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Murphy: We Can Still Make Play-Offs
Friday, 28th Feb 2014 06:00

Daryl Murphy is convinced Town can recover from their recent form lapse and still secure a play-off place

They may have won just twice in their last 10 league games, taking 14 points from a possible 30, but the Republic of Ireland international remains confident they can close the five-point gap on sixth-placed Reading.

Murphy, 30, said: “I think we can finish in the top six because results went for us last week with Reading losing. But it’s going to be hard.

“It’s only sixth place that is up for grabs, if I’m being honest. The top five have pulled away so much that they will be hard to catch but there are four or five teams that can get in there and we are one of them.

“It’s not lost yet, with so many games left to play, but we need to start winning games, especially at home and starting against Birmingham on Saturday.”

Last time out Town went down 3-0 at league leaders Leicester but Murphy echoed the sentiments of manager Mick McCarthy when he added: “We gave them two goals to start with.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game but we were disappointed with the way we started, although I think the quality in their side was probably a bit too much for us. They’re a class side and they’ve got players in every position who are top-notch.”

Town will be looking to improve on their last home display when lowly Blackpool secured a goalless draw at Portman Road and might even have bagged all three points but for a man-of-the-match display from stand-in keeper Scott Loach.

But Murphy is not expecting it to be easy to overcome a stubborn Birmingham side fresh from a 2-1 success at Blackpool.

He said: “It will be a tough game. We drew 1-1 at their place earlier in the season and it was hard. It will be no different this time. Everyone wants to win every game and it’s no different with them. We’re at home and we have to be confident, so hopefully we will get a win.”

Murphy scored in the corresponding fixture last season, a game that ensured Town’s survival in the Championship and one he recalled with fond memories.

He added: “I remember it, second last game of the season wasn’t it? We beat them 3-1, it was a good game and I thought overall we did pretty well.

“We dominated the game but it’s going to be a different story this time round. Obviously they want to finish as high as they can in the league and we want to get into the play-offs so it’s a big game for both teams.”


Photo: Action Images



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chicorytwin added 06:24 - Feb 28
Men in white coats needed.

Had we have been a bit more attack minded of late, We would have already been in a playoff position.
1

BobbyBell added 07:25 - Feb 28
I'm as optomistic as they come but I'm afraid you're singing in the wind now Murph. Our chance was there a few games ago but that short lived bubble has burst.
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ericclacton added 07:36 - Feb 28
One tends to do with ones one what ones one one doesn't one?
-1

wkj added 07:39 - Feb 28
Sadly ... Most of us say "No we can not" sure it's mathematically possible but just not on our level. The key thi g is that to not make the playoff this year doesn't mean the season has not been successful. NOT ONCE have we looked relegation candidates this year. If we do not strengthen and make a.very serius challenge for promotion next season then I will be unhappy
4

Mr_Jingles added 08:12 - Feb 28
6th place is heading to Wigan or possibly Reading
Whilst we are better than last year... still quite a way off top six. Top ten is best bet.
No harm in being optimistic though
5

ivandeighton added 08:23 - Feb 28
HOPE WE CAN HAVE A GOOD RUN NOW.COMING DOWN FOR THE WEEKEND GOING TWO THE GAME FOLLOWED THE TRACTOR BOYS FOR FOUTY YEARS AND LOVE COMING TWO IPSWICH GOOD WEEKEND AND HOPE TWO CELEBRATE WITH A FEW BEERS AND A NICE MEAL COYB
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TR11BLU added 08:51 - Feb 28
You havin a larf Murf
Apart from the fact that our top scorer and one bright light is out for the season, a run of games against teams above us and our challengers for that final spot coming up, we are not positive or good enough.
Go back through the home games you must win to challenge. Im thinking Charlton, Barnsley, Blackpool all dire bore draws, points thrown away by negative line ups/tactics.
MM phillosophy is defend the point we start with and see where it takes us.
Games against the top teams have also taken a predictable innevitability, we valiantly hold them for 60 mins, MM praises the fine margins......and we lose them. Think QPR twice, Leicester home, Reading away, Wigan away, Burnley home.
Patience is wearing thin with me. I didnt expect to promote this season, indeed in many ways I much prefer this league, away days are more exciting, but I do expect to be entertained for the amount of money it costs. MM style is boring the pants off me. This season ticket holder of 15+ years is seriously thinking of turning away from week in week out blind faith.
Rant over.
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Kesgraveblue57 added 09:00 - Feb 28
Not a chance in hell in making the play-offs, and only in your dreams Murphy! time to wake up. From MM down at the club they all talk a good game but never play it.
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brittaniaman added 09:15 - Feb 28
YES Murphy Reading did lose last Sat. BUT we lost as well !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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NoelTheDub added 09:28 - Feb 28
MURF tell your manager we would like to win every game clearly he thinks different to you.He dosent put a team out to do this more so v the lower sides we can beat.The few flair players are left out on a regular basis and defensive ones put in to stop the other team an im not talking or expecting to beat QPR, LEIC,BURNLEY ...This is not about money its the mindset of MM and we have to look at this for the rest of the season.
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Beattiesballbag added 10:01 - Feb 28
2 wins in 10 is relegation form not promotion & unless their is a dramatic turn around in tactics this will continue, by the end of this season I doubt big Micks record here will be as good as Jim Magiltons.......sadly!
Getting other teams players on loan & giving them game time to get match fit, signing players that used to play for you or signing cast offs recovering from injury, isn't going to be enough to move this club forward,
As he hasn't got the cash MM is going to have to get off his butt & look for players that have yet been given a chance at this level, the last game for example didn't Vardy come from Fleetwood, unusually high price for a player of that league but the point is they are there & I'm sure they would do a deal with addons at that level if you don't have the cash.
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northernblues added 10:48 - Feb 28
Mathmatically we can, but we will not! We are top 12, having seen burnley derby and forest play of late they are streets ahead some of our players are dillusional!t
2

