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McCarthy: We Didn't Play Well Enough to Win
Saturday, 31st Jan 2015 18:11

Town boss Mick McCarthy admitted that his team didn’t play well enough to claim all three points from their 0-0 draw at home to Wigan.

“I’m delighted with a point from the game,” he said. “It was a horrible game, neither side played particularly well.

“I think it’s a good point. I’ve just stressed to the lads - whatever it takes. If it takes 75 points to get in the play-offs, we only need another 24 for that. And whatever it takes to win it, we’ve one more to that total.

“I look around and I think Brentford would have been delighted with a point and others would. I’m pleased with a point because we didn’t do well enough to win it.”

He says teams need to grind out points from such scruffy games in order to be successful at any level: “Unless you’re Arsenal or Manchester United or Manchester City or one of the top teams, I think it’s the key to getting results in any division. We’ve not played well.

“I put their team up on the board and I thought Fortune, McClean, Waghorn, Kvist, Huws, I went through their team and I said to the lads, ‘Can anybody tell me that that’s a bottom six team? A bottom three team?’.

“Not in a million years, that team ought to be challenging where we are. They’ve got a new manager in, Malky, and they’ve got potential in that side now. They made it hard for us, really difficult.”


He added: “I’m not one for making excuses. We haven’t played well for whatever reasons. I don’t think the conditions were particularly good. The pitch didn’t hold up well under those conditions.

“It was blowing a gale, it was freezing. I’m not so sure any of us who took part in it were particularly good today.

“But if that was me and I’d come away to a team who were third or fourth at the start of the game and I was Malky, I’d be thinking it was a magnificent performance and that they’d done really well and I would be so proud of my team for having stopped a team who were in the top three or four.”

He says almost every team has a tough patch during even the most successful of seasons: “We all do, maybe the best teams in the league won’t.

"Middlesbrough have had a great result, Bournemouth have, Derby have, arguably the best teams in the league, the three of them.

“Wolves have had bad times, Brentford did and then they’d won 10 out of 13 up until today. We’re not that good that we’re going to win every game.

“And I think we were playing against a good Championship team, a good squad of players. It wasn’t our day, we’ve not played well, we’ve not played well enough to win, so I’ll take the point.”

He admitted that striker Daryl Murphy was missed, but says that was inevitable: “Whoever has got a got a goalscorer who has scored 18 goals wouldn’t they miss him if he wasn’t playing?

“Would you prefer to have him? I would, and that’s not being derogatory to the lads. Didz has come back after being out for two weeks and Hunty’s not really played that much, he’s only had two or three games in the last how ever many months.

“I think anyone would miss Murph’s prowess as a player and his goalscoring ability and his aerial ability. He’ll be all right for Saturday, I hope.”

McCarthy was pleased to see Freddie Sears again make an impact from the bench and felt he might have made more of one of his opportunities but for an incorrect flag.

“He got across the defender on the half-chance,“ he continued. “And he might have done something better when he was given offside when it was their midfielder passed the ball to him, but hey ho.”

Wigan boss Malky Mackay was delighted with the point even if the game wasn’t pretty on the eye: “It doesn’t really matter to me what the neutral might think, it’s what I think of my team’s performance here today, which I thought was terrific.

“We were coming to a team at the very the top of the league, who grind teams down. I’ve watched four games here as a neutral and Ipswich come and do that, they grind you down and then eventually they score and take the three points and they move on.

“That’s why they’re top of the league. It’s a firm formula in this league in order to be at the top and they tick a lot of boxes for that, so we had to make sure we matched that today and did that and I think to a man we did.

“I don’t think anybody looks at that game and is able to tell me who is top and who is bottom. I thought there was very little between the two teams and that we gave a very good account of ourselves. That being the case, it’s something to kick on from.”


Photo: Action Images



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WhoisJimmyJuan added 18:18 - Jan 31
Either a realistic assessment/admission that we have been overachieving hitherto, or a rather lame snatch at a positive straw from MM here. A fine line but I'd rather he was more disappointed than this.
12

billlm added 18:18 - Jan 31
Should have been 4 3 3 against the worst team ive seen here in 18 mths rubbish tactics Il accept the down arrows were inept and crap
15

Ipswichbusiness added 18:22 - Jan 31
A poor result, coming after a poor result against Brighton.

