lot of a problems that we’ve encountered and again we’ve been able to do that. It was another very good three points.”

Photo: Action Images

WickedBlue added 11:08 - Feb 24 @Karlisfandangel your not really trying to use the fans ratings on TWTD to justify your argument? Tell me your not that stupid! More than half those marks are made by people who weren't even at the games and just go on to make sure their favourites get high marks. The thing that is disappointing is it turns out MM is not a man of his word. He spouts that the players have to seize their chance when it comes now he is saying well unless your going against one of my favourites then you need to do it again and again and I still probably won't pick you because your not one of my favourites.

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blueherts added 11:13 - Feb 24 The voices of reasoned argument . Over past day since Leicester some interesting reaction - All good for debate ......... If you measure progress by league positions then YES we are far better off under MM/TC If you measure return on investment then YES we are far better off under MM/TC Comapring a 'one off ' Play off semi final -( as some people have)- win at all costs game vs a League game - apples and oranges - I was at that game - probably the best game I have seen for atmosphere and drama - Alas we/Sheepy ruined that atmosphere by developing a ground which rarely has been filled and was the beginning of a darker era . Administration ( remember those days ?!) -One great Prem season aside .... Yes - MM does seem to be making some strange selection choices but remember this is a team that HE has taken from Bottom to 6th over 15 mths Yes form has dipped and YES we were poor on Saturday and recent weeks BUT WE ARE NOT BOTTOM HALF ! The effect of losing 'Dids' is huge on this team - he was our go to man Of course MM is not perfect - show me a manager who is after 15 months in a job ?with NO money to splash His teams at Wolves with Jarvis , Vokes etc - players he got from lower leagues and played with width and flair ( with SEB ) - but he did spend money I believe he is using this season as a building block for next season So , to all the 'FIFA experts' out there who say MM out - give me an overview of all the managerial candidates you see as coming in , with no money to spend and how they are going to do it ? I look forward to it ?

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WickedBlue added 11:25 - Feb 24 My post is not about getting at MM as a manager as I said I previous posts I think he has done a overall good job and it's his team to pick whomever he wants. But that doesn't mean I think all his decisions are correct. As for those going on about Loach only playing well once and should not get picked because of that. Never have I heard such utter crap. That is what is called coming in an seizing your chance! Then you give him a second game to see if he maintains that level not just drop him because your favourite is fit. Gerkin has made worse mistakes than Loach but didn't get dropped. Instead we hear about what a fantastic overall job he's doing, he trains hard and always remembers to call his mother so should play instead of Loach. Poor Loach has been treated very badly by this club.

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Jimmy86 added 11:27 - Feb 24 Surco72 I agree with all of your post bar your last statement about JET. I would say its us laughing at him to be honest, a player who thought he was too good for the championship and therefore very really turned up, now plying his trade in a struggling league 1 team, who sacked the manager who brought him in and could get the best out of him. JET is actually the complete opposite to his mate Nouble. He has the talent but his attitude stinks and in my opinion will go down as the laziest most bone idle player to ever pull on a town shirt. If JET had a tenth of noubles work rate he would be a decent player, if nouble had a tenth of JET's talent and ability he would be a decent player. If only we could clone them!!!

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Walk_the_Wark added 11:30 - Feb 24 But Keaneish, it's not a given! You are of course right, but we do not pick the team..Are you beginning to come round to my thinking on MCarthy? Things aint gonna get any better
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singingtheblues added 11:51 - Feb 24 So if Nouble is 'next in line' that would imply that he views each striker as being equal which is a worry - shouldn't you play the best strikers against a particular defence - not because they are next in line
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Alwaysablue added 12:02 - Feb 24 Loach and Taylor are slowly but surely being driven out of the club, what a shame.
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Lightningboy added 12:03 - Feb 24 Mick thinks "Tabby's" been great too. Needs a trip to specsavers.
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Surco72 added 12:16 - Feb 24 Jimmy86 .. Agree with JETs workrate was questionable but MM never gave him a run in the team as he has with others ? And as you stated at City a manager got the best out of him and look what he has achieved this season in a struggling team , why couldn't MM get that out of him ? But the biggest question of all is who would you pick to play 28 times this season JET or Nouble , I know what my choice would be

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Jimmy86 added 12:31 - Feb 24 Surco JET undoubtedly had talent but never got close to fulfilling it. Yes he has scored goals for bristol, all be it in league 1 so at a lesser level. Noble could prob score goals at league 1 level. JET didnt earn the right to play regularly as we often had to carry him. He produced at times, but not near enough and only when he was up for it. He always tried to go for a "hollywood" 30 yard screamer and take the leather off the ball and it never worked. This season he has scored some screamers i admitt, so its either come good for him or its just luck. He didnt perform enough to warrant carrying him when he just swanned around thinking he was too good

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blues1 added 12:34 - Feb 24 before I say nething more, I as many think loach was our mom against blackpool, because of 3 good saves he made. I don't think however that was good enough to say he should necessarily keep his place in the side on sat. why, you may ask? simple, while there isn't that much between the 2 of them, gerken is better at dealing with crosses into the box than loach, who is a "line" keeper and simply wont leave his line at all. therefore because Leicester play with 2 wingers, there was bound to be a lot of crosses coming into the box, thus, I suspect, that the main reason gerken was recalled immediately. plus, as has already been said, he only missed 1 game due to his injury, and had been playing well in previous games

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Tractamatt added 12:46 - Feb 24 Seems to be that if you are a player who was signed by MM then you are next inline however you play. Gerken has made mistakes all to similar to the ones the got Loach dropped but keeps his place despite a standout man of the match performance against Blackpool.He insists on playing Nouble when we have much better waiting in the wings on the basis that to put it simply, it's his turn. Sorry MM you were bought in to stave of relegation which you did and every supporter of I.T.F.C should thank you for but you are obviously not the manager to carry the team forwards when there are managers out the who would. You are not and have never really tried to hide the fact here for the club you are here to do a job and pick up a pay packet and revell in your own hype hoping for the Irish job to become vacant it's time to move on so we can see the passion for our team on the bench and in the players.

