I would ask tractorinthe loft why he considers we cant compete with Middlesbrough where budgets are concerned.
I would agree that we cant compete with Hull Burnley or Fulham who have parachute money,and even Derby who get bigger gates than us partly because they play better football.
But Boro who I think you will find have gates on a par,or even less than us;and no parachute money?
The agents fees recently published show ITFC to be one of the minnows in this league now,as most of our players cost nothing in transfer fees.
Mick has done a terrific job in the stringent financial climate that Evans has imposed on him;but we have better Premiership facilities than several teams currently in the top flight,potentially larger crowds and a bigger ground capacity.
All that we seem to lack is for Mr Evans to remove the financial straight jacket.

Back on topic,the Greatest Living Yorkshireman needs I feel to temper his praise a little for the back five and think of the other players he has who he has given no incentive to improve whatsoever by the fulsome praise he has heaped on the favourite five.

McDiddle, you maybe happy with what you see, those of us who are not are entitlled to vent our frustration when we are not.

To those of you say, we have no right to criticise because we dont know better i say this. 3 totally left footed players across the back four, the only right footed player is played out of position. Then to suggest Knudson is as good replacement for mings, priceless comments.

Deluded if he really believes that. I think Gerken's 3 'remarkable' saves were very overhyped. One was brilliant but two of them any keeper would save. Still don't think he or Bart are good enough to be number 1 but Bart's still better. Chambers at right back gives me kittens and if anyone believes Knudsen's better than Parr then they need their eyes testing.

Lets see how the defence and keeper cope against Boro, Derby, Brighton, Fulham and QPR in December. Gerken is a decent shot stopper, but not a great keeper in my opinion. Defence doesn't look as good as last season.

Apart from Knudsen in for Mings (who was good but not and occasionally Bart for Gerks with mixed results, it's the same back 5 that were so hard to score against for large parts of last season. And when Mick first arrived our back 5 had Cresswell and was rubbish but Mick sorted it out and 4 of them are still there today. So I agree that Gerks is not a consistent and top class keeper, and that Chambo isnt the fastest and is played out of position, and Knudsen isnt yet a great signing, but its essentially the same back 5 we had last season and so it may just be a matter of time before it clicks again, just like Murphy took 1/3rd of this season to get a goal after 27 last season. For about 8 games this season (incl the Man U game), the only two goals our so called elite strike force scored was a Pitman penalty and Sears' consolation goal in the 5-1 thrashing at Reading. I was not happy that the back 5 have not been working as well as last season, but I dont think you can blame Mick for sticking with a back 5 we were proud of for the previous 18 months.

Sorry, meant to start - Apart from Knudsen in for Mings (who was good but not always consistent and was never worth 8m) and occasionally Bart for Gerks with mixed results.....

Dissboyitfc ............ your post summarises well just how absurd some of MM's thinking and comments are - win,lose, or draw - it cannot be right to have 3 left footed players, and one right footed player out of position across the back four.

One of the reasons the defence is / has struggled this season, is because it doesn't take einstein of an opposition Manager to suss this scenario out - expose accordingly, and capitalise.

Stands out like the proverbial sore thumb.

Acid test will be on Friday against a very consistent and decent Middlesbrough side. I'm not convinced by our current back 5, they concede too many goals and at times are too much of a soft touch. Let's see the outcome, I'm more than happy eating humble pie, if proved wrong, after all I thought Gerken had a very solid game on Saturday. If we keep another clean sheet I'll be as pleased as punch. COYBs

ACID TEST on Friday people - lets all hope we pass it ..... !!!!

Maybe some 'smug' can come into it IF we pass this test - I for one will be more than pleased.

Am I confident ? .... NO.

More than prepared to hold my hands up IF we do though - and I'll do my best to be one of the first one's on here to praise - one and all.

Let's not set out for 'a point' please - if we do - we'll lose.

gippeswyk look back at last season and see when we conceded the least goals. It was whenever Parr was in the team, and we played our best football when he was rightback with Chambers alongside Berra. It was balanced and the fullbacks provided the natural width in a 4-3-3 and also when Bart was in goal so your argument about the defence getting back to being hard to score against like last season is invalid while Bart and Parr arent in the side

Seasider - Boro and Derby can't afford their budget that's my point. They have benefactors willing to write it off in pursuit of the promised land. ME tried that, got bitten big time by the dark lord and has looked to balance the books a little better.

Re the Mings money comment. This has allowed MM to invest in a deeper squad. Without it ME would be writing off his cash again just for us to go backwards. Take a look at Bolton.

