Town boss Mick McCarthy has said he’s considering making changes to his team for Wednesday’s visit to Leeds United. The Blues boss remains without the injured Teddy Bishop, Noel and Stephen Hunt, Darren Ambrose, David McGoldrick and Luke Hyam.

“I don’t think Sunday, then Wednesday at Elland Road and getting back at 2am on Thursday morning and then playing on Saturday against Brentford is conducive to having the same 10 outfield players playing and having to do that shift,” McCarthy said.

“I’ve got a good squad, but it’s not the biggest, and I’m considering making changes for it.”

He says midfielder Bishop should be back for Saturday’s home game against Brentford having hurt his ankle in training towards the end of last week.

“We’re hoping he’ll be OK for Saturday,” the Blues manager added. “That was a shame for him and for all of us because he’s a good player. He just blocked a shot and it opened his ankle up. Hopefully Saturday.”

Noel Hunt is expected to miss the regular season with the medial knee ligament injury he sustained at Fulham, while Stephen Hunt and Darren Ambrose have hamstring problems.

Luke Hyam has a knee injury and David McGoldrick remains on the sidelines with his thigh problem.

“None of them are fit,” McCarthy continued. “Noel’s obviously on crutches, Stephen’s getting back, Darren’s not fit. Didzy’s not fit and Luke Hyam’s not fit.”

He says he privately always expected McGoldrick to out for several weeks: “I’ll be honest, I knew it was going to be longer than I said at the start of it because I was trying to get strikers in on loan, so it would have been bonkers of me to announce to the world that I’ve got a striker that might be out for five or six weeks.

“You’ll have to forgive me for telling a small, white porky-pie there, but that’s the way it is, that’s the business.

“Didzy is probably looking at the Middlesbrough game, he’s hoping to get back training quick but whether we can get enough training into him to have him involved, who knows. It might be after the international break.”

McCarthy confirmed that 17-year-old midfielder Kundai Benyu, who was on the bench at Norwich, will again travel with the squad.

Leeds will be without midfielder Rodolph Austin, due to a thigh strain. Central defender Giuseppe Bellusci is back from a ban, while striker Steve Morison could return having been out with a groin injury. However, midfielders Granddi Ngoyi (thigh) and Tommaso Bianchi (knee) are again expected to miss out.

Meanwhile, former Town coach and skipper Tony Mowbray has been appointed the new manager of League One Coventry City, signing a deal until the end of the season.

Photo: Action Images

tractorboybig added 19:34 - Mar 3 donnelly78 two chances against norwich both taken poorly, a good striker would have had them in the back of the net
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warwickblue added 19:44 - Mar 3 algarvefan- I don't think it is a question of anyone giving Chambers a hard time. Every post on here pretty much acknowledges the fact that Chambers has great qualities, is a good captain, great for the fans/club/morale etc... BUT, everyone (including Chambers) acknowledges that he is not a natural right-back and is clearly not comfortable playing there. In fact, given his limitations in this role, he has, I think, made the best of a bad job more weeks than not. I do, however, totally agree that he needs to move into the middle and Parr needs to start. Three up front, why not? Midfield, minus Bishop, is pretty much a case of little to chose between them- except perhaps Tabb, whose dead-ball deliveries were universally awful for the entire 90 minutes against Norwich.

