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McCarthy: No Point in Making Signings Just for the Sake of It
Saturday, 6th Feb 2016 06:00

Town boss Mick McCarthy says he wasn’t going to sign players who were no better than those already in his squad during the January transfer window.

While other clubs in the promotion hunt spent money to add to their squad - most notably Middlesbrough who signed former Blue Jordan Rhodes for £9 million - sixth-placed Town were quiet in the transfer market, leading to criticism from some sections of the support.

“I haven’t got the cash to splash in the transfer market, let’s clear that up!” McCarthy said when quizzed on the Blues’ lack of business, the only January additions having been free agent Kevin Foley, a like-for-like replacement for the departing Jonny Parr, and Paul Digby, signed on loan from Barnsley with a view to the future.

“I think I’ve told you, I can’t do better than the 11 I’ve got on the pitch without spending a lot of money. And I haven’t got a lot of money to spend.

“I’m not in the market for going out and getting mediocrity just for the sake of it or [signing] somebody else just for the sake of it. They’re going to have to come in and be better than what I’ve got.”

He says in the current market it’s perfectly possible to pay out a fee of £1 million or so for a mediocre player.

“It could end up getting me somebody that’s not as good as I’ve got in the team so I just don’t see the point in doing it,” he added. “If there are millions there I don’t see the point in doing that.”

However, Town weren’t entirely inactive during the window with McCarthy reiterating that enquiries were made for some younger players, having previously said that they were “non-starters really in terms of the money”.

He added: “We did actually bid for some of the younger ones that I thought would eventually make us better or strengthen the squad, but that didn’t work out for whatever reason.”

Meanwhile, former Blues midfielder Byron Lawrence, 19, has joined Vanarama National South Bishop’s Stortford, having recently left Colchester United.


Photo: Action Images



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bedsitfc added 06:21 - Feb 6
It's a shame about Byron Lawrence he was tipped to be another jack Wiltshire by some when in our under 21's now dropping out of the pro leagues
2

battyblue added 06:24 - Feb 6
And that's why we will be in the championship still next season and will be there until someone shows some ambition at Ipswich town fc.
12

LimitlessBlue added 06:35 - Feb 6
It is not just about 11 players though Mick, we need strength in depth and as Portsmouth batterred us twice against our second team we really don't have strength in depth! a few key injuries and we would be buggered! - it's risky to run this club on a shoestring, which of co urse is not the fault of MM.
8

Sir_Bob added 06:43 - Feb 6
It sounds as though MM is hurt by all the criticism.
He's got a point, we do have some good lads who cost nothing, or next to nothing. But we've also got some absolute dross that cost nothing, which HE signed. Surely they could have been replaced.
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sidtheswan added 07:22 - Feb 6
We need strength in depth to create more competition for places to motivate the squad . That's all !
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jong75 added 07:32 - Feb 6
I think mccarthy has done an amazing job with the budgets he has to work with, but the lack of ambition from the club as a whole has me questioning do we want to go up? Our owner would become higher profile if in the prem, and mr evans seems to want fly under the radar. Also if the club has 100 million in the bank, not so tax efficient for the rest of the evans empire.
-1

prebbs007 added 07:33 - Feb 6
Tosh again Mick. Milne told us Evans is ready to back his manager. To say we can't get better than Gerken, Chambers, Smith, Knudsen, Douglas, Murphy, Coke, Toure, Malrzyk etc etc is a joke. So who is lying here ??? Mick, Milne, Evans, the club, all of them ????

The fans are confused at best and being kept in the dark at worst. If there's no cash from our owner who has more money than the chairmen of Derby, Boro & Hull put together then it's his fault. If he is offering money then it's Micks fault. One thing for sure is its not the fans fault yet were the ones who suffer watching below average players massively over achieving and playing dire football.

Tell us the truth at least please rather than conflicting stories.
20

70s_Legend added 07:42 - Feb 6
So the only point in selling our best player for £8m was to balance the books and not to reinvest in the squad. Give Mick less the 5% back and pocket the rest. What we have done if nobody made a bid for Mings? We certainly would have had a better shot at promotion but does Evans really need to take nearly all of the money away from Mick to keep the club going? I thought selling Mings and reinvesting the money was our best chance of promotion but that cleay never was the intention. Mick is working miracles if Evans is really keeping the purse strings that tight.
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atty added 07:42 - Feb 6
Agree with others no real strength in depth save for say up front Murphy Didz Sears Pitman Varney. It is what it is - a team of free agents and loaneees, over achieving in some respects, which I guess reflects well on McCarthy and his staff. We are competing with teams that are spending more be it from Owners money and/or parachute payments. So in terms results/league position McCarthy must be doing a great job with what he's got. That said it ain't great to watch, in fact a lot of the time it's ugly. Surely it wouldn't take much tweeking to improve the quality of the play.One hardworking agressive but creative midfielder, one centre back who could play from the back when required, ie a more versatile CB. Full backs? However, with no money to spend that's a big ask.
2

Len_Brennan added 07:54 - Feb 6
I agree with the overall point prebbs is making as to being td we have money to spend when needed in the past, although I wouldn't have thrown Murphy, Chambers & Smith into the mix, the last 2 not playing in their preferred & best positions, but certainly having been good enough when playing right & left centre half respectively.
I know there are financial realities & the club has debts, but as others have pointed out, those debts are to Marcus Evans Inc. For the last 18 months have have had a squad on the cusp of promotion to the premier league - an exceptional achievement by Mick given the money he's had to work with. The sale of Cresswell & Mings have brought in over £11.5m in transfer funds (or at least the guarantee of that amount in the immediate future), so there has been to potential to reinvest even a modest amount of it on transfer fees, say £2.5/£3m, and still knock £8m+ off our debt. I know there are wages to pay, but we've let some players go too and I'm convinced attendances would be rising instead of dropping had we shown that ambition.
The real pity is that squad was looking strong, all thanks to Mick's work, but just needed that extra bit of quality in 2 or 3 areas to make us almost certainties for a top 6 finish & contenders for an automatic spot.
The team against Portsmouth & the bench against Reading, bar Pitman, also showed just how weak the squad is & Mick could certainly have brought in better than that during the window.
4

