Frustrated Mick McCarthy felt there was no way Town should have been beaten 2-1 by Leeds at Elland Road.

“I am totally and utterly pissed off because we should never have lost the game,” McCarthy said at his post-match press conference.

“I’ve just been looking at [the incident which led to the freekick for the first goal], I don’t know how they managed to give a foul one way or the other there for that, when they gave the foul against Ty. But when he does, Bart should have saved it. That’s the upshot of it.

“Having got back in it, I know their keeper should have saved ours as well, there’s no doubt about that.

“Their second one, we’ve got a great chance in their box and it’s not like us to get done as we did.

“And even then we’ve had the opportunity of the penalty and he’s not struck it with any great conviction, and that’s our leading goalscorer. I think we’ve had the best part of the game, to be honest.”

Town fell to back to back defeats for the first time this season - they are the last Championship side to do so - and McCarthy is disappointed to lose for the second time in four days.

“It’s not a good time, I fully understand that, you don’t have to ask me the question,” he continued. “It’s never good to have back to back defeats.

“The position that we’re in, we could have got back in the top six. We’ve got Brentford on Saturday.

“All the things, we’ve played a day later than them, we’re travelling back, we’ll get back at half-two. We had an opportunity to get back in the top six tonight and we’ve pissed it away unfortunately.”

He says his team selection - Daryl Murphy and Freddie Sears were both left on the bench - wasn’t why the Blues lost.

“Brentford left their centre-forward on the bench last night, funnily enough,” he added. “I’ve no problem with the team changes I made whatsoever.

“I thought that Varney and Wood played well and they’re a real handful. Varns was unlucky with his [early disallowed] header, if he’s offside it’s marginal.

“And the two lads will be fresh for Saturday, they’ll start on Saturday. But that’s not cost us the game by any stretch of the imagination.”

McCarthy tried to sign Billy Sharp, who scored the second goal, on loan in January, the former Sheffield United and Doncaster man turning down the opportunity to join the Blues in order to fight for his place at Leeds.

“He’s a goalscorer,” McCarthy said. “And we’ve got them as well. We’ve got the leading goalscoring and we’ve got Freddie, who has come in and scored. We’ve got Chris Wood, who was one of the leading goalscorers in the league last year.

“If you’d have said at any stage that we’ve got Chris Wood and Varney on the pitch at any time I’ve been here in the two and a half years, I think we would have been delighted with having those two to select.”

Varney is a former Leeds player and will have been desperate to do well against his old club, particularly with their fans giving him a hard time, but McCarthy says that didn’t come into his thinking when selecting his team: “Not at all and I wouldn’t take anybody being in my ear.

“I’m slightly, no I’m very disappointed and offended that you might even think I’d be influenced by a player in my earhole to play. They’ll play if they warrant playing and I thought he did.”

Leeds manager Neil Redfearn thought his team deserved all three points: “It was a great win. It was a tough game, a hard-fought game. A typical Championship encounter. They’re up there for a reason, Ipswich.

“They’re very combative, but they play football. But I thought we were the better side tonight.

“I thought the game was won and lost in midfield and we absolutely dominated that area. Lewis Cook and Alex Mowatt and Luke Murphy were outstanding.”

Redfearn was impressed with striker Sharp’s performance and particularly the way he took his goal: “Brilliant, Sharpy was outstanding again tonight.

“He’s led the line really well, he took his goal outstandingly well, it’s behind him, he’s kept it down and got over it. It was a great strike and he looks a polished striker.”

The Leeds boss confirmed that it was Sharp’s decision not to join the Blues in January: “He didn’t want to go, which is great for Leeds United.”

Photo: Action Images

Razor added 10:27 - Mar 5 My friend texted me the team in astonishment and when I heard it I did not waste my time listening to the radio. What did he who must not be criticised do: Dropped our leading goalscorer.OK, he may be a little bit tired but he is a professional footballer for heavens sake,and should keep going at least until Didds is fit again. Dropped the man of the match from Sunday and our only striker with pace and in form. Dropped the best midfield player from Sunday who at least tries to pass the ball on the deck----that will obviously not do so out he has to go. Plays his 2 chums in midfield----really enough said, even with our injuries they shuld be nowhere near the team. Where are Henshall, Stewart and perhaps Connolly----they can not be any worse. Saturday is a must WIN game and I can not believe what he who must be obeyed will do or select-----the goalie is also a liability and Kenny should be in. So so so frustrating and annoying-----you are pissing our play off place down the drain MM, it aint no joke any more and the joke is on you------would love you to prove me wrong but somehow-------

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OldClactonBlue added 10:37 - Mar 5 blueherts. No doubt that McGoldrick and Bishop are our most talented offensive players. Both have to be employed in the centre, they weren't even when they were fit, indeed Bishop was often left on the bench. Match Day squad is a world away from Starting Line Up though. That is what sets the trend. We are invariably set up to defend and play long! The defence are suffering because they have to take the pressure constantly because we can't keep hold of the football.