If we are serious about promotion we have to beat the teams at the wrong end of the table.

I very much hope that this run of poor form will end quickly; if not we could drop out of the play off spots too easily.
9

Michael11 added 18:25 - Jan 31
Thats a very tough first paragraph to read. I love Mick, but no manager in this league should be 'delighted' at getting a point at home to the second worst team in the league. The fact he's mentioning play-offs sounds like he thinks automatic spots aren't very realistic too. I do think we need some investment whether its good loan players or permanent, as I fear we lack a cutting edge to stay in this position come May.
18

Pip50 added 18:27 - Jan 31
What a pr.t smell the roses we have been sh*te since Charlton game and got away with it at times before. Thats Jan written off, no added quality to squad. Deep down I'm quite happy hopefully we can continue to perform like this an get rid of this dinosaur and the idiotic comments.
-17

kuyski added 18:28 - Jan 31
I just disappointed our owner don't give some money support when we got a good manager .
5

pablo123 added 18:28 - Jan 31
That was nothing short of dreadful !! Truth is we are punching above our weight !! The top 3 are easily the best 3 teams in this league by a country mile !!!! Forget auto promotion , you cannot achieve that playing long ball rubbish in this league !!! We are a mediocre championship side with no money , end of !!!!
10

kaimcneil added 18:29 - Jan 31
All teams have a blip, wouldent be surprised if MM brings in a tidy little loan player out of the blue at some point.

The fans have to keep there chins up aswell, portman road was a graveyard today. We need to ensure its a fortress.
7

Chicago_Blue added 18:30 - Jan 31
I heard Mick's interview on Radio Suffolk, driving back from the game. Astonishing! Staggered! Twice he referred to Wigan as a good team, but with good players. Eh?! Second bottom of the table, 8 points from safety and just lost their best three players! They were there for the taking - possibly a mauling.

Maybe we should go back to 433 for these types of games and be less cautious and less respectful of the opposition. I was staggered with the sub, with 6 minutes to go, bringing off a Midfielder (Tabb) for a Defender (Parr). But now it makes sense. Mick was protecting his precious point.

Can't believe he was even bigging up their team to our players! What sort of mindset was he instilling in them. "Might get a point against this top outfit today boys" ?

He said we could be grateful of that point come May if it gets us into the playoffs. Erm, yes, maybe, but we could be regretting the 2 points dropped that may have got us top 2. He keeps referring to playoffs. May as well toss a coin for the play off winner. Top 2 looked (I say, looked) a possibility but we're bottling it.
18

carlo88 added 18:32 - Jan 31
I'll take on board whatever Mick says as he's the best manager we've had in ages. We won't get better.
4

Chicago_Blue added 18:32 - Jan 31
Stephen Hunt should have come off the bench!
3

Suffolk_n_Good added 18:33 - Jan 31
I'm sorry but I completely disagree with Mcarthy today, this was not a good point whichever way you look at it, Wigan never had any attacking intent at all, we spent the whole of the first half hoofing the ball up front, to two players who were never going to win it in the air, we approached the game wrong, knowing Murph wasn't playing to hold the ball up, we should of started with our best play maker Bishop, either behind McGoldrick & hunt or Sears, or we should have played hunt & Sears up front with McGoldtrick behind. Parr has got to start against Rotherham next week, either as a replacement for Chambers (who just isn't at the races at the mo) or even with Mings as 2 wing backs, we have to start creating more. Yes, we would of taken this position at the start if the season, but that doesn't mean we should be accepting it now!! We have to be more ruthless & as for putting the away team up on the wall & saying this isn't a bottom 3 side, that is a joke! He should be saying "Look at this team, they are 23rd, won't look to attack, get into them early, put them under pressure & we'll score.....
15

Mark added 18:33 - Jan 31
Awful performance, and the only consolation was that we didn't lose. Murphy was certainly missed, as we were little threat throughout the game. It does feel hard to believe we can get promoted after today and recent results, so here's hoping we can find our form again and at least make the play-offs.
6

