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Tabb Just Enjoying Being Back in Team
Friday, 19th Sep 2014 06:00

Town midfielder Jay Tabb is as chatty as they come — except when asked to assess his own form during the early part of the season.

It’s a subject he would rather avoid, politely declining the opportunity and reluctantly explaining: “I don’t really like talking about my own form.

"It’s one of these where if you start kind of bigging yourself up then in your next game you have a shocker and everyone’s on your back.

“It happened last year when I got back in the team and did alright. Then I spoke about my own form and it went tits up. I’m just enjoying the fact that I’m in the team and we are doing well.

"I think I’ve done alright and I just go out and do what the manager asks me to do.

“Yes, I’ve done alright but there’s plenty of competition for places. The manager puts me on the left, tells me what to do and I do it. If that gets me in the team, great, but if not then I’ll just get on with it.”

Tooting-born Tabb, 30, is fast approaching a half century of appearances for Town, having arrived on a free transfer following his release by Reading at the end of the 2012/13 season and after impressing during a nine-game loan spell from the Royals.

He takes a pragmatic approach to life, adding: “When I’m not in the team I just think that being a footballer is probably the best job I could have. You can’t just have 11 players who play every week, you’ve got to have a squad of 20 to 25, and while 11 play the rest are all fighting for the places on the bench or to get into the team.

“It’s one of those things really and you just have to get on with it. When you play you’ve got to appreciate it and try to keep your place and when you don’t you just have to realise that you’ve still got a good job. Train hard and you’ll get your chances.

“The great thing about our squad is that if the manager leaves people out they don’t sulk. They just get on with it, then when he does ask them to play or come on for 20 minutes they do well and make an impact, which has happened in the last two games. It’s nice to be playing at the moment but I know we have a strong squad and anything can happen.”

Tabb is ever-present in the Championship this season and shared the delight of Town fans at the 100 per cent points haul from the home games against Millwall and Brighton.

He added: “Brighton on Tuesday was a tough game. You look at the two fixtures we have had and with Millwall making a great start to the season it was a great win to beat them.

“The Brighton game was really tricky, probably a different kind of match for us because Brighton like to pass it around.

“They always have done and even under a new manager it looks as if they are carrying on in the same way. Their players were crossing over from here and there, so we had to be strict and keep our shape, which I thought we did really well.

“The manager was happy with us at half-time and spoke about a few things then we went out for the second half and carried it on. We managed to get two late goals, which I thought we deserved, and I felt we deserved the win in the end.

“For the first 20 or 25 minutes or so Brighton kept the ball really well but when we got into the game we got a couple of corners and had a few little chances. It came to life after that and it’s always nice playing the evening games under the lights at Portman Road.”


Photo: Action Images



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TractorCam added 07:16 - Sep 19
Can't fault him so far, he's played well and hopefully keeps it up
13

ipswichdave added 07:56 - Sep 19
He does what it says on the tin
13

BLUEBEAT added 08:10 - Sep 19
the tin says "custard powder".
-6

spanishblue added 08:30 - Sep 19
Well I believe that all good teams need a player like Jay a little terrier that fights his corner tooth and nail,he gives the others a chance to do there thing because they know he,ll be there with them. Get the ball and give to your team mate. Unfortunately I don,t see many games now but I,ve been so impressed with him and Paul Anderson and the immense effort they put in.
7

StuartBrett8 added 09:14 - Sep 19
Tabb is a great player and a model pro, the really good thing is he will play anywhere ... apart from in goal (too short) :)
2

PJH added 09:35 - Sep 19
I have been to all 7 league games so far and Tabby is playing well.In fact he was my MOM for the Millwall game.He does a lot of work unnoticed by many.

I await the negative comments about Tabb,as they will no doubt come.
9

DurhamTownFan added 09:35 - Sep 19
Stuart: and because you can't pass backwards playing in goal without dire consequences...
6

warbeat78 added 09:37 - Sep 19
Bluebeat didnt you mean mustard!!
3

GoldieBlue added 09:39 - Sep 19
Don't get all this praise for tabb. Personally I think he's only had one decent game this year which was Fulham. Mings has virtually been playing left back and left wing for the last few games. Would like to see Smith moved back into the team, chambers moved back to the right, and Parr and Mings down the left side. Would give us more balance to the team and even more attacking threat down the left.
-14

dubblue added 10:17 - Sep 19
Sounds a genuine player. Let's hope the good form continues.
5