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StowTractorBoy added 13:42 - Feb 24 Mick has clearly decided that Gerken is his number one and I agree with that choice. He is not the best in the world but you get what you pay for and fans should remember the match winning saves he has made this season. Gerken did nothing wrong (one error at Millwall apart) to be dropped hence he was recalled when he was fit - I see nothing wrong with that. Yes Loach did play well against Blackpool as he is a decent shot stopper but when the crosses come in there is a red mist around the penalty box. As I recall Blackpool put in one decent cross in at the Sir Alf end and Loach just watched it sail by him . Its all about opinions and I respect those of others but its Gerken for me as number one.

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Karlosfandangal added 14:20 - Feb 24 Thanks Wickedblue for saying I am stupid My point is I feel Gerken is a better keeper and the fact the people who vote on here don't go to the games are also those who say Loach should play because he had a good game and they have favourites. In your argument then if McGoldrick was injured for one game and Taylor was to score a hat trick then MCGoldrick should not get back in to the team then, so if the following game Taylor was poor then McGoldrick should replace him

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Surco72 added 15:07 - Feb 24 Karlos... If anyone scored a hatrick they should not be dropped , a good manager would accomadate the in form player with his player of the year ? The reason fans are annoyed at MM is for his double standards which he keeps quoting ,"players have to get in the team and prove themselves " Loach did this and still got dropped ? Nouble and Tabb have not performed well and keep getting selected ? Where is the consistency in team selection ? And Jimmy when has Nouble earned the right to play so many games in a row , certainly not through performances ,and I do not believe he would drop down a division and score regularly because he has no first touch , weak heading , poor positional sense and timing and cannot shoot . And you didn't answer the question would you really pick Nouble above JET if you were the manager ?

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JackITFC96 added 17:04 - Feb 24 I travelled to Leicester at the weekend from gorleston, for my third away game of the season, We started so negative, and obviously carried that on, it's good our back four are a good set of players, but most if our time on the ball basing is between them, surely that's a midfielders job, as for strikers, fair enough Nouble works his socks off and to be fair he won a fair few flick ins at the weekend Which ended up no where, but is seems to be the only exiting time is when creswell gets up that left side, Mcgoldrick does his thing, and Taylor comes on bad twists and turns people, and I'll get negatives for this but, I think We are missing Hyam, and two wingers!

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TimmyH added 17:14 - Feb 24 I thought Micks management has been known to be good, but I'm really not sure about this - you can almost guarantee if one of Micks 'favourites' has been out for a few games then comes in and does 'reasonable' he'll 100% be starting the next game. Out of the 2 goalies Gerken is marginally the better but after how Loach performed against Blackpool and rescued Mick from embarrassment of losing to easily the leagues worst club currently in the division this is harsh.

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TimmyH added 17:15 - Feb 24 * I should say 'man management'
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Karlosfandangal added 17:46 - Feb 24 Surco72 That's a fair point which I agree with, but for me Loach has only had one good game , he was given the chance at the beginning of the season and was poor so Gerken got the chance, now Loach has had a good game he must be left in goal, I feel most only want Loach as he is a local lad, Marshall got loads of stick because he played for Norwich, and yet the fans wonder why he was poor, he was going out to play with his own fans booing him. Richard Wright got stick towards the end, even Naylor Miller and Scowcroft, it's all about MM giving the players a chance yet the fans don't have to. Nouble will not be given a chance because the fans don't like him, yet a young lad learning his trade, so he should be given the chance by the fans, However they want Taylor.

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blueboy1981 added 17:51 - Feb 24 ....... does anyone want any further proof that MM has, and will always have his favourites - and he will play them, rightly or wrongly. Thanks Mick for avoiding relegation last season, but anyone who thinks you are the person to take our Club forward is sadly deluded. If we want our Club to stand still, right where we are - Fine - if we want more than that - it has to be under a keen young Manager wanting desperately to prove himself. Having favourites - is rank bad Management, and this smacks of it unfortunately.

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blueboy1981 added 18:02 - Feb 24 Loach has basic, yes basic, goalkeeping faults - one of which is he just doesn't leave his line when he should, and is indecisive - these are faults that should be 'coachable; and eradicated. Why is this not happening ?? - otherwise he has the goalkeeping core to make a very good keeper. I feel overall Gerken has the edge, only just, but Loach has the potential to make the better keeper of the two. Get coaching this man !! - still not convinced MM would play him tho' whatever.

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blueboy1981 added 18:12 - Feb 24 MM is saying and doing some very strange things, and even his most staunch allies are seeing it too. I am not at all sure he wants / cares about being here - after all he made his £million last season. Hit the minus button, but it may not be far from the truth, all considered ....... !!
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Jimmy86 added 18:19 - Feb 24 In answer to your question surco 1. Nouble hasn't earned a run of games in the team, because he has done nothing to warrant it and I agree with what uve said and 2. If I was manager I honestly wouldnt pick JET or Nouble, but if I was going to be pressed it would have to be JET in the hope he'd actually turn up and play!!!
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bluey123 added 18:28 - Feb 24 McCarthy is a disgrace the sooner he goes the better players out of position and his treatment of certain players disgraceful another manager who has no place in our once great club . Like the rest of crap Evans has brought in to ruin us.
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brittaniaman added 19:57 - Feb 24 It is down to Webster to coach these goalkeepers, and eradicate there faults ????
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