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

PJH added 09:32 - Feb 23 Agree with your posts WindsorBlue. The fact that Derby get about 10k more people attending their home games than we do helps them to invest more,whether within or outside FFP rules.
0

carsey added 11:58 - Feb 23 WorcesterBlue WindsorBlue - I too am fortunate enough to be of an age where I was around when Those Were The Day were actually These ARE The Days. I too am delighted to be at the right end of the table and in with a shout of promotion for the first time since 2000. I too am happy that MM and TC saved the club when they arrived and made us hard to beat without spending loads of money. Having raised our expectations I am less than happy with their apparent inability to use the players they have at the club - some of them very good players - in their natural positions playing football on the ground, as the top teams, both club and national, have proved to be the best way. We have become one dimensional and when it doesn't work we have nowhere else to go. The players are better than that but I question whether MM & TC are tactically clever enough - even if we get up we will not survive - we may even find the 9-0 Premier League record defeat which ITFC hold vs Man Utd is beaten. I badly want them to succeed but I struggle to see it happening and that would be a tragedy of criminal proportions given where we are and how little has been spent getting there. if you see this as being critical so be it. I see it more as being the opinion of one who has been in the stands since 1967 and will be there long after MM & TC have moved on.

1

WorcesterBlue added 13:06 - Feb 23 I agree with many of your points Carsey and this is precisely my frustration. We do have the players to play a more expansive game but Mick, for whatever reason, doesn't use them, or play the formation that might best suit them. I know many Wolves fans (them being the team round these parts) and though they too are grateful for all that MM and TC did for Wolves they also despair at the tactics (and did even when they were winning). In short he is more afraid of losing than he is focussed on winning. And thank you to WindsorBlue for introducing some rational arguments but we will have to agree to disagree about whether Essex57 has the right to call people idiots just because they have some reservations about our Manager. My two lads both play a decent youth standard and don't ever visit this site and yet they sit there saying exactly the same things as us old laggards - "why did he take our three best players off?", "why isn't Bishop in the middle?", "surely Parr is a better option at RB", "there's no width", "what exactly does Skuse offer over Bishop?", "when is Hyam back?" etc etc And no, they are not idiots!

1

britrim added 14:00 - Feb 23 Lets all hope for a repeat of last week , follow dismal home performance v. Wigan with 6 points , home tues and away sat at ex prem team , ie substitute Birmingham for Sheffield and Narwich for Fulham , then we back on track. At the moment we struggle if not getting early goal and saturday v Reading could so easily again scored in opening 10 mins at least 3 good chances. Long hoof is ok if Murph on his game with no distractions eg face mask, cut head, broken nose. Chambo has to go central, Jonny Parr has to come in but done great job left mid so who at full back, Didz back for local derby and Darren Ambrose in i think this will be his type of game and we can still do it, COYB we only 3 off automatic !!!

1

Seasider added 14:45 - Feb 23 Personally I and many others would like to see some pass and move football on the ground which we didn't see on Saturday or in many other games under this Manager I cannot remember seeing a team hoof the ball as much as Ipswich even at a lower level,certainly in recent years. britrim you say hoofball is ok if Murph on his game;but not all the bl..dy time eh?
1

britrim added 15:11 - Feb 23 Haha yeah I know what you mean seasider, we did play some football on the ground against boro so I think we have the capability maybe not the confidence or support from MM, but yeah its one dimensional and one player scoring over 40% of teams goals tells the story.
1

Razor added 16:46 - Feb 23 The basic problem is that there is no plan B and we keep playing sub standard players. I see no-one has questioned the goalie for the goal on Saturday? The nightmare on Sunday approaches----we get hammerred and nodge go above us----so so depressing.
0

blueboy1981 added 17:58 - Feb 23 Razor ......... two undoubted mistakes with the goal - keeper should have saved that for sure - but the shot should never have got in initially. Poor, poor defending - Sunday morning stuff, even then it would be criticised.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls