Boss Mick McCarthy believes new loan signing Jonny Williams is the man to add a greater threat to his Town side. The 20-year-old Wales international, who joined for a month from Crystal Palace on Thursday, looks set to make his Town debut in today’s home game against Birmingham.

“I’m delighted to have got Jonny, he’s a very exciting young, talented player,” McCarthy said. “He’s got bundles to offer, loads of energy and he’s a threat, that’s what he’ll be, a constant threat when he’s playing. He can open defences up.

“He plays anywhere, narrow on the left, in behind one or two, he’s a clever footballer, an intelligent footballer.”

He’s a player who has been on the Town boss’s radar for a while: “I saw him playing all last season and he was terrific in the Palace team that got promoted. Then he got injured towards the end of the season.

“I watched him against us in the U21s there and I watched him against Bristol City and I saw him again on Monday night. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to watch him.”

The Blues’ midfield has scored only six goals between them this season, Paul Anderson netting three (although his goal against Millwall was probably an own goal), and Luke Hyam, Carlos Edwards and Jay Tabb one each, and McCarthy says he wants more from that area of his team.

“We could do with some goals from the middle of the park,” he admitted. “We’ve scored lots of goals this year, far more than last year but it would be great if he could add to the ones that we’ve already got.

“We’ve lost David McGoldrick, our top scorer, so we need to get them from elsewhere, and I’m hoping Jonny can contribute.

“I’m hoping he’ll help us win more games and with the bit of style and bit of flair that he has, of course, he excites people. And it does get bums on seats and it gets people off seats when they should be sitting down watching.”

With Williams having signed a new Eagles contract until the summer of 2018 only last month, McCarthy says the move won’t be long-term: “His future’s not here. He’s a Palace player. He’s a very talented lad. He’s not been playing so Tony Pulis has been very gracious to let me have him for a month.

“But it really is until the end of the season. But there’s a recall [after a month]. We would always put a recall in our players’ loans, especially where Palace are.

“They might need him back but if he comes in and gets seven games with us and helps us and gets us back in the top six, that’s why I’ve taken him.”

McCarthy believes that it’s important for a side to establish a solid base upon which the likes of Williams can add sexier football.

“I think the stubborn comes first, personally,” he said. “I think the hard to beat, the professional, the organised, the stubborn, the belligerent, that comes first, that’s in my team’s make up, then you play your sexy football if you can.

“It’s interesting, isn’t it? Swansea have been the sexiest team but now they’d love a bit of stubbornness and belligerence and clean sheets.

“So, I think that has to come first, then you play off a base and if you’ve got somebody like Jonny Williams or Hunty, when he’s played wide left, or David McGoldrick to provide the entertainment and the sexy football.

“But they’re all expected to do the organised and hard work bit. And if you don’t, you’ll get beaten, I’m afraid. You’ll lose games if you’re not organised, don’t defend properly or aren’t organised at corner kicks.

“That’s what I’m saying when I’m talking about being stubborn and belligerent and organised. You’ve got to have it. Nobody complains about Mourinho doing it and winning championships all over the world!"

He admits that the last home game, the 0-0 draw with Blackpool, wasn’t pretty watch but warns: “It wasn’t, but see how many season tickets we’ll sell if we play sexy football in League One!”

McCarthy says he was impressed with striker Paul Taylor’s performance in Monday’s 2-1 U21 defeat to Palace, in which new signing Williams scored.

“I thought he responded well, I thought he played well,” the Town boss said. “He worked hard and he contributed to the game.”

Having watched that game on Monday, McCarthy made the short trip to watch Colchester United lose 1-0 at home to Sheffield United on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, the Town boss admits that last week’s opponents Leicester are better than the Blues by some distance at present and expects the Foxes not only to get promoted but to hold their own in the Premier League next season: “It’s a big gap.

“If Leicester get promoted I don’t think they’ll have to touch that team, not too much anyway.

"I think they’ve got a Premier League team. I look at the ones in the bottom half and I think they would compete with them comfortably.”

He says Town won’t be looking to bridge that gap by spending a lot of money: “We’re not going to have big investment, that’s not happened, that’s not going to be the case, we’re within the Financial Fair Play rules.

“It’s with shrewd scouting, bargaining and getting the best out of people, which is what I do and which we seem to be pretty good at, to be honest. Hopefully, we can get in that top six, who knows then? We’ll see. And after that, we’ll see.”

Photo: Action Images

Flewitt85 added 07:21 - Mar 1 He admits that the last home game, the 0-0 draw with Blackpool, wasn't pretty watch but warns: “It wasn't, but see how many season tickets we'll sell if we play sexy football in League One!” dont understand this comment from mm? 1. we are nowhere near the bottom And 2. We will never be in league one can someone explain or am I missing something?
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Keaneish added 07:52 - Mar 1 He means it doesn't matter if we play bad, uninspiring football as long as we're picking up enough points to keep us comfortably in this division… A mantra none of us want to hear.
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PremierBlue added 07:55 - Mar 1 MM will always prioritize defensive organisation over sexy flowing footy, though being aware of the need for both. It is true that the opponent does not score when you have posession and when you are attacking. Fact. It is the mark of a great manager to find the balance between defensive organisation and some of the flair of attacking yet effective footy, not because it is nice to watch (and put bums on seats), but simply because it will win you games, more points and promotion in the end.

