It would be wrong to even consider a change of manager at Portman Road according to Town defender Tommy Smith.

It may not be the majority view but a number of fans have voiced the opinion that the team’s recent dip in form should see Mick McCarthy’s three-year reign come to an end.

But Smith, 25, could hardly be more opposed to that view and said: “In this day and age it’s so easy and you see so many clubs doing that, but we have a good owner and let’s not be funny about it, we also have one of the best managers in the league. He has a proven track record and I don’t think you can judge it on 14 games.”

Smith remembers only too well the situation the club was in when McCarthy succeeded Paul Jewell on November 1st, 2012, bottom of the Championship with just seven points from the first 13 games of the season.

He added: “We were almost doomed and written off by a lot of people. But the gaffer came in and turned that around, and we even made the play-offs last year.

“The expectation is that much higher but we have one of the best managers in the league and I am sure we will turn our form around.

“That season, before the gaffer came in, was probably one of the worst times for the club in a long, long time. He did well to turn that around and make us a successful team and that’s what we are going to get back to being this season.”

Smith, the longest-serving member of the Portman Road playing staff, believes there were enough positives in Saturday’s goalless draw with Cardiff to face the immediate future with confidence.

Maybe the stats don’t make good reading at the moment — one win in 10 league games, none in the last seven, no home wins in five and just one goal scored in the last five outings.

But Smith & Co go into tonight’s home clash with lowly Bolton, which is followed by a trip to face rock-bottom Rotherham in four days’ time, determined to end the depressing run that has seen Town drop from second top to 14th place.

Smith looked back over Town’s last 10 games and said: “We had a couple of bad results where we were conceding too many goals and we had to get back to what made us a successful team last season and at the beginning of this season, so that’s what we have been trying to do over the last couple of games.

“Obviously, there was a disappointment at the end of the Forest game, when we should have got all three points and had to settle for just one, but Saturday’s performance was back where we want to be and now we just need to try to score some goals at the other end.

“I said before in an interview that we maybe thought we were better than what we actually were. We went away from doing the things that made us successful and started trying to play too expansively in the wrong areas.

“It was costing us and we were conceding too many goals. The gaffer has addressed it and told us to get back to what made us successful before, which is what we are trying to do.”

Smith fully understands the rising level of frustration among supporters after Town finished last term in the play-offs and then took 10 points from their first four league fixtures of the current campaign.

He added: “From last season the expectations are that much higher this time around but no one has higher expectations for us than ourselves.

“We’re just as disappointed as the fans are with the run we’re on and we’re doing all we can to overturn that.”

Photo: Action Images

jert16 added 06:59 - Nov 3 Spot on Tommy! COYB
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DurhamTownFan added 08:21 - Nov 3 All of this has to be read in context: - Mick loves a big lad who will put his head in where it hurts (like Smith) - Mick has shown constant faith in Smith through thick and thin, even after some high-profile errors (think vs Derby at home last season) - Mick clearly tells Smith that he can play as a right-sided centre-back, despite his clear discomfort at kicking with his right foot, often causing uncomfortable half-turns and passes back to the keeper Is it any wonder that Smith loves Mick? Would another manager have 'rested' Smith at some point over the last couple of years?

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HarryS_H added 08:29 - Nov 3 Durhamtownfan your comment was the biggest load of rubbish I have read since the first mick out claim! Tommy has been our best defender this year, fact and mick is as tommy says one of if not the best manager in the league. Tommy couldn't be more right with what hes said I'm glad the players still have faith in the team unlike many stupid fans!!
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grumpyoldman added 08:34 - Nov 3 HarryS is Durham town fan wrong in any of the things he states, Smith is a strong defender yes but playing him on the right side does not help him in any way. Just because some disagree with your opinion does not make them stupid.
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Cakeman added 08:46 - Nov 3 Stupid fan Cakeman agrees with DurhamTownFan and also respects his opinion!
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thebeat added 08:52 - Nov 3 Spot on DurhamTownFan. Of course Smiths gona praise him. He plays him out of position just to keep him in the team when he has a better option.
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theipswichman added 09:05 - Nov 3 What is this 'better option' you speak of ^^, Chambers who has been poor every time he played centre back this season? Were not conceding goals, the trouble is were not scoring them and I don't get why every gets at Smiths distribution when Berra's is just as bad if not worse..
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Jimmy86 added 09:07 - Nov 3 I would say that based on this season Smith has possibly been a best defender, even though he's played on his wrong side!!! He's been better than Berra, who has been out of sorts and form for most of this season. So on form alone if anyone would drop out it should be Berra?? The Chambo/Smith partnership was what kept us in the championship and was really successful. The CB problem arises coz Mick can't chose between Smith and Berra, to partner Chambo, which then shunts Chambo to RB.

