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McCarthy: Stick Together and We Can Turn it Around
Friday, 23rd Oct 2015 06:00

Boss Mick McCarthy says the Blues need to stick together as they look to end a run which has seen them win just once in their last eight league games. On Saturday, Town visit Nottingham Forest, another side currently going through a difficult spell.

McCarthy believes it’s vital for players to show character during the tough times: “That’s got to be evident every week but it certainly is now.

"When things are going against you and people are on the turn, they’re turning on me, they’re turning on players, what you can’t afford to do is turn on each other.

“You need to stick together and keep playing. We’re far from the position we were in three years ago and the club is in a different position now.

“We’ve just got to keep going and be confident that we can turn it around, and I don’t doubt that for one minute.”

McCarthy believes it can take just one win to kick-start a revival: “Of course, and look across the league. Forest are similar to us, they’ve had a stutter. I see Wolves have lost two on the bounce having had a good run and Brentford won two on the bounce.

“It’s the ones that get the consistency, of course, the likes of Derby - but then they’ve spent a few quid so they’re entitled to have a consistent run - it’s those ones that’ll be up near the top.

“I saw an interview with Grant Leadbitter from Middlesbrough having lost [1-0 at Cardiff] the other night and he was distraught. It happens. It’s turning it around, so three points from somewhere would make a huge difference.”

Town are currently 11th, five points off former skipper Leadbitter’s Boro in the final play-off place and already eight behind second-placed Birmingham City and 12 from surprise leaders Brighton.

Asked whether the gap to the top two is already becoming difficult to bridge despite the season still having 34 games remaining, he said: “It could get a whole lot bigger, it could get a lot shorter as well. It’s up to us to try and cut the gap.

“There are some good sides up there and Hull showed what a good side they are the other night.

“I look across the whole league and I think Birmingham came here, they’re doing really well, they look like a good side. Huddersfield look like a good side, Bristol City, who were propping the league up, look like a good side.

“There are no mugs in the league and we’ve just got to do our damnedest to get back to winning ways.”

The Blues haven’t scored for three games and McCarthy admits that given his strike force goals weren’t something he anticipated being a problem.

“It is a surprise,” he said. “It’s not something that we’ve stopped working at, we continue to work at that and we’ve got players with really good ability in the final third.

“I can’t do anything about the ones that have gone. We’ll keep working towards the Forest game and hopefully we can test their keeper far more.”

Having switched to a 4-3-3 formation at the KC Stadium in midweek, McCarthy isn’t ruling out utilising that system rather than his more usual 4-4-2 again in the future.

“Possibly, we’ll have a look at Forest and see what they’re doing,” he added. “It did work well, I would take that first 35 minutes at Hull in every away game we ever play in, but we let our guard down.

“I have to say it was a good goal by them and the one that really cost us was the second just before half-time.”


The East Midlanders, who are subject to a Financial Fair Play embargo, have also been enduring a tough spell of late, although they were close to winning at home to Burnley in midweek until the Clarets grabbed a 90th minute equaliser to make it 1-1, 15 minutes after Henri Lansbury’s red card had reduced Forest to 10 men.

Dougie Freedman’s side are 16th, three points behind the Blues and have gone five games without a win. Their only home victory this season came against Rotherham in August.

“I keep hearing about their embargo and other things but we all have injuries, we all have problems, we all have our difficulties,” McCarthy said.

“It’s for all of us just to get on with it and to try and make the most of what we’ve got. That’s something I’ve learnt over the years.”

He admits neither team is likely to be high in confidence going into the match: “We’ll find out, won’t we? We’ll go up there to try and win, there’s no question about that.

“But if there are two teams who have just been suffering a little bit then hardly any of us will be brimming with confidence in terms of playing.

“But it’s incredible how that can change so quickly - you get a goal early on maybe. We played well on Tuesday for 35 minutes, we were fine and had we got the goal, who knows our confidence might have been brimming this week.

“But we didn’t, it was Hull that got it. So we’ll go and try and do the same again, try and play well and this time score.”

Town almost claimed their first win at the City Ground since the 1999/00 promotion season last October but the Blues conceded a late Michail Antonio goal and the match ended 2-2.

