Town boss Mick McCarthy says Jay Tabb has done well at left-back in recent friendlies and views him as an option for the role if required. Tabb and the rest of the first team squad play their fourth pre-season game at Peterborough United this afternoon (KO 3pm).

The 31-year-old, more usually a left-sided or central midfielder, has filled in at left-back in the last two friendlies with Jonny Parr - Town's only recognised senior left-back since Tyrone Mings was sold to AFC Bournemouth for an initial £8 million - missing due to a minor thigh problem.

McCarthy says he knows Tabb will never let him down wherever he plays him: “I know full well what Tabby will give me, he’s just a great pro. He’s done all right, he did fine at left-back. It’s an option.”

Tabb, whose stay at Town was extended to the end of 2015/16 when an option for an additional year was activated on his contract in May, seems unlikely to start at left-back at London Road with Parr having returned to training earlier in the week and set to be involved.

Midfielder Darren Ambrose, who is training with the Blues as he looks to win another contract, is also fit after a minor knock and will also make the trip.

Striker Daryl Murphy, who was given extra time off having been on international duty and then eased back into training having suffered injuries in pre-season in previous years, will play his first friendly against League One Posh.

David McGoldrick and Christophe Berra will be involved in their second games having featured at Cambridge on Tuesday. As at the Abbey Stadium, McCarthy plans to give his senior players around 60 minutes each.

McCarthy has said he’s looking to add “two or three” more senior players to his squad, while he views youngsters such as Josh Emmanuel, Josh Yorwerth and Myles Kenlock, who have been involved with the first-team squad in the first three pre-season matches, as players who can play a part during the season if not yet up to being regulars.

“I have 13 fit first-teamers that I know I can hang my hat on and then I’ve got Murph and Jonny Parr coming back,” he said, reflecting on the make up of his team at Cambridge on Tuesday.

“I reckon I’ve got 15 that absolutely know they’re top players in this league. I had to take [the starting line-up] out of them. I’ve got 17 with keepers.”

The Town boss is in no doubt what the main concern is when going into pre-season matches: “Getting fit. I prefer to win but it really is just about being ready for the start of the season.

“I’ve been in enough pre-seasons where you win all the games, everybody thinks you’re great and then you lose the first game.

“You lose them all and everybody thinks you should be sacked before the season starts, and then you have a great run at the start of the season.

“They are just a pain in the backside, pre-season games. They are a means to an end, get fit and let’s get cracking on with the season.”

Peterborough boss Dave Robertson says facing the Blues will be a useful workout for his side: “Ipswich will provide a really good test for us. They are a strong Championship side and are ideal opponents at this time in pre-season.

“We have done well in pre-season so far both performance-wise and results-wise and we want that to continue.”

Midfielder Jack Collison, who was with the Blues for a short spell last season without breaking into the first team, is expected to play some part having joined Posh earlier in the summer.

After today’s match the Blues travel to Colchester on Tuesday (KO 7.45pm) before Dutch Eredivisie side Utrecht are at Portman Road next Saturday (KO 3pm) with the season proper kicking off at Brentford on Saturday 8th August (KO 3pm).

Photo: Action Images

theman added 09:43 - Jul 25 Agree with bluefeast - of the two would have far preferred we kept Anderson as cover for a fullback position than Tabb.
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horsehollerer added 09:52 - Jul 25 I'm sure MM is just publicly playing down the urgency for us to add a defender... every agent and chairman knows we are sitting on the Mings millions. And I still can't believe some of the abuse Tabb gets on here. All the poor bloke has done in pre-season is score a really good goal at Shelbourne and then do a decent job playing out of position in a couple of games. Top bloke.

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budgieplucker added 09:53 - Jul 25 In a sense I think this just demonstrates the versatility of the playing squad. For example Tabby may at some stage have to come off of the bench to fill in at full back if we get an injury. If you work out who might not make the starting 11 and who you would want on the bench you might struggle to include a dedicated left or right back even if we have them as this would limit our game changing options. Utilising Tabby in this position during pre season is surely a good way to test the theory and give him the opportunity to get some match time in this position. Cold Skuse is considered a midfielder or defender, he played the 2011/2012 season for Bristol at right back. Like others if Mick is looking at bringing in 2 or 3 new players then it's likely that full back coverage is on his radar. I think we can chill, only need to splash the cash if the right player becomes available. Would any one want to pay 5 million for a Zaki Fryers?

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marcusevans added 10:16 - Jul 25 If Garbutt has gone to Fulham we must have someone in the bag, don't worry guys.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 10:16 - Jul 25 Everton kid has gone to Fulham on loan
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parhamblue added 10:20 - Jul 25 Having sold a very promising LB - who can also play MF and none other than Morinho thinks will make a top CB - who was still developing we are struggling to find a replacement. And that's partly, as MM has already stated, because everyone knows he has millions potentially available. It is also because, absolutely rightly, our club is run on a tight budget and we are not going to give in to the demands of players, agents and clubs while other clubs are. So I say again, the Mings sale was a retrograde step that doesn't suit ITFC.