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thebeat added 09:51 - Nov 3 theipswichman we all know Chambers should have been alongside Berra for more than 2 years now. Its much better balanced and Chambers is better in that right sided position than Tommy. And of course Chambers gets regularly targetted and ripped apart at right back aswell which doesnt help the situation. Its no coincidence that our best spell both result and entertainment wise came last season when Chambers was alongside Berra with Parr at rightback. I do agree with you tho that Chambers has looked shaky this season when playing at centre half, bit i'd lay that at Micks door, him continually playing Chambers at rightback has now ruined him as a centre half. Hes not used to playing there anymore. What he should have done in the summer and the summer before that is actually BUY a rightback and Chambers could have spent the whole pre season getting used to playing at Centre half again. But he wont do that cus that would mean dropping one of "The Undroppables". 3 summers and not once has he even come close to buying an actual orthodox rightback. What other manager would do that for so long just to accomodate his favourites? And before anybody says the kid at Hearts was close to signing he was another centre half who can play rightback not a specialist rightback.

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Jimmy86 added 10:01 - Nov 3 Thebeat would you not say Smith has been Berra over the course of this season?? Berra has been poor by his standards and Smith has been better than him on current form. This season if anyone should have dropped out it was Berra, in my eyes anyway
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Jimmy86 added 10:03 - Nov 3 *better
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Surco72 added 10:04 - Nov 3 Harry S ... if Mick is the best manager in the league and this is the best squad we have had , as Mick has quoted why are we in the bottom half of the table ? I would have said my old managers were the best ever if I was never dropped however I played like our back four !!
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battyblue added 11:14 - Nov 3 MM has a proven track record of taking teams so far and then hitting a brick wall as he has now done here with poor selection poor tactics and being stubborn his missed his chance to take us up last season by playing not to loose when we should have been going all out to win,,he will not do it again so time for a change ...take a risk with someone coming into management Paul Scoles maybe or Patric Evra if available soon.

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thebeat added 11:23 - Nov 3 Jimmy86 yes I agree Berra started the season poorly, he was clearly not 100% match sharp. As of late hes improved and is getting back towards his best. Smith has done ok but you can still feel the nervousness in the ground when the balls played down his right hand, he's clearly not comfortable on that side hence why he turns inside on to his left foot and hoofs it down the right wing and out for a throw at least 5 times a game. My point is when all are 100% fit Chambers and Berra are the obvious pairing out of the 3 but for 2 and a half years barring that spell last season when Mick grew a pair and went with a balanced back 4 they haven't been given the opportunity to play together simply because Mick doesn't want to upset Smith.

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Seasider added 13:12 - Nov 3 Not only does he not want to upset Smithy;but also Berra,Skuse and Chambers as well. Think one can glean a bit from players remarks,even though they are always positive and supportive.Tommy says above that they had tried to play a bit more expansive;but had to revert to previous way of playing. Interesting to know why Mick tried to do something different for a change;but looks like we will have to make do with hoofball etc for the foreseeable future. Playing this type of football enabled the club to scrape into the playoffs due to Murphs goals and Derby's collapse,neither of which will happen this year I fear,and MM is so stilted in his approach,he would have to be replaced if ITFC ever get to Prem,as his type of football is alien to the top flight,and we would immediately be relegated,unless he changes his stance which is unlikely after 20 years.

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GAZ1234 added 13:46 - Nov 3 Mick will not drop any of the 3 as he believes them to be his best defenders. The obvious answer would therefore be... play Chambers, Berra, Smith (in that order) as a back 3 together with 2 wingbacks!
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roytheboy added 13:48 - Nov 3 Mick has the experience and desire to get us winning again, it would be ridiculous to get rid of him, I'm confident of a win tonight and looking forward to being there COYB.
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Berts_chin added 13:53 - Nov 3 When Mick first paired Smith and Berra in central defence, it was Berra that played on the right. I thought that they looked a far more effective and comfortable partnership in that format.
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MattinLondon added 15:33 - Nov 3 If MM was considered 'one of the best' then lets face it he wouldn't be our manager and he would be in the top flight. That said MM is very very good at galvinising team spirit, keeping it very simple and getting average players to play at a different level. But as soon as he reaches that brick wall he cannot navigate round it. To MM is the footballing version of a super-headmaster who has been parachuted into a failing school. He gets grades back on track, expells all the rotten apples and then goes on to a similar school.

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cats_whiskers added 17:57 - Nov 3 He has certainly assured himself of a nice Xmas card from Mick for that statement
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HarryS_H added 08:46 - Nov 4 Surco72 and grumpyoldman I appreciate your opinions as I did with durhamtown fan, I just feel that you are completely wrong... Many fans look at tommy smith and his performances and highly under appreciate his work this year. Even pplaying out of position he has been our best defender this year and his rigjt foot has vastly improved!! If you looked at his performance last night you wouldn't have known he was left footed that was how good he was playing yhe ball on his right. As for those of you who say of course he's supporting them, well aren't you glad the team still believe without that hope and desire that the fans definitely didn't have we would have lost all the games we've drawn and as it is mick and the players still had fight in them and we are 4 points off playoffs. Stop your moaning!!!!!

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HarryS_H added 08:47 - Nov 4 Tommy is our best defender without a doubt!!!
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