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alfromcol added 19:52 - Mar 3 Beginning to be a repeat of last season, where the loss of McGoldrick was the difference between playoffs and nothing. Despite not quite the player of the first half of last season. we are missing his skill and distribution and the ability to take on players and make space for others.
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Bluetone added 19:52 - Mar 3 @carsey quote " I doubt MM reads or even cares about this site if he does I fear the way we all think will only make him more stubborn and force him to do the opposite." That sums up his one big fault stubborn to the point of absurdity.
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donnelly78 added 20:31 - Mar 3 Tractorboybig you do not have a clue do you 😂😂😂😂😂
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MicksZzzTactics added 20:41 - Mar 3 You might make a few changes to your XI "orchestra" Dinosaurus Mick .... but real sadly they basically all only know one "tune" and have this one favorite set of "nodes" of yours Mick, and that's called: .... "Let's Hoof some, then Hoof some more, and if everything else fails and we are trailing then Hoof it all dammmm'it!" LOL
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TimmyH added 20:42 - Mar 3 Play as many players as possible in their correct positions would start in an injury crisis, Parr at RB and Chambers into the centre alongside Berra and unfortunately Smith on the bench. The biggest quandary as we know is the midfield and a 433 with Skuse, Bru and somebody else? (Not mentioning other names):) Wood, Sears and Murph up top.
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wangford_blues added 20:53 - Mar 3 Last night in the top six. Goodbye to the play-offs. Thanks a packet, MM and ME.
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bluesince84 added 21:18 - Mar 3 As of right now we are out of Playoffs . All around us winning
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TomJamesLW added 21:38 - Mar 3 Start Cameron Stewart if he's fit!
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KiwiBlue2 added 21:45 - Mar 3 Now out of top six so nothing to lose, need to play attack minded side at Leeds. Agree Parr replaces Smith and we start with Murphy, Sears and Wood up front. Would also think about bringing Gerks back in to further refresh the back four. A pity that Ambrose is out as would prefer to see him in midfield rather than Chaplow.
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brittaniaman added 21:55 - Mar 3 MM.we will see what you are made of tomorrow night with the changes you have promised ?? out of top six now, so time to get your tactics right, starting with choosing the right team !!! for the job .the way Brentford are playing we have now got a harder task on Saturday than we thought, and they have only been in this league one season.
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Vizslaraner added 22:06 - Mar 3 He says he will but I will believe it when we see it. We all can't be wrong. Instead of gng there tmrw for the point let's have one of Connolly or stewart and go for it. Put Anderson on set pieces or someone that can beat the first Man. Real pet hate of mine and I thought when lead pants went we had seen the last of it. Brentford above us now and Saturday is gng to be really hard if we dnt get something tmrw night. Boro Saturday week and it could be over but the counting. To top it the scum will be 2nd tmrw! Isn't life just so sweet at the moment.

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horsehollerer added 22:21 - Mar 3 What is this? TW@T TUESDAY? Just listen to yourselves some of you. "Why can't we just go for the win?" Blub, blub, blub.... Christ on a bike, we just won 3 games out of 5. If we win at Leeds, we'll be 3 points of the top of the league. And if we get "only" get a point, we'll be back in the top 6. What the hell do some of you expect? We have SIX key players out injured. We already know what our season would have looked like if McCarthy hadn't made the decisions he has made so far, because we had to go through it for several years before he got here. Have a bit of faith.

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sirmichealmills added 22:23 - Mar 3 "If tabby plays for ipswich so can I" "If tabby plays for ipswich so can I"
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WorcesterBlue added 23:03 - Mar 3 I don't agree with people about Skuse. He does the easy things ok but as pointed out doesn't show for the ball, is ineffective as a screen (comparing his role with Matic is laughable) and does nothing moving forward. Bru was the only midfielder to try to bring the ball down on Sunday and in my opinion him and Tabb or even Benyu (while Bish, Hyam and Ambrose are out) is a better option.

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WorcesterBlue added 23:08 - Mar 3 And as for Sears being rubbish - he's exactly what we need and if Bish and MG get back he'll absolutely make hay (assuming Bish actually plays in the middle!).
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RaymondovicBlue added 00:18 - Mar 4 Just a question.... Why do people feel sorry for chambers playing out of position but berate Smith for.... Er, playing out of position..... See how rubbish Berra would be if playing on his "wrong side" then accept how good a player Tommy Smith is for how well he is doing on the "wrong side" Just saying.....
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RaymondovicBlue added 00:27 - Mar 4 Bart Parr Chambers Berra Mings Connolly Skuse Bru Sears Wood Murphy That seems a balanced team to me with people who can break up attacks and be solid in defence AND (so we are told) have real skill to take defences apart with pace and skill or to change a game... Unlike Tabb/ Ando who have had so many chances and failed to scare a single defender between them etc It looks like 442 but is also flexible to 433..... Can go 352 with south from the bench if you really think Mings and Parr ate note of a that than Connolly and Stewart.... Which I personally cannot see

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KiwiBlue2 added 01:43 - Mar 4 I think the following: Gerkin Parr Chambers Berra Mings Anderson Skuse Bru Sears Murphy Wood
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GiveusaWave added 02:01 - Mar 4 The Things catch-phrase is "It's clobbering time" Our teams catch-phrase should be "It's hoofing time.." Can't believe people are saying Chambers should be in the centre. It would change our entire strategy! How could we hoof it if he's not at the back on the right? We all know the drill. Get it to Chambers and hoof, hoof, hoof....
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Razor added 10:21 - Mar 4 At last people agreeing with me---Tabby is just not up to it and brings very little to the table,should have stopped playing him weeks ago. One decent cross on Sunday and very nearly scored, you can not blame Freddie, he is just not used to service like that. We are missing the industry and workrate of Hyam, and Henshalls disapearance continues to confuse me. Must win game tonight, so 3 strikers and a little ambition may be appreciated!!

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