“It was, and from a restart, from a corner kick which we’re usually better at defending than that, that’s for sure.

“I think they’ve got their problems in terms of injuries, they’re having a difficult time. But somebody will be interviewing Dougie Freedman and saying ‘A win from anywhere would be good and Ipswich are struggling, they’ll be coming here on Saturday…’. It’s a big game for both of us.”

Former Blues loanee Jonny Williams could make his first start for Forest against Town with McCarthy well aware of the danger the Crystal Palace man presents.

“He’s a fabulous player, he’s not started for them but maybe the injuries and the suspensions that they’ve got will force him into the team,” he said.

“I’m not sure I’d be delighted with that, in fact I wouldn’t be because we all know the damage he can do. But it’ll be nice to see him, he’s great lad, he did really well for us.”

McCarthy says Williams was still not fully fit from the thigh injury he suffered when with the Blues last season when he was assembling his squad in the summer.

“He was still injured and we’d put our squad together. Of course I’d always consider Jonny but once I’d got the squad together there wasn’t room for him anyway, sadly.

“He played against Andorra for Wales, he’s not been playing for Forest but they’ve got a few injuries so he might play on Saturday, that would worry me.”

McCarthy looks set to stick with Dean Gerken in goal with Jonas Knudsen at left-back. Christophe Berra is a doubt with a hip problem sustained at Hull on Tuesday and if the Scotland international misses out then the Blues boss may be forced into a reshuffle at the back.

Skipper Luke Chambers could move into the centre from the right alongside Tommy Smith with either Jonny Parr or Josh Emmanuel at right-back, while Piotr Malarczyk is an alternative option to come in at the centre of the defence.

In central midfield, Cole Skuse will return if fit having missed the game at Hull with an ankle problem. McCarthy may feel that three games in a week is too much for 32-year-old Jonathan Douglas with Kevin Bru likely to start if either of this season’s two regular starters miss out.

On the left, the Town boss could give a second league start to Tommy Oar, who is back in training following the concussion he suffered in the Huddersfield match. Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be on the right, although another option might be to start Freddie Sears out wide.

That would allow David McGoldrick - who is expected to be fit after missing out in midweek with a groin problem - to partner Daryl Murphy, who netted twice in last season’s corresponding fixture.

Forest failed in a bid to sign former Blues midfielder Liam Trotter on loan from Bolton this week, although some reports claim that the deal could still go through [EDIT: the deal eventually went through on Saturday morning in time for Trotter to face his old club].

Skipper Lansbury starts his suspension following his red card in midweek, while defender Matt Mills serves the final game his ban for a dismissal in the home defeat to Hull.

Midfielder Ben Osborn is a doubt with a groin problem, while defender Michael Mancienne (knee), midfielders Chris Cohen (knee), Andy Reid (groin), Robert Tesche (foot) and Kyle Ebecilio (hamstring), and strikers Britt Assombalonga (knee) and Matty Fryatt (achilles) are all currently sidelined.

Blues captain Chambers joined Town on a Bosman free transfer after departing the City Ground in the summer of 2012, while striker McGoldrick signed on loan from Forest in January 2013 before putting pen to paper on a permanent deal the following summer.

Williams has so far made two sub appearances since joining Forest on loan from Palace. The Wales international had three stints on loan with the Blues in the last two seasons in which he scored two goals in 15 starts and five sub appearances.

Historically, Forest very much have the upper hand, winning 34 of the games between the two sides (31 in the league), 17 (16) ending in draws and Town winning 20 (19).

Town’s last win at the City Ground was back in December 1999 when Matt Holland netted in a 1-0 victory.

The Tricky Trees are without a win in five and have won just once at home this season, a 2-1 victory over Rotherham in August.

The teams last met at Portman Road in April in last season’s penultimate Championship match when Sears netted a deflected 83rd minute goal to see his side to a 2-1 win.

Murphy put the Blues, who moved up to fifth as a result of the win, in front with his 25th goal of the season on 22 but Berra’s 53rd minute own goal handed the visitors a lifeline before Sears’s late winner.

