Town boss Mick McCarthy was left bemoaning his side’s failure to score having conceded a goal which he felt was preventable as Reading left Portman Road with a 1-0 win.

“We didn’t score, did we?” he said. “Jamie Mackie’s was a good strike but I don’t think we should have conceded the goal that we did, whether he should have got it as easy when he got the shot off and whether we should have done better to stop it.

“But from his point of view it’s a good goal and we’ve taken the game to them consistently all the way through and not managed to score. One of those days, I’m afraid.”

He added: “It’s a tough one this, I can’t say our lads have played badly, they’ve had a good away performance, scored a goal, sat back, defended well and we’ve not been able to break them down.

“There are maybe some things we could have done better, maybe a final pass or a finish, but it just wasn’t the day.

“Of course it’s a disappointment if you don’t score and don’t make the keeper work. Maybe we should credit their back four or their whole team, they defended well.”

McCarthy believes Reading are a better team then their current position of 13th: “You put that team of players up and they should be competing for the play-off places, that’s where they should be.

“Having conceded a goal against them it was hard. It’s parasite football and it suits them even more so when we’ve conceded and they can sit back and catch us on the break, which they did a few times.

“I thought we created enough opportunities to have scored but today we didn’t manage it.”

He says most teams in the Championship are closely matched, as today’s results illustrated: “I keep reminding everyone at press conferences, there’s not that much between us.

“It’s a reoccurring theme. We watched Leeds beat Middlesbrough beforehand - that is the Championship.

“Middlesbrough had all the chances, all the play. I’m not saying that that was the case with us but we’ve had the majority of the play but not been able to score.”

He continued: “Do you think our 11 players on the pitch are that much better than Reading’s 11 players over their careers, over their seasons. No? There’s nothing between us at all.

“They’ve got the first goal and they’ve hung onto it. Our position and points tally might be a good deal better, but in terms of the quality of the players and strength in depth of the squad, there’s nothing in it, they’ve probably got a bigger squad than we have.

“They’ve got good players. We haven’t scored. I can’t sit here and give you a million answers for it today, that is just what’s happened. They scored a goal, they’ve defended, we couldn’t score.

“It’s always a sad day when you lose, even more so at home, but it’s what you ended up with. Not today.”

McCarthy says his side suffered no new injuries while he says striker David McGoldrick is progressing having said he hopes to have him back for the Norwich game next Sunday: “It’ll be nice to have him back.”

Reading manager Steve Clarke was pleased to see his side pick up their fourth win in their last five away games in all competitions with the other a draw at Millwall.

“We’re doing OK away from home,” he said. “The home form is a little bit of a puzzle, to be honest.

“You could see today that we’ve got good quality in the group. We’ve also got character in the group and if you don’t show your character and your strength when you come to a place like this, you lose. So for us it was a big three points and a pleasing three points.”

Photo: Action Images

pablo123 added 20:50 - Feb 21 Spineless and pathetic everytime we are in the mix !!!! No backing and no ambition from the owner ,leads to a lack of class im afraid !! Oh look bent scored for derby again today , and ince was superb !! Derby are the best team in this league thanks to backing from their owner (unlike us), and they will go up with the scum bags up the road !!!! I fear naarwich are gonna tear us a new one next week , ive got my ticket and i'm dreading it !! Not good enough simple as

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ArnieM added 20:53 - Feb 21 Of the current midfielders on our books i can only see Ambrose as anposdibility of full filling that role. .. ideally, a fit and in form McGoldrick is a MUST in midfield. That his true position in my book.
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pablo123 added 21:01 - Feb 21 Oh yes reading are a great team , should be much higher than they are !! Well i'm sorry but wind it in mick , they are crap , so quit the "big up the opposition" rubbish plz !!! We were in a position to storm clear in this league and the owner doesnt want it !! 9 years a season ticket holder and this has been the 1st real hope ive had !! Well no more ,, if evans wouldnt back us when we were in such a strong position , then i wont line his pockets any more either !!!! That is all

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Hiltzkooler added 21:11 - Feb 21 Best get your act together ahead of the Budgies, Mick, otherwise I wouldn't bank on unified support next season....most people will hack the play offs and then bowing out, if that is what it should be....but not a load of verbal excrement about below par performances...you sound like you did in your last few months of tenure at Molineux ...."circle the wagons and bemoan your luck"....get it right Tuesday and Sunday and we move on "in that notoriously difficult league".....blah, blah

