Boss Mick McCarthy says he will add to his squad if he can with the emergency loan provision now available to him. Football League clubs can sign players on loans of up to 93 days between now and the fourth Thursday in March.

Following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Rotherham McCarthy said that the Millers had benefited from the signings they made during the January transfer window, although he believed that they were a decent enough team even before that.

“They were lively when they came here as well," he recalled. "If you remember when they came here we were 2-0 up after six minutes, we did get the goals early then and then they played well.

“I don’t think Rotherham are a bad side at all and I said on Thursday that they’ll be a top-half, top-10 team.

“If we can then we will, we’ve just not been able to and the need to do it has not been there because we were in the top two when that was going on.”

Having reviewed Saturday’s game on DVD on Sunday, McCarthy still felt that the Blues’ failure to take their chances was the biggest factor which led to their defeat.

Town have taken just four points from 15 since the turn of the year and have won just once, at Millwall.

Asked what he thought was behind the downturn, he said: “I would say on Saturday we didn’t score. I analyse the game and I’m pretty honest about it when I analyse it and we had two really good chances in the first half.

“We’ve got the leading scorer in the league and he’s been prolific and you think he’d get one of them.

“And we defended poorly from the freekick and they’ve not had a shot at our goal. Going through it, talking to the lads yesterday I’m thinking that Bart hasn’t made a save in the game.

“He couldn’t have done anything about the goal and their goalkeeper made a good save at 1-0, we had one headed off the line at 1-0, Murph has had one blocked at 1-0. We didn’t score, that about amounts to it.

“If I go back to Derby, I’m not one for making excuses, that was a 0-0 game, we made a mistake and they took it.

“Brighton, we scored there and I have to say we were done by a wonder goal. Sometimes that happens in a game.

“But Saturday, we just didn’t score, so we need a goal from somewhere, whether it’s off somebody’s bum, from a centre-back, a full-back and not just relying on the two centre forwards who have produced most of the goals for us.”

The Town manager says he took the players through the match’s most significant moments: “Me and TC watched it at seven o’clock in the morning when we came in, as we always do.

“I showed the players the defining moments in the game, which were the defending of the two restarts, a corner kick and a freekick.

“And I reiterated to them that the difference was that we didn’t score. If Murph scores after 20 seconds or after 10 minutes and then if we score after half-time when we were having our good period, what we can’t do is defend like we did and give a second away because it killed us and lifted them beyond all reasonable doubt.”

Does he believe Town are relying on Murphy too much for goals? “I’m not overly concerned because that’s the way it is. It’s happened before. Burnley last year, Sam Vokes and Danny Ings. One of them got injured and they signed Ashley Barnes from Brighton.

“But it’s funny, isn’t it? When it’s going well and he’s scoring nobody’s overly concerned about it. He had a little injury and he’s just come back, so we’ve got to get him back to full tilt and see if we can get a goal from somewhere else.”

Just as he didn’t get too carried away during the run of form in which Town lost just one game in 21, McCarthy isn’t too despondent now.

“We’re never going to be the worst team in the league, that’s for sure,” he continued. “We might be a team which loses a couple of games from time to time, as everybody else has done.

“I saw Brentford when we beat them at Christmas, I think they lost four on the bounce. But they’re now above us, they got back, started again and had some good results.

“That’s what we’ve got to do. And if you think about doing anything else that’s counterproductive, I think.”

After results such as Saturday’s McCarthy says he carefully weighs up his selection for the next game from the trip home on the coach onwards.

“You can think of something and have a thought process and not so much decide but think you’re going to do something.

"And then later actually realise you’re doing it for the wrong reasons sometimes, a knee-jerk reaction after a game. You think ‘I’m going to do this’.

“But then you have a think about about it and consider it, and I am very considered in what I do and my thought process on the team and why I do it. If I leave people out, why am I doing it? So, from Saturday right up until today all those thoughts go through my head.”