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brian_a_mul added 08:08 - Mar 1 Can't wait to see Williams play. I agree with Mick, this is the most organised town team and cost effective team we have seen for a long time, its no coincidence we are doing so well. Good point regards mourinho. If we get playoff nobody will care about sexy football!
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ArnieM added 08:20 - Mar 1 Perhaps Evans will fund Mick in the summer to allow him to add a player like Williams to the squad. Town are not far off the finished article.
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StuartBrett8 added 08:46 - Mar 1 Bring on the sexy football! Mourinho annoys me, plays 2 sitting defensive midfielders and one lone striker up top.... then moans that the strikers aren't getting goals. The chump knows nothing of football management and has been blagging his way through it for years. (obviously I'm joking)
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Flewitt85 added 09:11 - Mar 1 Diamondgeezer why the thumbs down! Are you disagreeing with mm or are you disagreeing with what I put about were not nowhere near the bottom And we are never going to be in league one? If so, that mean you would be thinking that we could be in league one?
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wkj added 09:18 - Mar 1 I dont dislike defensive play at all... I do dislike waves and waves of pushing forward, getting on the opposition box, then Smith/Berra having the ball back again without any shot being attempted. 4 or 5 times this season we have opted to pass the ball before taking a shot when there has been daylight between our man and the goal keeper. It is important to keep possession in the modern game, but we do have to stop wasting opportunities when they come our way

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strikalite added 09:27 - Mar 1 StuartBrett - the idea is to allow his two wing backs to bomb forward, you need two holding mids to cover this, one will never cover both sides if the two are caught up the pitch.. Good signing is this Williams lad, although it is wrong imo(bloody loans!)though of course we'll take it....shame though, wish he was ours because you know what'll happen, we'll get him firing and he'll go back...oh well, hope he hits the ground running with us :)

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bluemikey100 added 09:51 - Mar 1 paul taylor should be the player we need in midfield not a loan thats here for a month still worried whose gonna put the goals away thou
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warktheline added 09:52 - Mar 1 Keaneish you've obviously lost faith in Mick,your interpretation of the article is a wrong and Negative view point.If you look back on Mick's plans when his tenure began he stated we had to first beat the drop,then re-establish ourselves as a championship club,this he has accomplished already.Entertaining football would follow in due course.We are undoubtedly moving forward with this plan,look at our squad compared to the dark days of Keane and Jewel.For various reasons the team hasn't fired on all cylinders as yet,injures and fitness spring to mind.Only my opinion but I believe had we managed to of retained Stearman this season then we would now be occupying a top 6 position.Keep the faith mate.

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NoelTheDub added 09:54 - Mar 1 I like Paul Green but havent seen him in his best position and I wonder why now a player like Williams was not got in before Paul anyway its going to be interesting what MM opts for IMO any 2 from Green Williams or Skuse with Hunt and maybe Anderson out wide and hopefully Seb or Taylor up top with Murf I have big doubts goes along with that so Mick when are we going to see a bit of that sexy footie that you said will come not the last home game please.BEST OF LUCK WHOEVER PUTS ON THE TOWN JERSEY TODAY. COYB......

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oldelsworthyfan added 10:49 - Mar 1 Some of us have expected too much too soon from MM. He's had no money to buy players with (unlike his two predecessors), saved us from the drop last season and 6th position this season is not entirely out of the question. Sir Alf started off sorting out the defence, but it still took him a few years to get us to the top of the old Second Division. If we still had Stearman at RB I think we would have conceded 50% fewer goals this season (that's where ME should have spent some money), but that is all in the past. Sadly, none of the current team has (so far) turned into the playmaker that we really need. Can Williams remind us what a playmaker can do for this side?

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Michael11 added 10:55 - Mar 1 That comment about sexy football in League One also made me a bit confused, seeing as it would take a minor miracle to get relegated now. The funny thing is, I don't think season ticket sales would be much different between sexy football in League One and $hite football in the Championship. Trying to be hard to beat against a team in Blackpool's form was nothing short of embarrassing. Looking forward to seeing Jonny Williams up at Middlesbrough next Saturday though, potentially a great signing.

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pazelle added 11:11 - Mar 1 First compliment I've heard about Taylor from MM. He'd better start.
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Tractorog added 11:13 - Mar 1 Have you all forgotten how close we were last season to League 1? "We will never be in League 1" my Arsene Wenger!
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Tractamatt added 11:39 - Mar 1 This player will work well for us if played in the right position and I would like to think we may be able to extend his loan but I think the point is that he helps us to absolute mathematical safety this month.
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Seasider added 11:43 - Mar 1 Sounds like we might,for a change, get a side that concentrates as much on attack as defence,this afternoon with Jonny Wiliiams playing and McCarthy at last talking favourably of Paul Taylor;although wont be holding my breath,as that would mean he would probably have to leave out his two favourites Big Frank and Tabby as cant imagine they could all start. As most fans optimistic in the morning of the match which doesn't always carry into afternoon

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Beattiesballbag added 12:25 - Mar 1 What a load of Bull**** from MM It's got nothing to do with the style of football you play as to where you end up in the league. As at the moment nearly every team in this league can play more attractive football than us. The point is some of those above us don't defend as well as us when they haven't got the ball but they all play more attacking positive football when they have the ball, that's why they have more points than us and are more entertaining to watch. Also if we were at the top of league one under a manager who had us entertained by going out to win games you would get bigger crowds than we get now.

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ashleylewis10 added 13:38 - Mar 1 Beattiesballbag - Teams above us play more attacking football because they have the personnel to do so and the funds to bring in said personnel McCarthy is simply doing his best with the players at his disposal. Hard work ethic and a cautious approach have got is this far so why change?
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