Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
McCarthy Almost Knows Opening Day Team
Thursday, 24th Jul 2014 09:17

Boss Mick McCarthy has a good idea of the team which will start against Fulham at home on the opening day of the season, but says other players can still force their way into his plans with several making a case for their inclusion during last night’s 3-0 friendly victory at Colchester.

“I kind of know, almost anyway,” he said. “It’s not going to be any great shock to me, they’ve only been away for 12 weeks.

“Nothing great changes over the summer, they don’t go and have football lessons and come back loads better or loads worse.

“The nucleus of the team is team is probably solid. I’m looking for somebody to shake it up and say ‘I want to be in that team’.

“And I think there were [some that did]. I thought Elliott Hewitt played well, I thought Ando was different class, I thought Alex Henshall (pictured) played very well. They were the ones who stood out.

“The back four are always OK, and Gerks. We didn’t function brilliantly everywhere else but we got better.”

Regarding Henshall, who joined on a permanent basis earlier in the summer following his release by Manchester City having been on loan last season, McCarthy added: “He’s really, really quick, he’s got good skills and he can go past people and that’s something we’ve lacked a little bit.

“But he’s got lots of other things to do as well, all the dirty jobs that all the others do, but when he gets the ball he’s a threat, a constant threat.”

Anderson probably had more of the ball than any other Town player during his time on the field and pleased his boss, despite missing an early chance.

“I thought Ando was great today,” McCarthy said. ”He could have scored with a header. It was a cross-shot from Frank and he didn’t manage to score but at least he [had the effort] and then he had a shot.

“So, in the first five or six minutes he’d had a header off target and a shot at goal. He’s really trying and I thought his all-round performance was particularly good.”

He says Marriott’s excellent goal came as no surprise: “I know he can put a ball in the net, he’s got to do all the other stuff as well.

“He’s got to be able to stick it and make sure that when we put the ball up to the frontmen it stays there because it didn’t in the first half and if that happens you’ll be scrapping away at the bottom of the league all the time.

“We need to be able to hold it up, Jack needs to get better at that and keep doing what he does because that’s a nasty habit that, keep putting the ball in the net.”

Speaking after the Shelbourne game, Marriott said that he didn’t consider himself a member of the first team squad having made only two sub appearances for the Blues, however, his manager views the situation differently: “I see him as a member of the first team squad, without a doubt.

“He’s in there competing and if he’s better than the others, he’ll play. It’s a really physical league, the Championship. I think he’s improved on that.

“Who knows, he might get that sub spot and he’s Johnny on the spot because he knows how to get the tap-ins and he gets his shots on target. I was only surprised he didn’t hit the target against West Ham. He’ll be part of the squad.”

Elsewhere, former Blues loanee Guirane N’Daw has joined newly-promoted French Ligue 1 side Metz on a two-year deal. N’Daw was with Asteras in Greece last season having been with Town during the previous campaign.


Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



tractordownsouth added 09:22 - Jul 24
I think it will be this

Gerks
Chambo Smith Berra Parr
Ando hyam skuse henshall
Murph Nouble
-1

pennblue added 09:24 - Jul 24
Midfield - weak
Up front - very weak

But I am sure MM & TC are aware of this already.
-4

LiamCP123 added 09:26 - Jul 24
What about Stewart?
0

tractordownsouth added 09:28 - Jul 24
Maybe Stewart instead of henshall, the latter an impact sub perhaps?
1

Wallingford_Boy added 09:30 - Jul 24
No, Stewart will not start.
1

LiamCP123 added 09:32 - Jul 24
Anyone knows who's gonna be our set piece taker?
0

itfc_f95 added 09:45 - Jul 24
Stewart hasn't impressed at all in pre-season whilst Henshall is the opposite, he's been great. Henshall to start.
3

BlueIrish added 09:53 - Jul 24
Stewart did well against Shelbourne, especially when switched to the right. He put a few good balls in and set up the Mings goal. He also took the corners in that game. I'd expect him to start ahead of Henshall given the inexperience of the lad. Hopefully there can be good competition for the left flank this year.
0

runningout added 10:07 - Jul 24
Dull
-1

Jaffe added 10:33 - Jul 24
When are we going to give Alan Lee a chance?
2

Garv added 10:38 - Jul 24
Need a midfielder and a right back, unless Hewitt is ready to step up.
-1

Ipswich121 added 10:42 - Jul 24
Gerken
Chambers smith Berra Mings
Skuse hyam
Anderson Taylor henshall
Murphy

That would be my team but I would expect mick to play nouble over Taylor.