In October at the City Ground, Antonio’s injury time goal prevented the Blues from claiming the three points as the teams played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Murphy had twice put the Blues in front with Tesche having grabbed the home side’s first equaliser.

Saturday’s referee is Paul Tierney from Lancashire, who has shown 41 yellow cards and one red in 12 games so far this season.

Tierney’s most recent Town match was the 2-0 derby defeat to Norwich in March in which he booked Skuse, Tyrone Mings and two Canaries.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 3-1 home defeat to Barnsley in November 2010 and the after-extra-time 1-0 Carling Cup win at Crewe three months earlier.

Town squad from: Gerken, Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Parr, Emmanuel, Knudsen, Berra, Smith, Malarczyk, Skuse, Douglas, Bru, Coke, McDonnell, Maitland-Niles, Touré, Sears, Pitman, Murphy, McGoldrick.


Photo: Action Images



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Bob7881 added 13:32 - Oct 23
Please do not mention Sir Bobby and MM in the same sentence. Sir bobby believed in total football a pass and move game and his teams entertained where ever he managed. MM the younger man for some reason holds onto the philosophy of kick it up the pitch and hope for the best. Win lose or draw his game is not for me. If fans are happy that winning is everything and not the style of play thats a sad state of affairs and shows how backwards our club has become.
12

bohslegend added 14:31 - Oct 23
@Bob7881 Pretending to be ultra protective of Sir Bobby's legacy by being disrespectful to MM is cheap.
-6

sidtheswan added 14:54 - Oct 23
Bart in goal in league 3 games 7 points . Gerks in goal 9 games 9 points. Any coincidence ?
10

SheptonMalletBlue added 15:29 - Oct 23
I think Bert & Ernie should sling their hook!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
0

Bluetone added 17:56 - Oct 23
Bet McCarthy played kick and rush as a kid, come to think of it he hasn't really progressed.
1

essex57 added 19:20 - Oct 23
Bob7881 don't know if you heard the Thiyseen Muhuren interview a few weeks ago when they were first signed they said that they had sore necks because the ball spent so much time in the air they arrived and brought that touch of class so things haven't really changed we just haven't and are unlikely to get 2 players with their skills.
Whilst on the subject of the old days we had two keepers Cooper and Sivell who were only good club keepers but they had great protection in front of them messers Hunter And Beattie.
-2

bohslegend added 20:23 - Oct 23
@bluetone how can you mark down @essex57's comment? His point is well made, our blue tinted memories of the halcyon Robson-era days prevents us from recalling that even that team evolved over plenty of years into the sleek and sexy football playing team we still cherish.
-1

essex57 added 20:50 - Oct 23
Bohslegend cheers mate there's certain people on here who would mark me down if I said tomorrow's Saturday
0

afrodids added 20:59 - Oct 23
change the team , change the record MM wake up and smell the coffee or you can for coffee!!
2

TimmyH added 21:10 - Oct 23
"We're far from the position we were in three years ago and the club is in a different position now." - carry on playing like we have over the last few weeks and we won't be far from that position Mick, time to start managing rather than hoping that your tried and trusted will get their game back together and that means means dropping a few of the players.
2

warktheline added 21:22 - Oct 23
@essex57, stop playing the victim, you are without doubt the worst culprit for down marking without any care or consideration to constructive posts.
Are you seriously suggesting apart from the Dutch years, we have continually played hoof ball!
@bohslegend, have you worked out why McCarthy continues to play 3 centre backs, or are you of the opinion blindness beats bewilderment! Hear, see, speak no evil!!!!!
4

KiwiTractor added 21:51 - Oct 23
Why does McCarthy always change our shape to match the opposition, why not play to our strengths and let the opposition worry about us?

I know this next bit is pointless me saying, as Mick won't change his defence unless injury enforced but....