Without ME we would be Toast, without MM we would be Coventry.

........ obviously it does take einstein to suss our back four out ........ !!!!!!!!! .... or at least two think so.

Underlines the fact that some haven't a clue ........... and never will have.

Does anybody really think the manager should come out in public to criticise any of the players by saying they are not good enough???

I mean seriously!! Do you really expect MM to attend a press conference and say bad things about any of the players? What manager would? Is there an example somewhere of how that works and gets the best out of players?

All this "lets wait till Friday" nonsense. What kind of way is that to support a team? I very much doubt if any players do read the total B/S on this site (and I mean the comments are B/S Phil, not your own good work) and it's just as well they don't because rather than feeling "supported" they will feel like a bunch of budgie loving, six fingered cousin cuddlers have taken over a fan forum in order to constantly boo and hiss when anything happens that they think they would have done differently.

Bluetone, first down arrow. Meaning you disagree.

What do you disagree with? You think he should publicly criticise players?

Cooper,mills,burley,butcher,osman or hunter and beatie

bohslegend by constantly crowing about his favourites what does that say to the likes of Parr, our best fullback.
He cant wait to point out that even if he played like Pele,Moore and Maradona rolled into one when he gets his chance he would be straight out the next game when one of his boys are back.
Stats dont lie, we concede less and keep more clean sheets when Bart and/or Parr plays (in defence ).
Im sick of being accused of not being a fan/supporter just because i dont ignore clear mistakes and mis management. Its because i care so much i want these things fixed for the good of the team and the club.
Ive never said i want Mick to go even when he turned round and said the more fans wanted certain players in the more he would leave them out, all i want are players picked on merit in their proper positions and not on popularity with the boss.
We blew it after xmas last season because he wouldnt go back to the balanced back 4 in a 4-3-3 that worked so well prior to that and i dont want that to happen again. Its not rocket science a balanced back 4 is better than an unbalanced one every day of the week but for 3 seasons now apart from that small period last seaaon he has not had the cahones to drop one of his 3 centre halves.
Yes we are doing quite well but we could be doing better. Same as we could have finished slightly higher last season.
There is simply no excuse for going 3 summers in a row without buying a rightback.Apart from to accomodate someone.

@dissboyitfc - i've not once said you're not entitled to your opinions. I'm just pointing out that you and your cohorts need to see the wood from the trees and appreciate what we do have. The constant picking peanuts out of poo is tedious.

I am very happy with what i'm seeing cheers mate - Mick McCarthy came in with us sitting bottom of the championship, with a bunch of expensive loans and permanent primadonnas and we seemed destined for relegation. He's turned us into a solid championship team (for next to nothing), has built a team spirit that filters through to the fans (well most of them), and has every season done better than the last. Why should I be unhappy with that?

Deluded or stubborn, take your pick. How many points has this back line cost us. Bart is better. Statistics and mere observation show this.

One game does not make a season, win or lose. I won't be swayed by one good performance. I will consider the season as a whole. Doing so makes his comments laughable.

Mcdiddle, where's your aspirations? my cohorts and i want a proper right back and a right sided central defender, sinple really, as already stated it doesnt take einstein!

@guentchev - I was a fan of Stockdale once upon a time - he is not a top goalkeeper and will find himself in League 1 in the next few seasons I afraid to say.

And Cyrus Christie? Please be serious - no point in criticising the team selection if your replacements are the same if not worse! - Cyrus plays in a very good team - I'd like to see him play in a struggling team - he's a right back who goes forward <- doesn't mean he can defend!

@ bobsalegend
Quote "Bluetone, first down arrow. Meaning you disagree"
I disagree vehemently with your generally vitriolic abuse of anyone daring to think that the sun doesn't shine out of McCarthy's rectum.

Okay bluestone, so you disagree with my general attitude towards your negativity.

But I'd be really interested to know do you disagree with my point in this individual instance?

Do you think any manager should publicly slate his players by saying they shouldn't be in his team?

I suppose it is his best back five, but that back five will keep you in the bottom half of the championship. With the risk of repeating myself, top class goalkeeper, decent right back and a commanding central defender but we wont have any of these while we have Evans PLC

@bobslegend I have no interest in entering your world as I find people who denigrate the views of those who disagree with their views not worth engaging with.

That's a kop out bluetone.

And I see that the two people who continually name-call anyone who dares to have a different opinion have supported your comment that people shouldn't "denigrate" others views. Hilarious.