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

whizzkid added 12:09 - Feb 1 A lack of ambition which is disappointing to see. I think we should be looking at an automatic place and aiming high rather than seemingly being happy to settle for a play off place. Being happy to draw at home with Wigan is poor and our form worrying. From Saints & Derby, Brighton & now this it seems to me we have very little goal threat. If we're honest, we know we're not a pretty football team at the moment, and the issue with our style is that when it doesn't work, it's ugly, boring and grim.

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superkevinwilson added 13:02 - Feb 1 I know we are not playing well and not an excuse but the refs we are getting the worst I have ever seen? Yesterday there was so much holding from there players that was waved play on but when we done it- foul. And for the handball near the players tunnel which everyone saw apart from the ref. also every free kick from Wigan all ther players were at the refs face. Starting to think the refs are against us or was he another Norwich supporter like the ref against derby.

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Seasider added 14:51 - Feb 1 I wrote the other day that we shall have to see how Mick deals with loss of Murphy. Well he didn't,in fact the ball was in the air more than I can remember in over 50 years supporting club in what was Ipswich's worst display of season,against arguably the worst team at PR this season,and certainly the worst fare for spectators. As soon as we saw the team sheet we feared the worst and boy the team didn't disappoint,with defenders hoofing the ball up to the likes of Tabb Hunt and Anderson,none of whom should have started anyway. Yesterday it was back to the future with circa 2013 tactics with Mick proudly living up to his dinosaur tag although Town were so bad it was difficult at times to see what formation he was attempting to play;but think it was his old 442. Yes Anderson and Tabby did have a good spell last month but are clearly very ordinary players who are unable to maintain a decent standard week in and week out,and the Manager seems to be reverting to his previous trait of having favorites,excluding others who deserve more than just the odd cameo appearance,these usually being the flair players. I thought that for once the team display deserved criticism;but instead MM seemed delighted with point saying we need to grind out results from scruffy games.Dont seem to see Derby or Bournemouth doing much of this though. Bit worried about teams attitude lately although with bigging up Wigan to his players before yesterdays match saying they were playing against a good Championship side don't think will have sent his boys out in best frame of mind. Mick seems to think that there are no players out there that are better than those he has,lets hope that yesterday has changed his mind,although like previous managers he has left it a bit LATE NOW and has been beaten to it by rivals. Like JAS feel he should have strengthened a squad that even the greatest living Yorkshireman feels is on the small side;because if he does a Nero then feel chances of going up will be zero!!!

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NSL added 15:00 - Feb 1 I Agree with some of this post but I don't think Ipswich supporters' loyalty can be questioned with what we have endured over the past decade and a half. The fact is that the performance served up yesterday was utter dross and some people paid 30 quid for the privilege. That performance easily rivalled those from the Keane and jewel era.
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truthhurts added 15:07 - Feb 1 Essexbluey (and others in same vain) Couldn't agree more with your comments regarding 'glory hunting' fans. I've mentioned this before and got negative comments - clearly by those said fans. Crowd has dropped by c8,000 in the space of WEEKS!!! Attendance figures don't lie. It's stating a fact.
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battyblue added 15:46 - Feb 1 What mick says is true he cant get better players than he already has ,,,,,,for free with low wages which is all we are allowed.
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oldegold added 16:36 - Feb 1 Probably the most inept and sterile performance I have seen from Town since 2008. When I saw that MM was playing effectively with one recognised forward against the penultimate team in the Championship and with one win in the last 13 games, my heart sank and I knew we were in for a disappointing afternoon.I just can't believe that he could play such a bland formation when we need to be winning these games and Bournemouth, Derby and Middlesbrough have shown that fortune favours the brave. The automatic places have gone and if we play again like today we will be lucky to finish in the top half, let alone a play-off place. Totally unacceptable tactics and the usual hoof ball we come to expect from MM. Livid with what I saw today...

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Pilgrimblue added 18:20 - Feb 1 I don't get it "happy with a point" is just rubbish. Playing hoof ball to that attack is recipe for failure. As soon as Murph was unable to play MM shiuld have tried to find formation to win. Midfield were rubbish (apart from Tabb) and it was perfect time to start with Bish and Hunt senior. Defence weren't troubled but I cant stand Smith on right. His clearances are angled to go out or his right hoof could go anywhere! For goodness sake get Parr starting. Maybe Chambers instead of Skuse could be tried or 533. Just lucky we didn't play a good side as we'd got stuffed.

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NoelTheDub added 18:27 - Feb 1 It dosent give a hoot who we get in free or for 5mill Mick wont change his favs end off.Sears is gone from playing every week to 10min a week,Ambrose with Parr is rooted to the bench,Teddy yes a young lad but let him loose for gods sake but I cant see Mick changing...
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peteswindon added 20:40 - Feb 1 I am just hoping the wheels on the bus are not coming off. :-( All this stuff about being a hard team for us to beat, Rubbish they are bottom 3 team for a reason. Mick sort it out we need to be more attacking. GOALS WIN GAMES
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wayway added 21:24 - Feb 1 Just to clarify my comments on 1981/2. We did not win the championship when we had the best ever chance. Paul Cooper was a great goalkeeper - Pat Jennings was world class. Just look at the team that lost at Norwich on Easter Monday and see how many you recognise. The only time we had a manager who bought from a position of strength was Bill McGarry in 1968. We were 4th at the end of January and he went out and bought Peter Morris and John O'Rourke and we never lost another game finishing as champions. Trouble is, back then we had a board of directors who always backed the managers and were to a man all supporters. Not some faceless fat cat who treats the club as a tax deductible business.

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MrDiddle added 10:19 - Feb 2 My god, we lose a couple of games and suddenly and the whingers and naysayers come out to moan. Bloody hell people it was literally 2/3 weeks ago when many supporters were convinced were going up and now we're apparently not good enough. Which is it?
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scunnyblue added 12:46 - Feb 2 I think it is clear we have hit a sticky patch. Every team in this league has them. I just hope we put in another run like the last time we had a sticky patch at the start of the season. After 5 games we looked mid table at best. Keep the faith COYB!!!
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Count_Arthur added 15:21 - Feb 2 I've said it before and I'll say it again, the one thing that frustrates me about MM is he appears to have his favourites who he sticks with no matter what. McGoldrick being one of them. McGoldrick is a talented player no doubt, but he's been eclipsed by Murphy and I'm not sure he can handle it. His selfish strike against Southampton's side netting smacks of desperation to score at any cost. I don't doubt he's still a great player but at the moment he doesn't deserve a place in the side. N. Hunt & Sears goals per game ratio is already much higher! MM is a great manager so do a bit of managing Mick, pick the in form players and not the old guard. Surely he could have tweaked the starting eleven against Wigan pretty safely in favour of the strikers who he'd previously asked to step up to the mark!? Friends who are non-Ipswich football fans (therefore non partisan) all suggest we get promoted with Mick at the helm then get a new manager in for our first premiership season. I'm not saying I agree but there is a grain of truth in this.

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coolcat added 22:59 - Feb 3 The higher we go, naturally the higher the expectation, as we all want them to do well. Unfortunately it does attract 'glory hunters' who then think of each game as a must win. This is the same for any team near the top. All reason thrown out of the window, discounting the hard work and talent that got this team there in the first place. It's not over yet, by a long shot. If there's ever a time when it's important to get behind the team then it's now. Never doubted Mick's talent to bring out the best in players. A real people person as well.

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