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itfc1981 added 22:14 - Feb 21 Mings Berra Chambers Parr It really is that simple, solves defence, gets us attacking as well. Best run of the season in September was with this back four. Mick is great - but his blind obedience to Smith is costing us so dear.
1

itfc1981 added 22:16 - Feb 21 PS guess the date when Parr hands in a transfer request - he is being treated terribly given his quality and past performances.
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ITFCRealist added 22:23 - Feb 21 Darren Ferguson just left P'Boro Get him in NOW! Will bring Taylor back from the wilderness, and we have a better chance of top 6 with him then the moron now in charge. Varney? Is that the best you can do Mick? Do one!
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hairbear added 22:32 - Feb 21 If we would have scored, we would have won! We played well enough to take 3 points but that's not what happened. FFS we can't afford bent! I believe we should all be in this together. Argue at the end of the season. Until then if you want town to do well, BACK THE BOYS COYB X
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smithy0981 added 23:50 - Feb 21 We should be top, ten points clear by now what's going on! I think we're going to get dragged into a relegation battle now!
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muccletonjoe added 00:01 - Feb 22 Some points on here may well be valid. So is this one ; without mick Mccarthy we would already be in div.one. This team with almost any other manager ; bottom 3; direct the frustration at lack of investment when we were in the top 2, why we didn't go for it then I will never know.
3

Ipswich58 added 08:12 - Feb 22 Definition of madness - doing same thing over and over again and expecting different result . Sounds very familiar as far as ITFC and MM are concerned. MM loves to use word bonkers. Now beginning to see why in context of his irrational selections tactics such as they are and use of personnel. I'm bored with his excuses and home spun homilies. He won't change though, we won't go up and next year his fate will be sealed. Fans won't put up with too much more patronising bull and will vote with feet.

4

carsey added 08:37 - Feb 22 Love what MM and TC have achieved with so little but they are now being found out. Either unable or too stubborn to change tactics or play the personnel they have at the club in their best positions. The day of the long ball has gone and we are predictable. MM claiming the opposition are in false positions etc is just so much rubbish. He has to change We have to change otherwise we will not go up I doubt we will stay in the top 6. Should we some how scramble into the Premier League and want to stay there ME needs to sign Warburton from Brentford so we stand a chance

2

simonjch added 08:38 - Feb 22 No passion, no desire - On yesterdays performance, Mings is not worth his place in the starting line-up and needs to rediscover his drive coming from the bench. Mackie was Mings man - why and how he got his shot away with so much ease was disgraceful. Smiths confidence is blown to bits, Chambers distribution is not up to scratch; we need to play the ball out from the back much, much better. Why we continually pumped the ball up field, only for it to come straight back again, lord knows...! Sears ran tirelessly, but the service was never there; then he reverted to dropping deep to collect the ball - something that Didz feels compounded to do when playing, as again, the service is simply not coming from the midfield. Yesterday the ball simply didn't stick with Murphy and with the lack of creative, forward thinking midfielders looking to pick up the lose ball, possession was conceded time and time again. We need to address the void between the shanky back 4 and to 2 up top; but this is nothing new, is it.....!!!! I fear for us next weekend.......

2

WorcesterBlue added 08:50 - Feb 22 Made the long pilgrimage from Worcester with family in tow to watch another dreadful match. Reading are cr&p but due to the frailties simonjch so clearly outlines above, we didn't exploit this. Couldn't believe he took Bish and Tabby off when it should have been Skuse at the very least - hides in midfield, no pace, no creativity, no contribution. You just can't play football with centre backs at fullback, central midfielders who don't want the ball, and more central midfielders on the flanks! Yes Mings had a shocker but he still showed more drive, creativity and attacking verve than Bru, Skuse and Chambers put together but no grief for them. Still it is what it is and we may scrape the play- offs.

0

brittaniaman added 11:28 - Feb 22 Why does MM. always feel he has to involve his Fav. trio of Tabb, Skuse and Anderson, I am sure that putting somebody fresher than the tried and dusted Anderson on we might have pulled something out of the game ????. Hoofball came part of our game again, with Murphy not up to his usual standard of heading wearing that mask, and Smith putting more passes back than forward, and several of the players looking jaded, Quality is sadly lacking !!!! but I wish MM. would put round pegs in round holes ??? Another question who is this Alec Neil who seem to have got Norwich flying again ?? Oh how we miss the Previous Neil Adams !!! We have one game left to get it right MM. before we meet them Sunday, then I expect you will Bum them up in your Pre match conference,, I hate to say it !! but defeat could take us out of the top six.