bohslegend added 11:24 - Feb 28
Sweet Jeebus. You think it's painful watching Ipswich play? It's far far more painful listening to some of the 'fans' on here continually moan and bitch about the team wearing the blue jerseys. That my friends, is NOT supporting your team. At the start of the season (or even more so at the very end of last season) we would have ALL been happy with a top 10 finish. But now the bitters and the haters come out just to make sure the boys know we are not fully behind them, Why? because thats what Ipswich fans like to do: Bitch.
There is another side to this too.
We are obviously not in a position to splash money around at the moment. If we go into the Prem - as much as that would mean some serious extra cash - we would not be able to compete in the transfer market either. It is obvious from the comments above and throughout the season on this forum, that if we got promotion the criticism of the manager, the team, certain scapegoat players and the owner would actually only increase further as we would no doubt struggle to survive in the Prem.
All the Blueboys, Muscle Toes, NoeltheDubs and others who like to criticise would have an absolute field day if we found ourselves facing up to Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea next season.
And that is a FACT no matter how much any of you would care to deny it.
-1

Tractamatt added 11:34 - Feb 28
Am I only one that shudders when I look at our team and think about what would happen to us in the premiership if we did somehow get promoted. I love love this team I've supported them through good and bad for 40 years. Yes I moan when things don't go well but I'm never happier than when they are going rright but please be very careful what you wish for because promotion before we have the right players of the right quality could be incredibly destructive.
1

irishtim added 11:50 - Feb 28
@bohslegend. Well said.
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Surco72 added 12:13 - Feb 28
@bohslegend ...

I think like most you are missing the point of many of the criticisms aimed at MM .It is not the fact we are not challenging for the title or even for the playoffs , we are not good enough to go up and as proved even challenge the top six teams . We are a mid table team that has been in the championship for a long long time , the real issue I and many supporters have is that the football style, tactics and entertainment is so very poor that we pay over the top prices for in this league .
That has nothing to do with finance , squad of players which is now MMs anyway it is the choice of the manager ?
MM chooses natural wingers to stay narrow and defend , he chooses big target men to aim long balls at week in week out , he chooses 2 defensive central midfielders every week , he chooses a centre back at right back who has no experience of getting forward wide and providing crosses , he chooses to defend before attack in every game whoever we play .
I don't believe that questioning for what I am paying for me makes me less of a supporter and have seen numerous teams play good attractive football on the floor with passing on far less budget than we have ,its called coaching .
5

TimmyH added 12:13 - Feb 28
I can understand the need to be optimistic but our form this year has been fairly poor and with McGoldrick out for the season you can't see where the goals are going to come from, unless somebody really stands up and starts scoring (maybe a fit SEB in a week or twos time) and maybe a transformation in the midfield with Williams now here there is a slight chance we could improve in the weeks ahead (but this may be me clutching at straws).
0

essexboy added 12:16 - Feb 28
Some of you don't deserve to be supporting Ipswich,all you do is knock them.Get behind them,without money MM has done a fantastic job.Ok the football is not good but he is doing the best with what he has.To be only 5 points from the play-offs at this time is no mean achievement.We all hope for the best even if sometimes it's going to de hard.The guy from Palace is a quality player,if some of you had seen him the other night you would see the reason just why MM has got him here,he is doing his best to get us in the play-offs so get behind him and stop knocking the team.COYB
3

blues1 added 12:41 - Feb 28
i have to agree with most on here who are saying we wont get into the top six.(then, I never believed we would neway, not yet ready for that). However, im glad the players are taking the attitude that its still possible, as if they thought we'd nothing left to play for, god knows how much worse our performances would get. There's nothing wrong with aiming for something, even if it is realistically out of reach.
4

BlueandTruesince82 added 12:58 - Feb 28
What are you lot on?