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MicksZzzTactics added 10:46 - Mar 5 Excellent rant Razor .... "The Man who must not be criticized" LOL .... Reminds me of a couple of very fitting (for Guru Mick obviously!) great vintage quotes: "Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." -- Winston Churchill "The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism." -- Norman Vincent Peale :-)

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itfcserbia added 11:15 - Mar 5 Two words describe the last night - "drain bamage"! How the hell we are still only six points from the top is beyond me...
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ChrisFelix added 11:25 - Mar 5 Our club has come on a long way since the arrival of McCarthy. I dreamed of a return to the top flight, but it is only a dream. We have a top 6 defence & attack ( whenMc goldrick is fit ) but sadly our midfield would be lucky to win us promotion from Division 1
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MicksZzzTactics added 11:54 - Mar 5 And now to something completely different (like Monty Python used to say) .... and then again not really, as it touches upon best "excuse" either for not doing certain things or doing the same things -- often wrong ones! -- over and again over and thus not learning from elementary mistakes .... and Guru Mick excels in both departments lately IMO. However not even the somewhat now slightly unpopular Guru Mick can match lovely supermodel Kate Upton's best Excuse + Quote of the Day (even though it's actually from the late last week): In a noble attempt to explain her hmmmm affinity for making more or less nude photo shoots etc. Sweet Kate said this: "I BITE MY NAILS A LOT .... SO A SIMPLE NUDE MAKES THEM LOOK SMALLER!" :-) (-: But of course it does Kate HaHaHaHa So there you have it Mick. The next time you don't start the league's top scorer (Murphy) along with the in-form and only offensive player with pace (Sears) in a super crucial game .... please come up with a similar or even better excuse, will you? :-)

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MicksZzzTactics added 12:07 - Mar 5 Sorry I made a typo in the above Excuse / Quote of the Day .... it should of course read: " .... MAKES THEM LOOK LONGER"! Yep Kate Upton can make even me make a bad typo ... or worse!
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Pabloisgod84 added 12:30 - Mar 5 I was at the game but had to sit with the Leeds mob unfortunatley. we didnt play too bad and didnt play too well either. funny ol game typical champ game until 70 mins in. barty should of saved the freekick easy enough but that is a game if we are serious about going up that we have to win. Leeds are hardly a great side right now and were there for taking. again we lose games in midfield i feel , lack of creativity (missing players i know) and no goals from midfielders, cant take corners. Brentford - what a massive game

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juniorblue added 12:48 - Mar 5 I am so disappointed and fear our season is slipping away. Last night's team selection was strange to say the least. Sears should have been on from the start. Good results against Brentford and Middlesborough could change things in our favour, but at the moment I can't see it happening. Please revert to 443 MM before our season collapses.
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battyblue added 15:17 - Mar 5 Well done to Stuart Watson (EADT) at last someone with a pair of balls to challenge MM tactics there is a few more questions i would like to ask him as well if only i could.
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Geoff added 15:37 - Mar 5 Mick you are right,if you had picked the right back four you would not have. Please listen and stop playing your favorites.
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wangford_blues added 16:32 - Mar 5 haven't got a hope in hell chance of ending this poor run on Saturday
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blueherts added 16:48 - Mar 5 Wangford - good positive mood ! This league is so unpredicatable and yes , we need Bishop back Smith out etc BUT gotta believe I am sure the scummers were staring at 3 points last night and Derby fans ? No one in the top six is running away with it
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jas0999 added 17:20 - Mar 5 But we did lose Mick. And we will continue to add to the recent poor record until you realise the need to strengthen the midfield and drop your mates who simply are not performing such as 'Triffic' Tabby and sign some players who can create and score goals.
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essex57 added 17:25 - Mar 5 Ok guys why dont you get up an online petition to send to ME to get MM sacked then we can get somebody better who do you suggest Roy Keane Paul Jewell im sure they would like to get back to the front line again.
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Cheshire_Blue added 18:33 - Mar 5 I was at the match last night and the team that MM put out could and should have won the match. MM cannot prevent individual errors on the pitch and we must look at the goalkeeper for the first goal and Berra for the second. Add to this the missed penalty and that is where the three points went. Incidentally, rather than look for a refund, those who bought half season tickets could have bought full season tickets and provided more funds to bring in players.

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dannyrr added 19:27 - Mar 5 No Sh*t Mick!!!
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blueboy1981 added 21:18 - Mar 5 blueherts ........... 'no one in the top 6 is running away with it'............ hasn't it occurred to you ?- that is what makes it all the more non acceptable and galling that we are NOT in the top 6 anymore, and had we done the right things a few weeks back we could, and should, have been showing everyone else a clean pair of heels by now . Instead of that, we find ourselves in SEVENTH, facing some very tough fixtures in the next few weeks, and wondering where the next win is coming from.

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oldegold added 22:09 - Mar 5 Well said blueboy 1981... A good season is being thrown away by an intransigent manager who knows only how to play one way.No attacking opportunities created...no goals..and in the Championship,it's goals that count.Sears on the bench and not even a decent shot on target in the first half and we were supposed to be chasing the result against a poor Leeds? It's staring you in the face.Just for once,play an attacking formation without loanees.Very poor management and I don't care what his fans say-the last two months have shown that he has bottled it and can't play any other way.

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