McCarthy: No Complaints About Style When We Were in the Top Six
Friday, 22nd Apr 2016 06:00

Boss Mick McCarthy says there were no complaints about his side’s style of play while Town were in the top six with the Blues manager feeling it’s results which have fuelled recent criticism, which in any case he believes may be being overstated.

“I think there’s a lot made of the criticism,” McCarthy said. “I’m not quite sure there’s that much criticism going round at me or the players. I might be being naive about that.

“I actually don’t seek to read it, I don’t seek to listen to it and I don’t seek to watch it. People will come and tell me and then I come in here [to see the media] and someone will say, ‘There’s a lot of criticism…’.

“I didn’t get that feel on Tuesday night. I get that people want to come and watch the team win, they want to see the team play well and we’ve not done either of those for a while, to be quite honest.

“I can’t affect what people say or think once it’s after the event. All I can do to affect it is getting the team to play well and win games.

“And, do you know what, over three and a half, nearly four years, I’ve done that particularly well.”

Regarding criticism of the eighth-placed Blues’ style of play, he added: “Do you think the MK Dons play a nice attractive game of football? Do you think Charlton play a nice attractive game of football?

“What about Bolton when we played up there? They’d all swap positions with me just sat here, let me tell you.

“I’m not being smug about that, that’s my approach to it. I’d love to play better but at the end of it I doubt very much that [owner] Marcus [Evans] would like me to be playing a wonderful brand of football and we get relegated, or anybody else for that matter.

“And it’s only just up until the Bolton game, I didn’t hear any complaints when we in the top six, not one complaint about how we were playing.

“So it’s results that determine people’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction and, of course, we’ve not been winning, but we’ve not been playing well, and that is a recipe for disaster, isn’t it? But there are a few that would swap.

“Fulham would swap our position, Leeds I guess would swap our position, Wolverhampton, all who have invested [more and are below us]. Sometimes it’s ‘Be careful what you wish for’.”

McCarthy believes his side, even if they haven’t reached the play-offs this season - they're currently eight points off the top six - have still punched above their weight.

“We had a really good chance, but if you analyse the league, Burnley, Middlesbrough, Hull, Brighton, Derby, Cardiff, they were in the Premier League two years ago,” he continued.

“So, there’s six of them. Sheffield Wednesday, they bought Gary Hooper, Aiden McGeady they’ve loaned.

“We’re eighth behind them. I reckon there are a few that have [spent a lot more than us below us]. We shouldn’t really be there in terms [of that].

“I’m still disappointed, I still think we had a real chance of getting in the top six and I’m not making any excuses for it, we’ve not been good over the last six weeks and certainly since the Bolton game.

“But there’s also a lot to be proud of as well and to think, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what, the lads in there are great’, and we could be at the other end and we’d be a lot worse, wouldn’t it?

“Some of the teams who have come here and think they’re better, better players, a better way of playing, better this, better that and we’re going to finish above them.

“It’s just a bit dull unfortunately now so everything’s wrong now, everything’s wrong. But it’s not.”

The Blues face leaders Boro at the Riverside on Saturday and McCarthy hopes Town can emulate their success in 2016/17.

“We would like to be where they are next season but that again is going to prove to be difficult if it’s Aston Villa, Newcastle, Sunderland or Norwich who come down with 100 million quid to spend,” he added.

“That’s going to make life difficult, depending on what players they keep and what they invest in the summer.

“But whatever we do, we’ll do our best to be competitive against anybody who we play against.”

Photo: Action Images

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muccletonjoe added 09:25 - Apr 22

It is easy for mm to come on and talk when the club is sitting in the top 10 places in the league. The problem imo is his lack of understanding that if we cintinue with this aort of form and these type of performances we will be in a relegarion season next year. Alarm bells should be ringing and quite clearly they are not. Mick is far from infallible as witnessed with the goalkeeping situation and luke hyams sending off. It is his arrogance which will be the costliest to this club.

muccletonjoe added 09:26 - Apr 22

awayfan added 09:36 - Apr 22

I don't often post on here but sorry Mick, I just can't stomach these comments..