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yorksblue added 10:30 - Jul 25 Guess who'll go between the sticks if the current lot get crocked!
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neillrumsey added 10:34 - Jul 25 This has to be a wind up. He has no pace. Shame that we missed out on Garbutt.
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Ipswich24 added 10:42 - Jul 25 I know Tabby gets a lot of stick, including from me where i feel he doesn't offer anything out wide. But will defend MM here i went to Cambridge on Tues and thought he was very good at left back. He is good on the ball and used it very well. Him and Fraser were very good together. He played the full back role far better than Chambers who has been playing their 2 years now. Its right back which=h is the problem

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Hegansheroes added 11:03 - Jul 25 MM will always find a place for Tabb. Offers very little apart from a lot of running. MM's transfers are 50/50, some excellent but there have been some real donkeys he has brought in, how ever the signings so far all seem to be better quality & I'm very optimistic for the season. Hopefully some of the Mings money will be spent on two full backs of quality because Tabb & Chambers are just not good enough in those positions.

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horsehollerer added 11:12 - Jul 25 @jas0999 - I agree we need to strengthen in a couple more positions, but you (and some others) lose me a bit when you repeatedly talk about the need for us to spend some of the Mings money. Haven't we already spent a chunk of it by bringing in three talented creative/attacking players in AMN, Fraser and Pitman? Wages, wages, wages... So presumably you mean transfer fees. In which case, NO we don't need to spend money, IMO. I'm okay if we do, but I'd rather we didn't. It's not what players cost, it's their value to us. And given that it looked like Murph might leave us a couple of weeks ago, you could argue that we effectively just (re-)signed the most prolific goalscorer in the league, too. So that's four top, top players right there. None of them cost us a bean in transfers. But what's their total value? Judging by what we've seen so far of AMN, Fraser and Pitman, they could be worth far more to us than any transfer fee we could/would ever pay. And I think MM is just being a wily old fox... I fully expect us to sign a full-back any day now, fee or no fee.

4

Snitterfield added 11:42 - Jul 25 We must be desperate if this is being considered as an option. My grandmother would be a better option. Surely some of the money from the sale of Tyrone Mings could be used to get in a quality player for this position.
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Bluetone added 12:36 - Jul 25 Tabbs is McCarthy's love child def info.
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runningout added 12:48 - Jul 25 sounds all bit desperate....
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Steelmonkey added 12:55 - Jul 25 Does anyone have a Clue about why we have conceded so many goals in the pre season friendly games so far....
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Geoff added 12:55 - Jul 25 Must be April the 1st again.
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StowTractorBoy added 13:01 - Jul 25 Horsehollerer that is the most sensible post of the day so far - IN MY OPINION.
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GiveusaWave added 13:09 - Jul 25 MM knows what he's doing. Tabb is another class and will do brilliantly at left back. Murphy is meant to be pretty handy in goal too so that sorts out our 3rd goal-keeper. Hyam and Skuse can both play at right back so covered there. Abundance of midfield talent and 4 quality strikers. We don't need any more signings.
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bluefeast added 13:34 - Jul 25 Its very funny seeing the height of our left hand side , all we need is MM in a snow white outfit and you've got a balanced , well urm , urm , film.
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budgieplucker added 14:10 - Jul 25 Excellent post horsehollerer. I mentioned in my post about Zaki Fryers, he may be worth 5 million to Crystal Palace because they paid that for him, but l don't seriously think any town fan would want us to pay that for a full back, and whilst we saw very little of Zaki when he was with us, what I saw in my opinion was that he wasnt any better than Johnny Parr at full back who cost us nothing. Firstly the more you pay for a player you establish a market value, if Middlesborough have made a ten million bid for Jordan Rhodes, then the wages to support a player with that market value are likely to follow, so you can,t look at value purely on the transfer fee. Having a war chest means that we can dip into the loan market throughout the season if injuries occur and perhaps obtain some quality back up which we might knot otherwise afford hence being able to acquire the likes of Johnny Williams on probably big premiership wages. For those who doubt Mick's transfer acumen, when he does not get it right he will look to move players on, Banjer and Wordsworth as two examples. I would suggests Micks record in his transfer dealings need no scrutiny if to be compared to the dealings of the clown and the dark lord who preceeded him.

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parhamblue added 14:54 - Jul 25 I would humbly suggest that, this time around, signing a good specialist full back, let alone two, is proving a big problem. I like most of the things my club is doing these days, and I do look forward to the coming season. But selling a player who wasn't even for sale, taking the cash, was definitely wrong for the future of this club and has a real difficult job of working in the present.

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blueboy1981 added 15:25 - Jul 25 .......... for all the people who knock me - what did I predict ?? Wake up some of you - smell the Coffee for the TRUE aroma - and more to the point, see it as it REALLY is.
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blueboy1981 added 15:29 - Jul 25 ........ alls well - the important part is : Season Tickets have sold better than last year. And I'm NOT joking. That's all that really matters.
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TimmyH added 15:48 - Jul 25 I'd be worried about this if Parr got injured (which is a distinct possibility through the long season) - you wouldn't have thought Parr wouldn't have played right midfield at the end of last season but he did! - Surely you'd think we have the financial capacity to get back up in the full back positions?
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TimmyH added 15:52 - Jul 25 * you would of thought * ... my garbled English again!
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