Boss Mick McCarthy says Town wouldn’t have conceded the late penalty which led to Leyton Orient’s last-gasp equaliser during Saturday’s 1-1 friendly draw had Jay Tabb still been on the field.

The 30-year-old, who was largely on the fringes last season, had been subbed eight minutes from the end with his replacement, youngster Alex Henshall, conceding the spotkick when he fouled ex-Blue Kevin Lisbie.

“If Tabby had’ve been on the pitch, they wouldn’t have got the penalty because they wouldn’t have got out of that corner,” McCarthy insisted.

“He’s a safer pair of hands. He’s not a flying left winger. Alex Henshall’s learning his trade, he’s going to have to learn a lot about me that you don’t dangle a leg, he wins the ball or gives a foul.

“I’d take a foul out there and we’ll defend the freekick. But he doesn’t get in our box and it end up being a penalty. That wouldn’t have happened with Tabby, or Hunty.

“But Alex is a kid, so I’ll forgive him that, he’ll learn. Doing that here, and Kevin Bru as well, they both dangled legs and got beaten, I can speak to them and show them, and hopefully for me, and for them, they won’t do it in a league game.”

Tabb himself is aiming to play a bigger part during the season ahead having had a disappointing 2013/14.

“It started really well for me when I scored against my old club Reading and I felt settled in,” the former Irish U21 international told the Sunday Mirror. “But I got a shoulder injury and didn’t play so regularly after that.

“But I have one year left on my contract at Ipswich and I want to prove I can play a bigger part in our efforts to win promotion.

“Mick is a great bloke to work for. He is extremely honest and tells you things straight. If you are not performing, you are out of the team and that is how it should be. We weren’t far off the play-offs last season and we can improve.”

McCarthy says he was impressed with Orient, who he expects to be among the League One challengers: “I thought they were excellent in the first half, really good. I thought they were the best team.

“I wasn’t happy with my team’s performance but then in the second half I thought we were the best team, I thought we shaded it.

“I think they’re a good side, Russell Slade has made some good signings, I think they play some nice football, they try to play and I think they’ll be a threat for the league.”

Photo: Action Images

Sindre94 added 06:43 - Aug 4 I think we get it now Mick, Tabby is an absolutely terrific and unique footballer:) Joking aside, I reckon the line-up against Fulham will be very "safe" with mainly the core from last season starting. Dont think neither Bru or Henshall will start the game, but we'll see
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GerkensBeard added 06:51 - Aug 4 Well that's confirmed it, Tabb will be starting Saturday, what a thing to say from MM tho, now he realises that Tabb offers absolutely nothing he's trying to say that he wouldn't of have away that penalty. I mean seriously he'd rather have a bloke play left mid who's only quality is that he doesn't give penaltys away than a young lad who will take on his man and make things happen and get balls in the box. Bit embarassing really

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TractorCam added 07:09 - Aug 4 So in other words, Tabb is better and will start on saturday?
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Stato added 07:15 - Aug 4 Tabb and Hunt are not going to get any side promoted. Nor will Nouble. And none of them will put bums on seats at Portman Road. None will lift the match day atmosphere. Oh yeah add MM to that list.
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Len_Brennan added 07:20 - Aug 4 Mick is a smart bloke who knows how to get the best out of players. His comments are less an endorsement for Tabb but a reminder to Henshall that there are fundamentals to playing at this level besides attacking. By saying this & reminding him that there are other options for his place in the time, Mick is letting Henshall know what is expected of him for 90 minutes & hopefully knocking any edges off him early on. Henshall will play a lot of minutes this season. Mick brought him in & has just signed him permanently. He also played a fair bit of pre-season. All he is doing here is reminding him of his responsibilites to the team. The comment about not giving away a late goal in a league match is the key point here; Mick is just setting out his stall pre-emptively. Good management in my book. Having said that, he probably will start with a defensive minded side against a side relegated from the Premiership who have just spent £11m on last season's top Championship striker.

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tractorboybig added 07:20 - Aug 4 good teams and sucessful teams are so because they dont conceed goals. Thats the way to start. Mick is good at that bit,then the problems start.
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dav86 added 07:36 - Aug 4 Who gives a f*ck! Mick knows what he's doing. Up the town!
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 07:53 - Aug 4 I agree Len. Not sure it was necessary in public though really? Young lad, probably already beating himself up about a mistake?
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bluelady added 08:20 - Aug 4 Tabb has looked a differant player pre season - like the player we had on loan that we all wanted to return... Last year he was terrible!! I still however don't think he is the answe or as good as mick makes him out to be, but I think he will be no 1 choice this season, meaning we may not concede silly penalties but we won't exactly set the world alight...
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mow_the_lawn added 08:35 - Aug 4 I think Mick is thinking about giving Mings some more protection down the left side. Henshall and Mings are both quite inexperienced at this level, whereas experience is something that Tabb does have. Personally I don't agree with that, I think because of Tabb's lack of attacking play he will be drawing the opposition onto to him and Mings, but with it being the opening fixture, being against a relegated premiership team, and being on tv, Mick will be wanting to avoid defeat more than wanting to get a win.

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Wickets added 08:41 - Aug 4 It wont have gone unnoticed by Mick that we didn't didn't give away any goals in pre-season when we had 2 holding midfielders on the pitch, usually Skuse and Hyam. So we will be expecting the same,hold what we have got and try to pinch one.
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groovyASH added 08:51 - Aug 4 Tabb is a limited but useful squad member for certain tasks in a game. He will never go on pitch-long runs, score spectacular goals or get 10 assists in a season. He will, however, harass, close down and see a game out. These are the things that you don't hear over a radio or read on a forum, though. I think it is quite clear by now that MM expects a player to have a rounded game- surely you lot questioning his comments towards Henshall will have seen this with Taylor. Henshall is a raw talent who needs to develop yet, he has very much got it all to prove in competitive games. His highest competitive appearances have come in league 2. MM clearly sees potential though and I hope he will develop into the player he has the potential to be. Just don't expect him to be a dead cert for a starting spot, because he won't be

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Count_Arthur added 08:57 - Aug 4 Yup, sounds like his justification for not starting Henshall (arguably our best player pre-season) but to start Tabb who may, or may not, have concede a penalty if he was on the pitch!?! What happened to "wipe the slate clean . . . if they have a good pre-season they start against Fulham"??? If that's the case MM should play Henshall, Bajner and Marriott on Saturday. I like Murphy but compared to last pre-season when he was knocking them in, he's not done too much this year, should he start above strikers players that have scored goals for us in the last 3 or 4 matches? What has MM got against young, talented players?

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bringbacktheglory added 09:25 - Aug 4 I really like Tabb as a player, he's positive, creative and can run with the ball. That said however, I just don't see how Mick thinks he's a left sided midfielder, he hardly ever crosses or does not get to the byline. It's the only thing I can fault Mick on because at the end of the day he's been a success, and clearly knows what he is doing.
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fussysnake added 09:51 - Aug 4 I have slated Tabb for months now, ever since his performance away to Millwall when he was probably the worst I've ever seen any town player play. But I went to leyton on Saturday and Colchester and Tabb really has impressed me. I'm prepared to give him a fresh start and so should all you lot be, he was actually very composed and well as creative v leyton. He has clearly come back to pre season very sharp, and so why shouldn't mick play him, mick didn't play him when we wasn't performing so he's hardly a 'favourite' of micks

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fussysnake added 09:53 - Aug 4 He's an Ipswich player for god sake! Have some faith
3

jas0999 added 10:01 - Aug 4 This doesn't sound good. We may as well all give up if we start with Tabb, Skuse and Hyam. I have a bad feeling we will be playing for 0-0 draws if thats the midfield.
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Bluetone added 10:11 - Aug 4 That must be one of the crassest examples ever of man management. Henshall knows he made a mistake and must be really hurting, he, no doubt, expects McCarthy to carpet him for it. But for McCarthy to humiliate him in public as he did was quite frankly the stupidest thing he could do. We can only guess at what he hoped to achieve, maybe self justification of his support for one of his personal favourites Tabb. What did it achieve? Well it could not have done Henshall's confidence any good. Good man management would have been to confine Henshall's deserved criticism to behind closed doors and then to rectify the fault by further coaching. McCarthy by this action has demonstrated that he is to man management what Eric Pickles is to Slimmers World.

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J4ck22 added 10:33 - Aug 4 Blueton - All he did was explain what he did wrong, which Henshall has already been made aware of and working to fix the problem. Not exactly humiliating or bad man management...
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Lightningboy added 10:56 - Aug 4 Looks like it's going to be safety first again this season. I've got no problem with that if we're winning,I just hope Mick's a lot more adventurous going forward when we need to be ..i.e. The Burnley game at the end of last season when we needed a win but barely mustered a shot at goal. All very well for Mick telling his youngsters to up their efforts BUT Mick needs to realise that he needs to up his efforts as a tactician aswell this season.

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Bergholtblue added 10:59 - Aug 4 We will be playing Fulham, one of the bookies favourites for going up. Did anyone really believe MM would play inexperienced youngsters for that game? The line up was never, ever, going to be anything other than the solid core of payers that held us in good stead last season. With Fulham Reading and Norwich coming in the first four matches, you don't want to be looking at the table with teams already 9+ points ahead of you. So like it or not we will be playing the same defensive football that we had last year.

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Michael11 added 11:05 - Aug 4 Mick's right, Tabb wouldn't have given that penalty away. Purely because he's too slow to track back and do anything in the first place!
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brittaniaman added 11:25 - Aug 4 I imagine the team to start against Fulham will be more or less what we had last season ?? Gerken Chambers Berra Smith Mings Anderson Skuse Hyam Tabb Murphy Nouble I wish them all the very, very best !! but I do not think this team will hold Fulham unfortunately ???? MM it would be nice to blend in some of the new players !! I imagine he will be cautious as it is on Skye as well.

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Bluetone added 11:30 - Aug 4 @j4ck22 having his mistake further brought up in a public interview is not the way to do it. Anyone who thinks that discussing an individual's mistake in a critical manner in public is the correct way to tackle the problem has never been in management.
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ITFC_Cairo added 11:42 - Aug 4 Fussysnake - When you began by saying Tabb against Milwall is the worst you've EVER seen a Town player play, your opinion instantly became invalid. Sensationalising the issue just a bit. Mick hasn't said Tabb is starting, he hasn't said Henshall is. He's simply stating that with experience on the field, we would have seen the game out. Which he'd rather be saying now than on Saturday evening against Fulham if we concede a cheap late goal and fail to see it out. Give everyone a break. We haven't lost a game in pre-season, we had a strong season last season and we have even better players added to the squad now. Just sit back and enjoy the season without over analysing and decrypting every comment made by everyone.

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