Surely our aim should be to be successful by playing an Ipswich Town brand of football. Since the Sir Bobby era, that brand was attractive passing football based on finding or developing players like Muhren, Thijssen, Jason Dozzell, Magilton etc etc. We are now blessed to have Bishop & Dozzell jnr, but they need an opportunity to play in the right framework. That means a team that's encouraged to play the stylish football that our club stood for, and that we were so proud of, over several decades.

carsey added 09:40 - Apr 22

McCarthy you are talking sh!t3 and you know it. Me and people I sit near have been far from happy with your negative tactics and hoof ball style for a long time now. Most of us knew what we were going to get from the day you arrived and whilst you saved the club from relegation it has been horrendous to watch OUR club become what it has.
Please go away - anywhere - I don't care where you go, just go.

braveblue added 09:41 - Apr 22 What a Tossers he is becoming. If you don't read or listen to it how can you know? Tuesday night - did he not realise the cheers on 71 minutes for our first shot were ironic - of course he did. I really am giving up with this guy's head in the sand attitude.
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prebbs007 added 09:44 - Apr 22 Delusional Mick. There were lots of complaints !!!! The top 6 position papered over the cracks only !!!!
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nthstd added 09:58 - Apr 22 Wow. OK Mick move your dugout to the lwr sir Bobby and have a few conversations with those in there. Indeed pick any part of the ground and get your backside in and speak with the people who pat to watch.
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Daleyitfc added 10:06 - Apr 22 There were plenty : but as you don't read the press or comments on here, you wouldn't know that, same as you didn't know you were getting some stick from the fans until Radio Suffolk (fawningly of course) told you a week or so ago.
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Churchmanschild added 10:19 - Apr 22 Of course if he doesn't seek to read....listen...or watch the criticism it doesn't exist to him. Simple as that.
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Lightningboy added 10:28 - Apr 22

Mick seems intent on pi55ing off our supporters with some of his childish comments recently.
He's sounding more and more like a sulky teenage girl by the week.

Think he knows damn well that he's on a downwards spiral here & that his limited tactical style has been exposed big time over the last few months.

Cr@p football isn't acceptable at this club Mick - win,lose or draw - about time you woke up and realised that.

Hoofball added 10:40 - Apr 22 Mick your statements make me angry ! You are taking us town fans as mugs now.
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ArnieM added 10:42 - Apr 22

Well I complained about the hoof ball last season that's for sure. It was only tempered by the fact we made PO. But I can't say I've enjoyed watching HOW we play the game. This season has been utter crap. I've left PR early more this season because I'm bored shytless. And until this season I'd never done that in the 48 years I've been following the Club.

Something isn't right in the Club now and it's not all MM. Part of me actually WANTS Evans to sell us to someone else then we might have an owner willing to speculate more funds because without it Town are going nowhere.

karls_dad added 10:43 - Apr 22

ONE HUNDRED MILLION POUNDS FOR BEING CRAP!! THAT IS THE THE REWARD FOR BEING RELEGATED JUST WHAT IS THE FA SMOKING?
JUST WHAT CHANCE IN HELL DOES A TEAM THAT HAS A SQUAD COSTNG 500K! HAVE?
TOTALLY WRONG!
AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD? AND THEN THE FA SLAPS THE FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY ON ALL THE OTHER CLUBS THAT HAVE TO COMPETE AGAINST THEM!
ONLY IN THE ENGLISH GAME COULD THIS BE CONSIDERED FAIR......MY OPINION?
CORRUPTION! THE ONLY WORD TO COVER IT!

