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

Blue041273 added 12:59 - Apr 22 Penguin blue What consensus? 60+ negative comments on here do not represent a concensus. There were 16,000 plus at PR on Tuesday and despite multiple posters telling us that they would not renew their season tickets it would seem that they are in the minority as by far the majority have renewed. Ok you are unhappy and I respect your right to protest but please don't think you occupy the higher moral ground. There are others that know that life is not so simple and that taking the rough with the smooth is part & parcel of following your football club. That said football is a transitory business and change in whatever form is just around the corner. I, for one, am not an advocate for such a drastic change at this time.

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jas0999 added 13:03 - Apr 22 The clubs management including Marcus Evans is deluded. There were loads of complaints. The standard of football has remarkably decreased further this season since the introduction of even more negative players like Douglas. We have had no creativity all season and for the price to watch it's been pitiful.
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martin587 added 13:16 - Apr 22 Blue041273,that's your point of view,just like others have there's.we will not know the full extent of season ticket sales till next season.From what I see from my seat there are a lot of people who have tickets now not attending due to the Dire style of football.If your happy with that then that's fine,but remember if we pay to go we are all entitled to a point of view.

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TimmyH added 13:31 - Apr 22 Mick I never believed last season when we were in the play-offs last season we'd get promoted never mind this season of retreggression when we've only been in the top 6 temporarily, why? little quality, poor playing style, more goals being let in. We're a mile away even from the Burley play-off sides of the late 90's. Not sure where all the people are who voted me down -82 when Mick got his contract extension? difficult to type and eat that pie of the humble variety at the same time I suppose!

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Warkys_Tash added 13:31 - Apr 22 You definitely don't read the comments on here then Mick! Football has been rubbish since our decline in Jan 2015. Best spell we had was end Oct 14 to Jan 15 when you played with two attacking full-backs & 4-3-3 - both of which have now left the club. Money not invested in the fees as you said squad was good enough.best you go cap in hand to ME to break FFP in the summer!

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Blue041273 added 13:56 - Apr 22 Martin587 We will see how many do not renew in the fullness of time. I believe that there won't be too many abandoning the ship. I am happy to acknowledge that you might have a point of view different to mine. Please just understand too that some views might be different to yours. What you perceive to be absolute is not necessarily a consensual perspective. I have no issue with alternative points of view and I don't pretend that my view is better than any other. That is the nature of supporting ITFC.

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menacinho added 14:04 - Apr 22 My brother went in for a raffle at a quiz evening the other day. His ticket was eventually pulled out and he went up to choose a prize from the table. Seventeen of the twenty prizes had already gone, of the three remaining one was a pair of tickets to the Town v MK Dons game. There would have been a time where a prize like this worth over £60 would have been gobbled up straight away; just goes to show how poor things are to watch when no-one wants them even if they're being given away! So please Mick, don't give us that rubbish about how it's all about league placings, because it isn't. It's about how boring your style of football is to watch. My brother still chose the tickets though; probably only because the other prizes left were likely a perfume set and a book on flower arranging. I've warned him what he's in for!

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Carberry added 14:40 - Apr 22 So we are punching above our weight, in the eighth place in the table, and there will be no significant changes to the squad in the Summer. How does that offer any cause for optimism?
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Taricco_Fan added 15:37 - Apr 22 Make no mistake, I have long held the opinion that our style of football has been poor throughout McCarthy's tenure. It was effective last year because Murphy had a freak season and the team as whole had a sense of belief, but without those goals and the confidence we look bang ordinary...worse, even. Mick...we won't get out of this division playing this negative style of hoofball. It may be good enough to grind out results against other average teams but when we come up against genuine promotion contenders the difference in quality is evident. If you're still here next year, show a bit of adventure, get the ball down and play. Give the fans a reason to come to Portman Road.