Please play Bart
Please don't play Chambers at rightback
Please play Parr at leftback
Please don't play both Skuse and Douglas at the same time
Please play Bru
Please don't play Sears wide
Please start Didzy

Right, I think I'm done. And Mick, I did say please.
10

Bluetone added 22:29 - Oct 23
@warktheline
Essex57 and bobslegend in their rush to defend the indefensible McCarthy's chosen lack of style conveniently forget we had then a midfield with real pace Wark and Talbot proper wing backs Mills and Burley they in trying to claim that team played hoofball is pure insanity. And that is why I downed it.
2

Bert added 22:55 - Oct 23
Seems like too many folk on here think they know all the answers. Sepp Blatter thought he did too and look what's happened to him - deluded by his own thoughts. Cut the crap, support the club through difficult times and remember that this league is bonkers so there's all to play for.






-4

thebeat added 23:06 - Oct 23
We could lose 20 games in a row and bohslegend and essex57 would still think the sun shines out of Micks backside.
Im sick and tired of hearing he saved us 3 years ago.In football terms that was a long time ago. We scraped into the playoffs last season after blowing it in the second half of the season after he reinstalled "the undroppables" in defence after that great run we had with Parr at fullback. Our form in 2015 is pitiful. This isnt an overnight problem, a bad run, this is 10 months of gradually going downhill.
Heres a few questions all of which have the same answer and for me prove you cant defend the indefensable.
Is Gerken a better keeper than Bart?
Is Chambers a rightback?
Is Smith good enough on the right side of the central pairing?
Is Knudsen better than Parr?
Does Douglas bring anything to the team?
Do you need 2 water carrier type midfielders in your team, especially at home against the likes of Bristol City and Huddersfield?
Do you shunt your quickest striker and best finisher out on to the wing?
Do you regularly leave your only creative player on the bench?
Of course we all know the answer to all of those is NO.
Ladies and Gentlemen i rest my case.......
7

planetblue_2011 added 01:42 - Oct 24
Hope mick makes another 5 changes which I would like to see.

Team I'd play

BART

EMMANUEL
CHAMBO
SMITH
PARR

TOARE
SKUSE
BRU
OAR

MCGOLDRICK
SEARS

subs - GERKEN - BERRA - KNUDSEN - COKE - M NILES
- PITMAN - MURPHY

McGoldrick needs to play up top with Sears. Bring in Bru & change full backs & keeper. Also try Toare & Oar on wings!!
COYB 2.1 win oooohhhh what have I done 👍
2

stevelincsexile added 06:53 - Oct 24
I would go along with that team Planetblue 2011. Three games in a week and a day off work has cost an arm and a leg although admittatly two are not as far for me to travel as the rest of you but we will still make some noise let's hope they give us something to make some noise about and that MM makes the changes we need COYB.
1

stevelincsexile added 07:00 - Oct 24
Bluestone not wanting to be to critical because I am not downing you but I would not say that Wark had a lot of pace, he was a converted from a central defender to midfield and was a box to box player who could defend and a score goals but he was not the quickest.
0

warktheline added 08:37 - Oct 24
@bert, what the hell has Sepp Blatter got to do with it,maybe it's you who needs to cut the crap!
1

essex57 added 09:02 - Oct 24
Well guys just getting ready to leave for the game hope town win I will be giving my usual 100% from the terraces come what may.
1

Kirbmeister added 09:19 - Oct 24
I'm resigned to finishing mid table whatever side we play this season. Hate to admit it though.
0

prebsa added 09:22 - Oct 24
@thebeat spot on!
3

Bob7881 added 10:10 - Oct 24
This site proves we all have opinions on the team manager etc. Ive been spoilt in my football upbringing. Im sure we are all united in wanting good times for Town we have had some terrible times in recent years. I thought last was the turning point as MM said the football would come after he got us up the right end of the table, sadly nothing has moved on. Im sorry but I firmly believe that MM is not capable of turning out a free flowing football team. His teams are hard working can fans truly say that is what his current team is doing? Any way good luck today lets hope for a win to lift the gloom.
2

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 10:44 - Oct 24
Agree that we need to stick together to get out of this rut, but I think this rather says it all: "Derby - but then they've spent a few quid so they're entitled to have a consistent run." I hope the season is not finished already for the lack of a little investment, but we'll soon know. Anyway, I'm over for Cardiff and Bolton and will be expecting 6 points!
0

prebsa added 10:47 - Oct 24
@bert "this league is bonkers" it's like MM has made a TWTD account
1


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