Photo: Action Images

Surco72 added 08:00 - Feb 10 You may consider team rotation but it very rarely happens unless an injury forces your hand MM . We line up with the same back four , same midfield and same forwards practically every game which is very predictable and safe the same as last season , when MM did change it about we had good results and success but he slipped back to the same . And to say nobody was questioning when Murphy and Dids were scoring ,some of us were saying we should be getting in players as back up due to lack of form , injuries and to add to the midfield it is not a knee jerk reaction we could just forsee how small this squad was and how over reliant they are on a few players . Team for tonight IMO Bart Parr, Chambo, Berra , Mings Ambrose , Bru, Bishop Dids Sears, Murphy For me Smith needs to be rested as looks nervous since the Derby game , Skuse offers nothing for me doesn't overly protect the back four as he should and absolutely nothing going forward . we need to ask more questions of the opposition rather than just containing with the likes of Ambrose and Bishop with Dids behind the front two

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battyblue added 08:17 - Feb 10 If Mick analyze each match he should be able to see some of his selections are not good enough with out naming names you know who they are.
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muccletonjoe added 08:34 - Feb 10 Incredibly short sighted to say we are in top 2 so no need to worry about bringing in players. January was a defining month in the future of this club and I predict many fans will look back at it with regret
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blueblood66 added 09:02 - Feb 10 its called believing on your squad of players mush, get over it.
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goat_man added 09:43 - Feb 10 Seems weird that I'm the most optimistic on here today, but I really dont think we should over react. I didn't see the last couple of matches due to being in Nigeria, but as Mick says all teams have a blip at one point in the season. I honestly think we will win tonight and against Fulham and gain ground on the leaders. We're also due a run of luck some point, so why shouldnt that come at the back end of the season?

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muccletonjoe added 10:17 - Feb 10 I will try my best - mush
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TR11BLU added 10:37 - Feb 10 @Surco72 Spot on boy, saves me the typing.
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Letchworth_Blue added 10:41 - Feb 10 Exactly my team too Surco.
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jas0999 added 12:12 - Feb 10 I'm a MM fan. However, nonscence such as Rotherham are a top ten team really questions the faith! We have recently played three very poor sides and picked up one lousy point! Mick can pant over it as much as he likes, but it's not good enough. We need to strengthen, but is there any point now? May be best to stick. Jan transfer window was the time to invest in if nothing else half season loans.

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SouperJim added 12:18 - Feb 10 Phil, you need to add some context for the quote “If we can then we will, we've just not been able to and the need to do it has not been there because we were in the top two when that was going on.”. I guess Mick was asked about bringing in loan players? It's not clear from the story what he's going on about.
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Seasider added 14:04 - Feb 10 Wish he did make a knee jerk reaction,then we may see a different team tonight
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PremierBlue added 15:30 - Feb 10 Mick, discern between intuition and knee-jerk and have the courage to follow the former. Let pure reason guide you and overcome mental fixations. Evolve.
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Ipswich58 added 16:40 - Feb 10 Typical MM. Don't care how we get a goal, off a bum or whatever. Let's actually try creating something rather than relying on the Almighty. That would be a novel approach. MM stretching credulity yet again with his comments. Many of us have been saying for months that we need a rethink in both personnel and tactics. If most of is can see it why can't the manager. Is do the job for 50k pa!

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bohslegend added 17:16 - Feb 10 For months? Really Ipswich58?? When we were sitting second in the league were thinking, "Jeez, we really need to change this" Beyond comprehension.
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Ipswich58 added 17:25 - Feb 10 Yes Bobslegend. For months because although we were winning we weren't setting world in fire and could see problems in midfield and upfront in event of injury.
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Ipswich58 added 17:31 - Feb 10 Right MM and ME. You've seen the new Pl tv rights deal. Bottom clubs get £99m per season. Each game worth £10m . Surely worth going for ? It's now or never because if we blow up this year through caution and safety first we will probably lose likes if Bishop and Mings and then where will we be? Back to square one.
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NoelTheDub added 17:57 - Feb 10 bohslegend Welcome back,As Ipswich58 was pointing out our problems was always there even in 2nd place and I was blasted for pointing them out.The one way of playing,the lack of change,ie tactics, and formation,and not giving players that can play a bit of proper football a go its all come back to haunt us.Even in 2nd place at times we were played off the pitch but won also we were winning and ended up drawing or losing the match all down to tactics or Micks refusal to alter the team.I dont expect wholesale changes to the team that got us up there but we should tinker more with our small squad and freshen things up.Players like Parr,Ambrose,Sears would play for most teams in this league so why not ours sure we need them at times you have to agree but no Mick sticks to his stubborness

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