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vanmunt added 15:50 - Apr 22 @menachino I would have probably taken the book on flower arranging instead... chances are it would have been more entertaining!
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Gcon added 16:27 - Apr 22 Quite amusing how you all get so touchy about this - The fact that he hasn't been reading your comments on here is no great surprise really, is it? "LOOK, he's havin' a pop at us!" Really, where exactly? I am afraid he is essentially spot on. Generally, there were very few complaints when we were in the top six, this season or last season. It's a fact. And those that are now in the top six have indeed had the benefit of parachute payments coming down from the premier league. He is perfectly entitled to stand up for himself. Basically we have a funding issue that is making it very hard to compete. With him at the helm we have punched above our weight but it was only going to be sustainable for so long. It's easy to make it personal and point all the blame at the manager but that's not necessarily the answer.

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MattinLondon added 16:48 - Apr 22 @Gcon Even when we were in the play-offs most people knew we were an ugly long ball team but the results hid that fact. I'm not sure that it is a funding issue - even if MM was given a few million I think he will buy slightly better physical players - thats his style.
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BlueMachines added 16:56 - Apr 22 @ Blue041273 No way was there 16,000 in PR on Tuesday. The place was empty. Those figures are entirely made up I think. They must include Season Ticket holders regardless of whether or not they attended.
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Seasider added 17:20 - Apr 22 I didn't want him when he came,as I knew what we were in for,and boy he has lived up to his reputation with bells on. I have still renewed;but 2 out of our four havn't after many many years. The trouble is his remarks show that he doesn't give a toss,as he knows he is right;and misguided Marcus, by extending his contract,has increased this Dinosaurs arrogance. There are 3 pages in todays EADT detrimental to ITFC and McCarthy,one written by the Editor,and the other penned by a local businessman;but don't expect myopic Mick to read them;so he will continue to think he is doing ok as the supporters at the recent dinner gave him a good reception so he says. It is interesting that the clubs publicity guru says they are in the process of sending out questionnaires to non renewing season ticket holders;which will be analysed in due course. The trouble is once these supporters are lost,and many like my friends have been going for a long time;it will be difficult to get them back,especially in the near future,if the present regime remains.

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Fatcatevans added 18:34 - Apr 22 The dinosaur has morphed into an ostrich
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blueboy1981 added 18:54 - Apr 22 The only way people will get the message thro' is to vote with their feet, and their seat. Otherwise this Club of ours will continue along the same old road of boredom, excuses, etc; etc; for as long as the people responsible for such can get away with it. If our owner really has the interest of the Club at heart, instead of condoning the 'debt' owed to him continuously increasing, he would pay it off. As it is, it's a heads you win, tails you cannot lose for him - just think about it .... !!!!!!!!! I just hope that enough people can see the real reason behind his ownership - and that's NOT the Premiership, Cup Runs, or anything the Club has previous history of wanting, or indeed being.

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superblue70 added 19:01 - Apr 22 Maybe it's time we all shouted a little bit louder he might hear then, what a pig headed arrogant tw#t he is proving to be, getting more angry with him by the day
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blueboy1981 added 19:03 - Apr 22 Spot on Seasider - I make no apologies for my post of days past when I indicated that only a relatively few local groupies can, and do, attend such functions. These are in the main, people who will, and have stated, that they will be satisfied with whatever level of status we play at. Relying on just a few of these people, who will probably not wash their hand for a month that McCarthy shook on the night - alone,will do absolutely NOTHING to preserve, or enhance, the future of our once great Club.

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blueboy1981 added 19:09 - Apr 22 I have not renewed my Season Ticket - simply because of the attitude of the Manager and the Club. Neither are the traits of the Ipswich Town we've all known for so long. IPSWICH TOWN will be my Club until I die - but I, like many more - feel it is the only option to take - thus not being treated with diabolical contempt.
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billlm added 19:29 - Apr 22 What an arrogant prick
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essex57 added 19:38 - Apr 22 Billm who blue boy1981 ? !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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billlm added 19:52 - Apr 22 Er no
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blueboy1981 added 20:33 - Apr 22 essex57 ............par for the course for you. just keep hitting that minus button - your finger must be permanently on it. At least in doing so you don't have to do / say anything constructive.
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blueboy1981 added 20:35 - Apr 22 ........ I reckon, you'll need an operation to remove the finger from that button. You must have clocked up several thousand by now - and counting.
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Elto added 20:48 - Apr 22 Oh come on blueboy. Where's your sense of humour?
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