Superblue95 added 11:36 - Sep 19
Goldieblue-I thought Tabb was awful at Fulham but has gotten better as the season has gone on. Still I think there are many players that deserve praise more than Tabb
-1

CambridgeBlue added 11:42 - Sep 19
I don't think anyone has been raving about Tabb - he's a good enough player doing a good enough job in a position that doesn't exactly suit him perfectly. I don't think he can be blamed for that - he's not exactly set the team on fire but he's also not made many mistakes. McCarthy has essentially built this team on that and for the most part we've been seeing the rewards - in terms of points at least, certainly not in entertainment.
0

Michael11 added 12:10 - Sep 19
I'll probably get slaughtered but I just don't rate Tabb as much as a lot on here. I do feel a bit sorry for him as he's obviously playing out of position. He's someone who I'd bring on to protect a lead and shut up shop but he offers nothing going forward in a position where creativity is vital. I think Mings has been so impressive because he's defending and also doing Tabb's job attacking for him!
4

blue_steele added 12:17 - Sep 19
the tin says "Johnson's Baby Powder ".
-2

Eiffel78 added 12:24 - Sep 19
Like him or not, and personally I think he's done a decent job so far this season, you can't fault his attitude. Comes across as a genuine guy who appreciates what he's got and is willing to work hard for it.
7

TimmyH added 12:46 - Sep 19
Noticed nothing in the write up about how Mick wants him to score or create more...if Tabb continues to have efficient games and protects Mings defensively he'll probably be in that left side spot for some time to come if we are playing more creatively in the middle (thanks to Bishop). Have to say not impressed by his dead ball skills.
4

hogster1970 added 13:00 - Sep 19
like most he is a good pro there is know doubting that, its defo not his best postion, i would rather see henshaw take that role, as he has pace and can overlap with mings and also due to his pace will be able to track back, how ever tabb has been involved with some good link up play which has ended up with goals .
3

paulthebluealien added 14:36 - Sep 19
Nobody works harder in our team than Tabb and Anderson. Often games seem to float by him, but if you watch him closely he offers great cover to Mings and also has an intelligent footballing brain. Keep up the good work lad.
2

Fat_Boy_Tim added 14:48 - Sep 19
Hogster, I think Henshaw is a victim of Mings' form. He's really flying down that left wing now and putting in some great crosses. As a result we are playing a more holding, tucked in, winger/wide midfielder. I'm not sure MM knew he had this problem until the season started but it's a good one to have. I assume if Mings goes off the boil he would switch Parr to the left and put Henshaw in from the start.
It's great that Mings and Bishop have given us so many more options this season in both personnel and style of play. Great work by the academy.
2

Kirbmeister added 16:24 - Sep 19
I'm a Town fan through and through and hope thay have a great season but my god what a fickle bunch Town fans are. A few weeks ago MM was a dinosaur and players like Tabb and Anderson were getting slaughtered. Does this now mean that MM is ok and should stay on for a bit? Perhaps he knew what he was doing after all.
5

brian_a_mul added 16:51 - Sep 19
Tabb is Different Class
-4

PJH added 16:54 - Sep 19
I would imagine that when things are going well the anti MM bunch
can find very little to say.
Different players bring different qualities and what players like
Tabb and Anderson bring to the team is not flamboyant and sometimes
overlooked by some.
1

blue_steele added 17:44 - Sep 19
Tabb and Anderson bring different qualities but they're not ones any other clubs would want.
-3

PJH added 18:04 - Sep 19
True blue steele.

All Tabb does is wins tackles, intercepts passes,covers his team mates,
passes to team mates,makes good runs with and off the ball.

What use can someone like that possibly be to a football team?
5

BlueandTruesince82 added 18:24 - Sep 19
Tabb is industrious and has the footballing nouse which comes with experience, what that allows is licence for Tyrone to bomb forward and scare the heck out of opposing right backs. Tabby offers Mings protection and should youthful abandon get the better of our new cult hero you know he will be covering, chasing back,making tackles and ensuring the back line is not caught short. That's why hes playing. His form last season was not good but the article above shows him to be very aware of that and very self aware of himself as a footballer. This season he's not done much wrong. He might not be the most exciting winger but he allows Mings to be an exciting left back. Henshall can then come on and run tired legs ragfed. Henshall will hopefully come to play a much bigger role in the 1st ream during seasons to come but let us remember he is young and learning, if he can learn to add Tabbs football intelligence and just some of his hard work he will become a very fine player indeed.

is colison signing or what? Anyone know?
4


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