Town boss Mick McCarthy says Sunday’s derby defeat at Norwich was a setback but isn’t too despondent or depressed and is now fully focused on tonight’s game at Leeds.

“It’s a setback because we lost three points,” he said. “Take the emotion out of it, I know all the fans [will feel that], I get that, but for us it’s three points.

“We would have got no more points [than from any other game] and there was nothing in the game bar the two goals. And everybody’s screaming, we know that.

"We’ve won enough games this year thinking that there was nothing in them, the opposition has had more possession, they’ve had more shots and we’ve won 2-0.

“I think they got a little break when it hit Christophe Berra’s heel. It was a fabulous finish for the first one.

“The keeper made a good save from Freddie and the second one is a deflection. I think it hits Ty, bounces back off him and ends up bobbling over Bart.

“I thought we were the better team in the second half and the second goal killed the game.

“So, I’m not despondent about how we played and the result is the result. As I keep telling you, if I'm going to be really despondent and depressed when we’ve lost a game, then I’m going to do it a few times a season.

“We’ve concentrated on Leeds, we can’t do anything about that one. We’ll move on to the next games.”

He says no one match should be the be-all and end-all of any season: “Somebody said to me early on about beating Norwich and I said ‘If we beat them and lose the rest and get relegated, would you be happy?’. They said, ’No, no, no…’

“It riles me to the extent that it almost has to be that it’s a certain game that you have to win.

“You have to get a certain amount of points and that’s what I always look at. And we’re still only three off the top two.

“If we get enough for that, great. If we don’t and we get in the play-offs, still great. That’s got to be our aim and not worry about [particular matches] because we’ll lose another game. We’ve got to focus on Leeds.”

He says the players were similarly level-headed after the derby defeat: “I went round them all yesterday, just had a chat, seeing how they feel.

“There were none of them that thought we were outplayed. We were out-gunned because they scored two goals.

“There weren’t that many chances in it. It was just a tight, tough derby game. And they recognised that. It’s not my influence rubbing off for one game it’s my influence rubbing off over the course of nearly two and a half years now, I’ve been the same.

"I try to be consistent win, lose or draw. I try to be fair about it, fair with the players. I don’t see it through rose-coloured specs for them and I certainly don’t see it through rose-coloured specs for the media.”

Photo: Action Images

Garv added 10:22 - Mar 4 'We would have got no more points [than from any other game] and there was nothing in the game bar the two goals. And everybody's screaming, we know that.' It might not be rose coloured specs you're wearing Mick but whatever colour they are you clearly can't see anything out of them. You base your games entirely it seems on numbers and percentages. How about we start thinking about what we actually do with our possession, and what positions we get in to have shots, rather than just thinking 'we've had more of the ball, more shots. Nothing in the game.' The gulf in quality was there for all to see. We haven't scored a goal like Johnson's all season. We haven't got anyone capable. Our best hope was Sears and unfortunately he missed our best chance.

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brittaniaman added 11:00 - Mar 4 I think that the importance of that game MM. was that the canaries would overtake us which they did gracefully, and to go from 10pts behind to 2pts in in front goes to show how they have come on with the new manager syndrome ???
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Warkys_Tash added 13:45 - Mar 4 All said and done, Mick is right we are 6points off the top. We would have all taken that still he start we are far from out of it & I thought we played ok and pretty much owned the 2nd half. Maybe I also need some specs? If we have such a poor team then home come we are 6 from the top?
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Dolly2.0 added 13:51 - Mar 4 Of course the gulf is there Garv. They've spent £27m (on the team they had on Sunday). We've spent £110k. Mick's done a remarkable job, considering. Time for a bit of perspective and getting behind the team rather than moaning about our lot. Mick's performed a miracle to get us challenging and you seem to want him to walk on water as well!
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IP3 added 15:26 - Mar 4 this is the most important two months in the last 10 years, can we all just carry on getting behind the team right until the end, and then voice whatever frustrations we all may have when the season is done - whether we go up or not. what we need now is a united fanbase to chant the team on for every remaining game to get the out come that we all want - promotion. forza ITFC

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jert16 added 16:50 - Mar 4 How people can moan or question Mick really baffles me! The man has performed miracles with the job he has done.. COYB
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Andy32Cracknell added 18:09 - Mar 4 “So, I'm not despondent about how we played and the result is the result", and “I thought we were the better team in the second half and the second goal killed the game". says Mr McCarthy. You have got to be shiitting me, that performance was an embarrassment, it was a shambles, ITS WAS CRAP LONG BALL TACTICS ALL GAME, and not for the first time this season. If i was the manager of Ipswich Town at half time during the Norwich game i wouldnt have been despondent, I WOULD HAVE HID IN THE CORNER WITH EMBARRASSMENT. I would be thinking "have i seriously asked my team to play such one dimensional football like that" Do your self a favour Mr McCarthy, get Ipswich Town playing football again and we might make the top six, if not then god help us.

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horsehollerer added 19:28 - Mar 4 Some of you are talking like Mick didn't even try to win the game. Nonsense. He tried very hard to win it. And he wasn't that far away from winning it either. Norwich got the breaks, just like we did when we were on a roll in December. Get a grip.
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