TractorRoyNo1 added 18:38 - Jan 31
We may never have a better chance of promotion but sadly the owner lacks the ambition to help get us over the line
2

bellazzurri79 added 18:42 - Jan 31

Mccarthy either wants to get promoted as the man who spent pennies or Marcus Evans is not backing him still.... Either way we are not going up with the 11 that started today or Started against brighton
7

christiand added 18:45 - Jan 31
Why is MM going to start Parr ahead of chambers at Rotherham when the back four have kept a clean sheet? He favours the 4-4-2 formation and it will be even tougher next week. Parr won't start unless there is a suspension or injury. Mick Mac will stay with his tried and tested formula. I think we are just having a bad spell it's important that we continue to dig in and grind out the points.
0

depressed added 18:47 - Jan 31
Mick,when interviewed In the past you have stated that your team are in the top four based on merit, having picked up points against our promotion rivals and others.
Why then when we play poorly against a team that started the day 2nd from bottom do you " Big Up " that side ,reminding all town fans how good their players. There down the bottom because that's where they deserve to be.
We really should be winning against these teams.
9

yorksblue added 18:59 - Jan 31
Let's hope we don't miss out on success by 2 pts then. Will it be a good point then?
8

battyblue added 19:08 - Jan 31
Stop making excuses for players who for what ever reason are not pulling their weight ie as you quote Hunty has not played much ..well Sears has played regularly all season and been scoring goals so simple he starts,Parr PARR Parr should be starting why isn't he?and lastly why o why keep playing bloody hump ball to someone five foot nothing tall unbelievable keep this up and we can forget top six let alone top two.
11

bluefeast added 19:21 - Jan 31
Failed to score in 3 out of the last 3 games at home. Performances vs Derby ,Southampton and Wigan , very poor. We have not been a goal threat. So change your ideas MM and start the game with a balanced side. I find it incredible when you look how fresh Derby ,Bournemouth <Middlesborough ,Brentford all look in terms of attacking intent. We look like a side in the bottom 3 , desperately trying not to have the ball for fear of mistakes. I dont know why that is , but im not paid to make decisions ,MM please go for it ie top 2 ,never a better chance.
10

dannyrr added 19:22 - Jan 31
That was an awful display. All struggling teams must love playing us because we always give them hope. We didn't even get a corner in the second half because we didn't pose any threat. The most El Habsi had to do was catch the ball from a header. Apart from that he had nothing to do.

Whenever it looks like we can achieve something we always bottle if and end up losing games. The team just had a ten day break but you wouldn't have noticed it against a bottom of the league team. Obviously they were more content with a point than our desire to bounce back and take all three points. Not surprised there was no fist pump from Chambers as there was nothing to celebrate.
9

CharlieITFC added 19:24 - Jan 31
It really is hilarious how some of you jump at the chance to be negative given a few bad results. As Mick said, ALL teams have a blip, and this is definitely what this is. We are not punching above our weight, we are where we are because we have been the 4th best team in the league so far, and even during this sticky spell, the top 3 have hardly pulled away! Oh no, 3 points, how will we ever make that up with 18 games and 54 points to play for!?!?
Personally I would rather we have our blip now and go on a run towards the business end of the season, than be top now but fade away when it matters.
What did we finish the season with in micks first season? 56 points, well we are only 5 points away from that with 18 GAMES LEFT. If that isn't progress I don't know what is. If you want to expect to win every game 5/6-0 then 'support' someone like Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, because they're the only sides that come close to that.
I for one am over the moon with how this season has gone, and firmly believe we could actually have an exciting end to the season.
4

blueboy1981 added 19:25 - Jan 31
...... many people in the crowd today wouldn't have expected more than a point after seeing the line up - this line up had 'preserve the point we start with' written all over it. WHY ??? - against a Team struggling, low in confidence, and to be honest, in total disarray.

Could, and should, have had some creativity introduced early on, and gone for nothing other than 3 POINTS.

Unfortunately MM will see this as being a success - as he does all his 'single' points won.
8

TimmyH added 19:49 - Jan 31
Struggling to accept Mick's post match interview...strikes a chord of a season ago. Disappointing today no excuses! - he's done well this season and we have improved no doubt but come the part of the season when the players, manager/coaches have to grow a huge pair is when it matters or will they just shrivel up?
8

toxtethblue added 20:07 - Jan 31
Boro won away to Brentford, Derby won away to cardiff, bmouth won at home to watford, we drew at home to Wigan. Spot the odd one out?! That is not good enough. Without investment we MAY make the playoffs. That is all
8


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