I think it's only fair that gerken, chambers and Mings all have to start and bialowski Hewitt and parr will have to fight for their place, unless we changed formation.
-2

Ipswich121 added 10:50 - Jul 24
^ unless mcgoldrick is fit of course!
0

Lightningboy added 10:57 - Jul 24
Defence is looking excellent..arguably the best outside the premier league..Mick's going to have a headache on who to leave out from any of our Gk's & defenders.

Still think we need another central midfielder..not that fussed on Skuse tbh,he's ok as cover in front of the defence but doesn't seem to offer anything going forward..hopefully Garvan will do enough to get into the first team.
1

rfretwell added 11:07 - Jul 24
Frank didn't have football lessons in the break????
5

BlueandTruesince82 added 11:10 - Jul 24
Stewart to start on the right ahead of Ando however with Fulham up 1st MM might go for a more defensive minded winger, but I think down south has called it. Personally I would play Marriot with Murph but I suspect he will be an impact sub at least at 1st

Defence Solid.
Wings Reasonable
CM weakfish.
Attack who knows weak on paper but......

COYB
1

TR11BLU added 11:26 - Jul 24
It will be as near as damn to last seasons starting 11.
The narrative is interesting. 'Marriot and Henshall are good at this and that but need to do the dirty stuff'
In other words a grafter will always get in MM's team ahead of flair. That my friends says it all. Its why his teams never progress.
Top ten beckons once more.
3

BlueandTruesince82 added 11:31 - Jul 24
Te11blu like wolves and sundeland who never reached the prem under his stewardship?
2

battyblue added 11:57 - Jul 24
If Jack Marriott keeps putting the ball in the net that would do for me no one else does that consistently apart form mcgoldrick of coarse,and Mick still doesn't rate Taylor it seems but big Franks a world beater nothing changes also Veseli has had football lessons in the summer it seems but hay.
4

BigHibbs added 12:00 - Jul 24
Gerken
Hewitt berra chambers mings (I think he will stop playing a cb at full back this season, which I know means he will be leaving out a top cb whichever one it is. However I feel there is something else going to happen there. Maybe he will sell one)
ando skuse hyam Henshall
Mcgoldricj Murphy (as I believe didz will get half hour at Gillingham and 70 mins at orient
1

Daz added 12:05 - Jul 24
Every one gets a clean sheet. The fittest get in. every one has chance etc etc

Now back to. its only been 12 weeks so the same old
6

Daz added 12:10 - Jul 24
As I said before Marriot don't do enough off the ball. Need noubles effort and marriots eye for goal and you will a great striker.
0

jas0999 added 12:20 - Jul 24
Presumably Mick is aware of new signings then? Surely we will have of signed a jonny Williams type player for the start of the season? After all we have the Cresswell money and considering we have FEWER permanent players than that which ended last season, plus fewer bodies without the loans who returned to parent clubs, there are surely more signings to come. Without the Cresswell money last season we funded more players and loans. I obviously wrongly expected the Cresswell money would be used to ensure we had more players ... Not fewer.
2

Ipswichbusiness added 12:30 - Jul 24
I can't see Mr McCarthy starting with two wingers and two centre forwards against Fulham as it leaves us too light in midfield. Either Anderson will be told to tuck in, or we will play one winger, or just one centre forward.
1

mistert added 12:35 - Jul 24
@Jas009: At least one loan signing will be made but not before the start of the season.
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© TWTD 1995-2024