1

PSGBlue added 13:15 - Feb 22 Has the lack of form since the turn of the year coincided with the injury to McG. In the lead up to Christmas he appeared to be link up man who could receive the ball in the oppositions half and create an opening. Basically we need McG and Murphy to be fit and playing well. This takes us back to squad sizes, all well and good when all fit (pre Christmas) but the season has taken it toll. Teams with larger squads with a number of good players will last the distance, Derby, Boro and Norwich fall into that category. Our mistake was not to add quality to the squad in Jan with Bent being a chance missed (If Brighton can afford him, so can we!). At best its playoffs, but if we have a full strength squad with McG, Murphy and Sears all fit, then who knows - all is not yet lost!

3

bluesince84 added 15:31 - Feb 22 Hmmmm that makes 21000 of us
0

karls_dad added 16:43 - Feb 22 Ouer season seems like a slowly deflating balloon, we could have had it all. been streets ahead if only we had the confidence to invest correctly, the 10k squad have punched above their weight and now its caught up with them, i,m so so disappointed, i really thought that ME would provide the funds to see the job through, sadly that was not to be! it hurts to see the one point gap now between us and them, i fear a drubbing next Sunday and can barely face listening/watching it, think i shall walk the dog instead, first game all season that i do not want to have anything to do with.... how sad is that? Its all just too painful!

1

jocasaja added 19:27 - Feb 22 Best team we have had in ages - get sick of 'fans' negative comments after every defeat. MM has constantly said that this is a very even and hard fought league - I agree. On Saturday we played OK but simply did not take our chances - I think we are still in with a good chance of promotion - I admire the band of hard working players that Mick has assembled - Tyrone Mings probably needs a rest otherwise am happy with how things are going ...COYB !!

0

roytheboy added 19:50 - Feb 22 I was very disappointed with our keeper yesterday, in my opinion he could have and should have saved that ball, it seemed to me that he thought it was going wide as he made very little effort to move to save it, he is normally very good but he should have made an effort to save that one, had he done so the whole game could have been different, especially as we were far the better team up until that goal went in. Tyrone Mings has not looked his best lately and I thought he was poor at times yesterday.

0

essex57 added 21:22 - Feb 22 Same old rubbish you lot carp on about look at the stats we had more possession more shots more shots on target get real this is the hardest league in the world we are punching well above our weight with a bunch of journeyman players get behind the team and be great full we are are not in league one 3pts tuez 1+ sun what will you moan about then ive supported town since 1970 oh for the days of BR and no WEBB SITES FOR IDIOTS TO PONTIFICATE ON

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WorcesterBlue added 07:52 - Feb 23 Essex57 - I think you'll find the people who are the problem on websites are the ones who spout abuse to others just because they express opinions you disagree with. Yesterday was poor and despite his many qualities MM has major blind spots tactically and deserves criticism when he gets it wrong which he did yesterday. However I defer to your superior knowledge as I've only been following Town since 1971.

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WindsorBlue added 08:48 - Feb 23 @Worcesterblue I don't think there is any specific abuse from Essex. I take his point. I'm sure deep down you feel the same, travelling from Worcester each game, this is far better than watching Town under Jewell/Keano/Magic. Having covered similar miles week in week out for the last 15 years, I must say I am embracing this season with a positive attitude. I actually love going to football again! Everybody loses games, whilst the door was open, we missed the opportunity...there will be more. I've had some of the best days out this season (Fulham, Charlton, Millwall hopefully Norwich) and am thankful to MM for those! This is a time to be excited, not negative. We are still in the Mix.

0

WindsorBlue added 08:51 - Feb 23 PS @Pablo123 your argument about not renewing the season ticket is counter productive, and the attendances are one of the main reasons we cannot invest more.
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essex57 added 09:21 - Feb 23 Thanks windsorblue i have a round trip of 130 miles and dont miss a match i just get depressed reading all the negativity on this site look at sat results Derby scrapped a win look at Bournemouth they looked like they were going to coast the championship now there 3rd forrest were flying there now 9th come on lets get behind what we have got and weight till the end of season for the postmortems

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