Boss Mick McCarthy says the Blues' promotion challenge may have come under the radar of the bookies and the media, but that won’t have been the case with the other clubs in the Championship.

Having been unfancied prior to the start of the season, Town are currently fourth in the table, two points off the top, having been in and around the play-off zone for most of the season.

“People say that we’ve been under the radar but we’re not under the radar of the other teams,” McCarthy said at Thursday’s launch of the London to Amsterdam cycle challenge.

“The other teams are all having us watched like we do them. We have four reports on every team that we play.

“We have them watched, we watch them ourselves me and TC, we analyse them on the Scout7 or the DVDs that we get.

“Maybe we were unfancied, look at Norwich and they came down here and they beat us and were crowing and now we’re above them.

“Cardiff, Fulham, they are all fancied, there are one or two of them not really doing it yet.”

Despite the Blues’ current position, he warns that there’s still a very long way to go: “There are 29 games to play as yet. There’s a lot of football to be played. I think maybe from bookies, from journalists, from all those that didn’t fancy us, the jury was out on us.

“But the teams know what to expect, the opposition knows what to expect and when we go to Bournemouth next Saturday they won’t be thinking ‘Little old Ipswich are coming and it’ll be a nice, easy game’, they’ll be ready for us.

“When people start writing about us a bit more it highlights the success that we’re enjoying at the minute, but that can very quickly go.”

Photo: Action Images

GiveusaWave added 06:52 - Nov 15 Pleased with present league position, but feel we could easily move into a top 2 place. Bru, Murphy, Mings, Hunt, Berra etc have been outstanding so far and great that we have youngsters like Bishop and McDonnell coming through. Think Chambers has made a good captain. We do have a good chance this year, as long as our fringe players step up (Sammon, Bajner etc)
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Paddy39 added 08:53 - Nov 15 Yes, imo it will be down to what we can get from the fringe players when they come in for those injured or are in need of a rest. Great season so far, COYB's.
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Samassi100Abou added 10:06 - Nov 15 Must admit I didn't think we had a chance after watching the first few games this season !! Now Mick is proving the championship is his play ground!! My bet finish 6th and promotion at Wembley
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GFH added 10:15 - Nov 15 Its great to have the confidence and good feeling around this brilliant club and its well deserved. MM and TC have come in to our club and not only formed a really good team but have given us belief which has long allured us. As for promotion this year I have to agree with Paddy39, it will come down to how good our bench is if we pick up injuries to our key players Murphy would be my main concern. COYB

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BuckieBlue added 11:23 - Nov 15 As MM says still 29 games to go and my heart says too early to think about promotion but as you look at table is there anyone capable of really taking off and nailing a promotion place with ages to go - I don't see it. So we must have a chance and the promotion experience of MM and TC might just be that vital extra to get us there.
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:35 - Nov 15 Nice reference to the budgies Mick,long may that last. Huge game coming up,if we can get a result from that it would really make a statement COYB
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jocasaja added 12:01 - Nov 15 Long way to go, but it is just great to have such a good manager...who loves to get the best from the underdog. It seems clear that he has a really honest bunch of players, with a sprinkling of ability, and they all seem to have the utmost respect for the man-excellent recipe for sporting success. As he has said himself.'hard work and desire can shift mountains'. Also I believe that Teddy Bishop is the most exciting prospect I have seen since Kieron Dyer..COYB !!!!

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muccletonjoe added 13:44 - Nov 15 we need to back mm in the January window , loans, signings , whatever we have needs to be available for the team , we are in with a good chance this season , lets make sure we do all we can to take it.
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rfretwell added 14:32 - Nov 15 Up the Town, this is our year at last!
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portmanteau added 14:49 - Nov 15 fer crying out loud, we dont need anyone in the january window and talk of it simply sends the wrong message to those doing so well at the moment. learn the lesson from liverpool. brilliant team last season, ditched 'em for a new lot and look where they are. if it aint broke dont fix it.
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PJH added 15:22 - Nov 15 Portmanteau-I think in the case of Liverpool,they relied very much on one player and he left therefore they are not so good.MM will know what he needs,if anything, and I think ME will back him as the chances of promotion look better than at any time since Joe Royle twice took us to the playoffs.I am sure that a number of other clubs that feel they have a chance of going up will be spending in a desperate attempt to make it.ITFC will not spend heavily but if Mick sees a need for anyone ME will do all he can to make it happen.

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BlueandTruesince82 added 15:32 - Nov 15 We need another frontman, Bajner may find his feet but not this season, Sammon is tosh. Someone young who dosent expect to play every week but who is hungry to make an impact and takes diddsys place if/when he leaves. We need a young Ole Guunar Soljskajer. No issue with 1st choices but back up looks weak. No Murphinio, no party
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BlueandTruesince82 added 15:34 - Nov 15 I would add 4th in a tougher looking division than last season is hell of a start. COYB!
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alexsmith111 added 18:17 - Nov 15 Love mick, love our team, like our squad and I'm a fan of evans, what we have achieved for what we have spent is exceptional. The club is being ran really well. If we are to push on, if we were to have a decent backup defender to cover if Mings or parr get injured, smith is a great cb back up. Decent winger, 1st team winger and a permanent back up quality striker, sorry this for me is not sammon, I personaaly from jan would prefer nouble or Taylor to sammon. I believe hyam, skuse, bru cover cm, 2-3 extra players and our squad will be more than capable

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alexsmith111 added 18:19 - Nov 15 Just to add bishop and Williams are both great, but we need an out and out winger
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mancblue78 added 19:52 - Nov 15 Nouble & Taylor???? Noooooo! Nouble may be scoring a few in Div 1 & good luck to him but he clearly wasn't up to Championship standard and he was given plenty of chances. Taylor isn't even cutting it in Div 1 and his lack of discipline would be a really bad influence on what seems to be an excellent team rapport. That said I agree we need more backup to Murphy & McGoldrick but Nouble & Taylor are not the answer.

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oddball added 09:08 - Nov 16 Nouble and Taylor no way, no way, no way!
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Ipswichbusiness added 12:12 - Nov 16 I share many of the sentiments above and it is wonderful to see how the post-Norwich despair has dissipated. My one concern is that we are relying on players such as Mings and Bishop who are superb prospects, but very inexperienced. Their form will dip at some point; how will we react?
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commuterblue added 13:25 - Nov 16 it's too early to judge nouble, just as it was Smith at the same age. But I agree he's not what we need now. And for him the best option has to be stay in div 1 and get as much game time as possible. hard to see what a new Marcus Stewart signing would look like. We don't need a marquee striker. Defence solid. Goalkeeper could benefit, but already have two middle of th eroad Championship keepers so that would be a luxury. If Williams doesn't come back in January then maybe replacing him would be useful but also have Bishop. So any January movement will more likely be driven by injuries, replacing returning loan players in my view.

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wark_on_water added 14:40 - Nov 16 “Maybe we were unfancied, look at Norwich and they came down here and they beat us and were crowing and now we're above them." Love Mick's matter of fact and two fingers up attitude!!
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bohslegend added 20:52 - Nov 16 alexsmith111 I was with you all the way until you mentioned Taylor! Nouble is actually doing very well for Coventry, and although he's a limited player I think he could come back. But Taylor doesn't have the right attitude. Simple as that. For all his undoubted talent he hasn't got the disciplined work ethic that MM demands and which has gotten us 2 pts from the top.

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