ArnieM added 10:46 - Apr 22 it's about time Town did the same as the other top 6 clubs - IGNORE the FFP there's no real penalties for those that do
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Bluetone added 10:46 - Apr 22

Quote McCarthy "“And it's only just up until the Bolton game, I didn't hear any complaints when we in the top six, not one complaint about how we were playing."

Then may I suggest you were not listening but there again why should you when you so obviously hold the fans in contempt.

Time for you to go and let us have our football team back and start to re-establish our club's reputation.

Just go McCarthy you've overstayed your welcome.

carlisleaway added 11:32 - Apr 22

Go back to October when we drew 2 homes when we outplayed the opposition, McCarthy was quoted then as saying one point is better then none. But remember how we played and moaned then, sitting back at home on a single goal lead waiting for the opposition to equalise in which they did.

Used to like McCarthys after match comments but afraid we keep listening to the same old record.

Penguinblue added 11:33 - Apr 22

Almost a consensus now on what an appalling manager McCarthy is on a site that tries to be positive.
This 'manager' is a disgrace to the Club. He shows nothing but contempt for fans who can see through him. Hoofball was just about bearable when results were better. This seasons 'entertainment' has been appalling and McCarthy's 'decisions' inexplicable.
Please don't just post on this site, write and tell the club as well.
McCarthy OUT
OUT
OUT

vanmunt added 11:43 - Apr 22

The stand out game for me last year was against Boro at home, we played them off the park and Bishop was outstanding. I haven't seen anything close to that this season apart from the first one or two games this season prior to that Reading game, where we didn't play to badly but got hammered. Every game since then has gotten immeasurably worse, to a point where we are now un-watchable.

Taxi for Dino, just go.

tractorshark added 11:45 - Apr 22 I don't think this site has been positive for more than a decade. But that's the modern game now. Instant success and kneejerk reactions rule. That said, if I was McCarthy's press officer, I would have advised against going down this route with these comments.
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Surco72 added 11:59 - Apr 22

Really MM because I can find loads of old posts predicting how your style would lead to complaints if the wins stopped , and you picking favourites , playing players out of natural roles ,and being so negative in your tactics dating back over two years including when we were top but like every club you have been to you don't listen or change .

That is why I didn't renew after last year and wont again this year till you are gone

added 21:03 - Mar 30 2014

MM has done a very good job turning us around ,but the simple fact is that we would be comfortably sat in playoff picture with Derby if we had gone for wins in many games at home rather than stopping the opposition and scraping draws after dreadful first halves , or stubbornly refusing to change the team and throwing leads away.
Any flair players are second choice to workers , even Williams was on the bench for a few games and he was only here for a month

bluey123 added 12:27 - Apr 22

Im afraid McCarthy lives in a different world to any real football fan if he thinks it's all about results it is not he should realise that if you play football the right way results will come .
He has put in the EADT that he doesn't notice any negativity amongst fans this also shows his total arrogance he should leave now and give PR back to football fans who love the beautiful game.
McCarthy OUT

OldClactonBlue added 12:29 - Apr 22 Look at the spaces in the stands then. Isn't that telling you something? We need to fight to get our club back. It isn't the one I've supported for the last nearly fifty years!
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renoble added 12:42 - Apr 22

MM has here admitted that any further developments to style will not be made under him. The question seems to be whether we stick with Mick and the possibility of play-off place even through the yawns or whether we take a really big RISK on a more 'subtle' style of management which could lead to... goodness knows where!

Sometimes it works; West Ham took that risk when they let Big Sam go, Stoke took that risk with Pulis, Leicester with Pearson.
Sometimes it doesn't - I still find it hard to believe that Newcastle thought they could do better than Sir Bobby

Is it worth the gamble?
It's football we're talking about. Of course it's worth the gamble

mikeybloo88 added 12:46 - Apr 22 Do one Mick...we were just as boring last season but you got lucky and Murph banged in a hatful of goals to cover your ar$e....and many of us did moan about the style. So youre wrong, being top 6 doesn't blind us to your poor playing style.
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