ITFCGloryDays added 08:12 - Feb 6
Interesting words, '...
“I haven't got the cash to splash in the transfer market, let's clear that up!” McCarthy said.
And yet;
www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/27589/milne-mings-cash-will-be-reinvested-in-team
Curious. Not forgetting the Cresswell money.
12

Suffolk_n_Proud added 08:19 - Feb 6
People are obviously drawing their own conclusions to micks words but this is how I read it;
Can't spend 9 million on one player like some teams but can spend 1 or 2 million on a player but that only buys average players these days and I already have too many of them sothere is no point
9

CavendishBlue added 08:21 - Feb 6
Len Brennen

You're forgetting , as everybody else does , that ME has subsidised losses @£5m per year for 7 seasons now!!!!

Other than that , couldn't agree more.COYB!!!!
2

Keaneish added 08:48 - Feb 6
Pritchard, Powell, McGeady, Sidwell, Knockhaert - all players available mostly in loan who would have improved our squad so I don't agree. Another thing, what happened to the blend of youth and experience we used to have through utilising our academy? Other than Bishop and possibly Emmanuel, has anyone else had a look in!? 3 and a half years and 2 players, one of which is perpetually injured!

Those 5 million losses which Evans subsidises would be a lot less if Portman Road was full every week and cup runs were a thing of value.
13

ChrisFelix added 08:50 - Feb 6
Going back to August were Douglas & Coke any better than what we had. Burleys team won promotion because he gambled in buying Stewart. All our team needs a creative midfield player, not half a team
8

GoldieBlue added 08:55 - Feb 6
His is right about the value of players nowadays. Can't get any proven championship players for less than a million, unless towards the end of their contract etc.

Think we desperately need mcgoldrick and Bishop back, and to be fair if we signed 2 players of that quality and creativity in January people would no longer be moaning. However how much would that cost us, we turned down 8 mill for Mcgoldrick and we could probably get 5 mill for bish because of his age.

We will never have the strength in depth like others, but with everyone fit we have definitely got a top 6+ first 11.
0

christiand added 09:16 - Feb 6
Got a bit of sympathy here for MM, the way I'm interpreting his comments is he has funds available, but not enough to make a significant difference. So a bit of spin from our board I would say!
0

brittaniaman added 09:20 - Feb 6
In hindsight we could have got 8 million for McGoldrick and he would have been in the Leicester sick bay at the moment (who could well afford it) also 4 million for Murphy who has not really turned heads this season. with 12 million we could have strengthened the team without Evans having to dip in his pocket ??????
4

Keaneish added 09:25 - Feb 6
Great point Brittaniaman.
0

Mr_Evans added 09:34 - Feb 6
It is fustrating but from what I read MM explains that he probably does have the freedom to spend about £1m on a player, but that doesn't buy him the quality that he wants. I wonder that it may just a case of waiting for the right player. He doesn't seem the type or go and panic buy, but if a player he wants comes up at the price he wants then he would probably go and get him. Many fans are calling for a creative midfielder but I can't see how that would fit in with our team? We can't drop Skuse or Bish when fit, and Fraser must play. I think we have one of the most gifted and creative players in the league in McGoldrick. Once he returns our best 11 would be:
- Gerks or Bart
Chambers - Smith - Berra - Knudsen
- Skuse
Fraser - Bishop
McGoldrick
- Sears & Murphy

I feel Fraser would sit wide, while Bishop would come in centrally, Sears would have freedom to drift out wide and McGoldrick would have the freedom to strut his stuff. If only our back four could learn to look up for a pass rather than lump it forward. Imagine Skuse turning on the ball and having those 5 players infront of him to pick out! Ahhhhhh!!
1

Manchesterblue added 09:39 - Feb 6
Cant find anyone better, then employ better scouts, scummers picked up a bloke from Dartford for less than 100k, If we had spent money on a player the whole place would have been given a lift
2

GoldieBlue added 09:49 - Feb 6
See your point Brittaniaman, however be realistic we aren't reinvesting into the squad.

We got 12 Million with Mings and Cresswell we spent £100k on Sears. Evans wasted all that money with Keane and Jewell, he's trying to cover some of the losses.

2

Keaneish added 09:50 - Feb 6
Great point Brittaniaman.
1

Mr_Evans added 10:03 - Feb 6
Brittaniaman - I doubt it would have been a straight cash deal. We could have sold McGoldrick of they'd have given £7m there and then. It was probably only about £3m with add ons. Similar to the Cresswell deal.
0

bluey123 added 10:12 - Feb 6
I think we need to realise Evans has no love of the club and he pays McCarthy and Milne to be his mouth piece saying what they are paid to say we owed around 70 m when Evans took over we now owe over 85m after the cut backs he has made and the sale of various players Cresswell and Mings and others so where is that money it's not invested in wages as a lot of players have taken wage drops .
This club is all about hiding the truth and lying to supporters .
Then we come to the ground the sound system has not worked in parts of the Coop stand for months the pitch is a disgrace which cannot be caused by playing football as there is none.
2


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