Blues boss Mick McCarthy believes his side was back to being the team that opposition managers expect to face during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Huddersfield. Town travel to Hull City for the first of two tough away games tonight with a visit to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

McCarthy felt his team showed the toughness and resilience which has been their hallmark since he took charge in November 2012 against the Terriers: “The Mick McCarthy way, whether it’s Ipswich Town, it was the same at Sunderland, Millwall, Wolves, Ireland.

“I haven’t changed. I said maybe we tried to refine it a bit and we maybe lost our way a little.

“Other teams know fully what to expect from us. You read it in everybody’s programme notes, ‘You know what to expect from a Mick McCarthy team…’.

“Well, they haven’t had that for a couple of weeks. I thought they did on Saturday. We weren’t great with the ball at times, but it was a tough game against a side with good players in the team, as well.

“But, as I said, another season, last season, we’d have probably nicked that with the chance at the end. But it wasn’t to be. But it was a clean sheet and there were a lot of positive things.”

One of those most significant positives was not letting in a goal, Town’s recent achilles heel: “You can’t put too much [importance on] the fact that we had a clean sheet after conceding goals the way we have done. And they had some chances but in the main they were blocked by our defenders.

“One got away from Tommy [Smith] and Christophe [Berra] covered it up. The two of them came together and it flicked off [Ishmael Miller’s] head and Christophe cleared it off the line.

“Tommy’s swept up for Chambo, and likewise those have been going in recently. That was a real positive from the back four.

“And when Gerks makes the save at the end you think ‘We’ll take the 0-0’, then we got the chance and it fell to one of the best strikers in the league and the keeper made an unbelievable save. So it wasn’t to be but there were a lot of positives in that game.”

McCarthy admits he likes reading opposition managers outlining the attributes of his side in their programme columns: “Of course I do, and I hope that continues.

“I’d say over the last three or four weeks that wouldn’t have been the case but I would say at Blackburn they prepared for what they were expecting from us, and we started OK but then we gifted them a penalty and for whatever reason they just took over the game and overran us. That doesn’t happen too often.

“Even at Reading, on the night we lost there we weren’t overrun. We had loads of chances in that game, we had chances to score. I think they had six attempts on target and five went in. We had 12 attempts or something.

“That wasn’t the case that evening, but Blackburn was. It was a bit of a rude awakening.”

Photo: Action Images

Benters added 06:03 - Oct 20 Really? That doesnt sound good i thought it was piss poor to be honest.
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muhrensleftfoot added 06:48 - Oct 20 Oh dear, if that's more like ourselves, then watch the attendances drop. That was an awful game, almost totally devoid of entertainment. The only time I felt entertained was when Toure put his corner straight out of play, that's how bad it was. The worry is that MM almost sounds proud of his team's performance last Saturday.
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Len_Brennan added 07:04 - Oct 20 Sounds like Mick has taken a poor result on Saturday to justify keeping the same back 5 in place. A back 5 that has been really poor & keeps a lot of us awake at night & is arguably the reason why our central midfield is lacking in creativity & quality, leading to our other main problem. The man sees what he wants to see, [sigh].
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Keaneish added 07:29 - Oct 20 I knew he'd treat that game as a platform for a clean sheet to build confidence. What a farce we have to take on a poor championship side at home to do that. It doesn't prove anything. All its simply done is postpone and delay what is evident for every opposition manager, we're weak and Vulnerable at the back. It's poor from NcCarthy and he's thrown away points doing it.

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Penguinblue added 07:38 - Oct 20 Pure tripe MM. I cannot understand why no journalist has the balls to state the obvious to you over your dire football, team selection, tactics, contempt for fans (apart from when they misguidedly sing your name). I must be watching a different game every week.
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truthhurts added 08:12 - Oct 20 Fantastic news! Cheers Mick! Entertainment rock bottom then.......
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Hegansheroes added 08:17 - Oct 20 Just about sums iy all up. We cannot be as supporters to keep paying a lot of money for zero entertainment which is all you will ever get from a MM team. Unfortunately he has no other way of playing despite probably having the best squad we've had for a few years. Time for change
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Jimmy86 added 08:44 - Oct 20 The worrying thing as well is if Mick thinks we weren't overrun against Reading!!! Time and time again they were able to just ghost through our midfield, as both our holding midfielders were caught up the pitch. You just get the feeling we are going to revert to the type of football we played last season, which was direct, if you're being polite. it was long ball, more in hope that something fell from a flick on

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BlueKush added 09:19 - Oct 20 If Blackburn was a rude awakening then why have you still not woken up?
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TimmyH added 11:58 - Oct 20 'toughness and resilience' against Huddersfield on Saturday!?! - crikey, we're playing a team that won't get in the top half of the Championship at home not a potential top 6 team away! - Mick again straw clutching.
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Bluetone added 12:29 - Oct 20 Yep boring, unadventurous and predictable definitely agree with McCarthy there.
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shenfieldblue added 12:55 - Oct 20 Mick please do not give interviews, you are upsetting he fans.
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Garv added 13:16 - Oct 20 Other teams know what to expect. I think that's the problem.
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Dolly2.0 added 13:58 - Oct 20 Jesus, you lot above read everything so literally. Mick knows things aren't right but is protecting his players by putting a positive spin on things. Confidence is so important, just slagging them off will help no-one. Give Mick time to turn it around, Lord knows he's earnt it.
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jas0999 added 17:41 - Oct 20 Boring and negative. No skill. No creativity. Not a great advert is it?!
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Seasider added 18:00 - Oct 20 How long will Dolly Verbiage give the manager,does she/he see games? I have been watching over 50 years now and this is some of the least entertaining for some time.. McCarthy says that opposing teams are now prepared for what they are expecting from us. If so then surely you should vary the formation,style and personnel.Does this stubborn Yorkshireman not realise that this why we are finding it difficult because other teams can set up against us knowing what to expect.. Lots of positive things he took from that game,really Mick,once again you disagree with the crowd.Even your dwindling band of supporters hadn't a good word to say about Saturdays game,instead criticising those (almost everybody on here)who said the game was crap especially first half. If it hadn't been for a Gerken double save and a Berra goal line clearance Town would have lost this game to a poor team;so get real Mr McCarthy take off your rose tinted specs.

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