Whinge, moan, complain. About what? The fact that for the fisrt time in years we have had a season free from the threat of relegation?

The fact that a alomost an entirely new team has gelled as well as it has this quickly.

I think we are forgetting that this is MM's 1st full season in charge, we are there or there abouts which is far beyond where I expected us to be at this stage. I fully anticpate after some more shrewd buisness in the summer we will have a really good chance next year. If we dont look in real contention then its time to complain.

You lot sound like the miserable bunch in the greenun, given that is full of idiots and trolls I think that says it all.

You all talk of the teams negativity, seems to me you lot are far more negative than the team or the manager today.
1

bohslegend added 12:58 - Feb 28
Surco, I'm missing the point? Surely you cannot be serious (..and don't cal me Shirley etc).

How does ANY manager (name one who would do better in the exact same circumstances) make a team of players he brought in for nothing/zilch/zero/didly squat play in the style and panache that you seem to think we are all so worthy of?
Firstly, MM recognised that the team was poor defensively, and I think quite rightly set out this season to make us more difficult to beat than last year or any recent year. Nobody can say that we are not harder to beat than we were.
Secondly, we are one of the top scoring teams in the league as it stands despite the fact that you seem to think we dont attack.
Surco where is this magic wand you seem to allude to? Should MM look for it in one of the cupboards at PR? or in a shed at the training ground? or where exactly? How does any manager in this day and age (not the 1970's remember) do so much with so little at his disposal?
The fact that we have even the remotest chance of 6th place going into March is remarkable. There are far bigger and wealthier clubs than ours well below us wishing they had our manager and our players. I'm positively sure they would not like to take some of our 'fanbase' with them.
Go think about it. And when you've at least used a sense of balance and fairness not to ignore some of the points I've made come back to me and we'll discuss this further.
1

unknown100 added 13:06 - Feb 28
I'm getting fed up with reading every day 'we can make the play-offs' of course we can, we are 5 points off with 14 games to go (possible 42 points on offer) it's going to be 'if we had beaten' season, the 3 games which showed we weren't going to get the playoffs... Derby 4-4 and the draws with Barnsley and Blackpool, we needed to beat 2 poor sides to really be in the race and we blew it, hope I'm wrong but even if we did get in the playoffs think it would be embarrassing
1

NoelTheDub added 13:14 - Feb 28
My point and many others on here Never said MM hasnt done a good job but the no money mick or small squad mick fans have never answered my questions you always say where we were last year GOOD POINT and the only one.This is a good midfielder no problem but what position and more so were is Mick going to play him or for that matter who does he drop ie I can see it Green Skuse Williams and Hynm across the park the little bit of width we have will be lost to fit Williams in.See as many on here call me a MM out merchant im clearly not but i have to put up with his style and tactics more so now that we are safe for a change.Its more frustration with me now as i know we could do better if Mick took a gamble and not keep bringing in midfielders instead of a pacey winger or backup for Seb the only man to get us a few goals if fit and im not looking for prem class.
1

BlueandTruesince82 added 13:48 - Feb 28
Noel, perhaps you found us getting tonked by 4 or 5 goals each week entertaining? I'm sure the opposition did.

If you notice I do actually make another point, that is that this is Micks 1st full season. Nowe despite the explosion in trigger happy chairman and the the increased expectancy of the modern game, I for one belive that a manger waarents at least a full season in charge before he is judged. Then at least 6 months into the following season.

To expect a manger to make us hard to beat and have us playing expansive football in 1 season is over expectant to say the least.

So stage 1, make us hard to beat, prevent threat of relegation. Done. Kudos to Mick.

Stage 2, build on the solid base now created inorder to push for promtion. This begins when the last ball of this season is kicked.

Stage 3 maintain consisatncy of manager, allow manager to make a real impoact by giving him time and watch the team improve (hopefully) Nigel Perason case in point, having finally been given time at Leicester they look like they are going up, imagine if they hadnt got rid of him 1st time around.

I dont care if playing like stoke gets us promoted. Would i like to see us play like Barca? Yes, is it the end of the world if we dont? no. All I care about after recent years is seeing town win games.

As you point out we are somewhat better than last year so I ask again why all the complaints?

Why no give MM some more time (progress so far shows its warrented) and try not to adopt the Ken bates approach to hiring and firing football managers?
2

bohslegend added 13:54 - Feb 28
@BlueandTruesince82
2


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