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

VulpineBlue added 21:14 - Apr 22 A 7% reduction in season ticket sales to me counts as criticism. I have renewed, but as I have previously stated, this is currently as much for social reasons as to watch the poor football on offer. Not all renewals should be counted as support for the current regime. If the entertainment value of matches have not changed by Christmas at the latest, we should consider some form of protest.

1

EuanTown added 22:00 - Apr 22 Oh yes there was and that along with the cost to watch the poor "style" is why I don't have a season ticket and have been so disappointed when I do go to a match for at least the last to seasons if not longer.
1

Blue041273 added 22:53 - Apr 22 Vulpine blue Of course you can say that a 7% drop in season ticket sales is significant. On the other hand it would also suggest that 93% are relatively content just to follow the Town. Does it not occur to you malcontents out there that a core of us supporters will follow this club come what may for ever. You do what you want to protest but some of us will
-3

wayway added 23:52 - Apr 22 If you read my posts I was complaining about the boring hoofball early last season and before anyone says playoffs we were only there because of Derby inability to win there last game. As for this Be careful what you wish for rubbish, I wish for decent football played on the deck and overseen by a new young manager with fresh ideas and not 1970s boredom
4

sotd78 added 07:57 - Apr 23 Be careful what you wish for. Yes we all wish for an expansive exciting football team. But realistically on the budget we have we will not afford that. So we play a style that mostly gets results and when everyone is fit is highly competitive. That has been built by MM. Unless a rich.owner wants to put in 30 million in a season then I don't see us being any better...and possibly a lot worse. So, while I dislike the hoof ball it does at least put my team in with a chance most seasons. Too much noise from too few people on here methinks.

-1

Surco72 added 08:47 - Apr 23 Nothing in the world gets changed by the silent majority
0

kpblues added 09:24 - Apr 23 This man is so arrogant. We were all complaining about our negative boring play even when we were in the playoffs. (When do you think the expression 'hoofball originated ?? And here were our other warnings and comments that you didn't,t listen to. - Chambers out of position - Midfield passing sideways or backwards and no goals supplied - Setting up the team to draw even when we are playing teams that are below us ! - Relying on Murphy last year way too much - then when he dries up we have had it - we did warn you - Consistently preferring physical to playmakers Let,s take the chance Time for you to go Mick before you erode this club and make us an irrelevance l

2

VulpineBlue added 10:51 - Apr 23 Blue01473 I'm still following the Town. It's wrong to brand all who are currently 'Dissatisfied' as being 'malcontents' which is a rather perjorative term. A protest by those attending would be a 'put up or shut up' moment only for those who are discontented. We would see how tiny a minority we really were. We might well have to take that on the chin- fair enough. We now have a close season to remedy things. I really want positive things to happen in that time and wholeheartedly wish for a strong 2016-17 season whatever. I simply want to see that 7% (and more) back in their seats.

0

Dissboyitfc added 12:42 - Apr 23 I agree with so many of the above, there is another point here MM, we put up with it( sort of ) as you promised a better playing style was to follow!
0

tallguy6767 added 12:47 - Apr 23 What a arrogant pig headed twa* !!!!!!
0

tallguy6767 added 12:58 - Apr 23 Vulpineblue...It will be more than 7% once the direct debits get cancelled before the deadline for automatic renewal ! Be lucky to get 13000 average gate next season
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls