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McCarthy: Beaten By a Much Better Team
Monday, 26th Dec 2016 18:27

Boss Mick McCarthy conceded that Town were “beaten by a much better team” following their 2-0 home defeat to Fulham and reiterated that he remains committed to the Blues but admitted it’ll be “a tough job to turn” dissenting fans around.

Chris Martin put the dominant Whites in front from a freekick on 36 and sub Ragnar Sigurdsson sealed the win with a header 12 minutes from time.

“Beaten by a much better team, that’s what I think,” a downbeat McCarthy admitted in his press conference afterwards.

Why was there such a gap between the teams? “Maybe they’ve got better players who played better on the day. I think we’ve been well beaten by a very good side.

“I can’t take any criticism away from us because I don’t think we were particularly good, but I think you have to give credit to the opposition when they’re a good side.

“It’s easy for me to come in here and blame my players and say we weren’t any good. We tried our best, as we always do, but they were better than us.”

McCarthy admitted that two wins in the last nine at home is poor and that January will be a key month for the Blues: “I would say so, we better make sure December ends up better than that, we’ve got another game yet.

“We had 18 players today and we’ve got to do better, all of us, because that was poor.”

The disappointing performance and result led to chants aimed at both McCarthy and owner Marcus Evans and the Blues manager said he can understand the reaction: “I can, I can’t complain about that either.”


While there were chants for Evans to ‘sort it out’, for the first time a section of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand called for McCarthy’s departure.

“I haven’t changed a lot, so whatever I’m doing now is not [different] from four years ago,” he said when asked about the chants aimed in his direction.

“But maybe that’s the point, I’ve been here four years. I fully understand it and it’s their right to shout, they come and want to watch and see better football than that and see us win at home, not [win only two in nine].

“I’ve no complaints about it at all. I much preferred it when it was supportive and it was ‘Super Mick’, but I told you before, I realised when that was being sung that it can change very quickly. It’s going to be a tough job to turn that around now.

“We’ve got a game on Friday and we need to play much better than that, we need to win, we need to give them a good performance and a victory. If we don’t it’ll only be worse than it has been today.”

At Wednesday’s AGM McCarthy said he has 18 months left on his contract and plans to work hard to turn things around and his position remained the same after the match.

“Very much so,” he said. “I won’t be resigning in the morning, if that’s what you’re asking me. I’ll be here on Friday for the game and will keep scrapping as I always do. It’s been made harder, that’s for sure.”

Has Fulham’s dominance made him think he might need to make more January additions than he had planned previously?

“There’s only going to be a certain amount of business that we can do anyway,” he said.

“Just because we’ve been beaten by a team that’s played really well and we’ve not well doesn’t suddenly mean we’re going to go out and get twice as many players as I thought we were going to get. We’ll try and do our business as we always have.”

He has always said owner Evans has been supportive, is January a time for him to show that backing? “I’ve told you all along, I’ve always had his support and I don’t think that’ll be any different in January.”

McCarthy says he and Evans will have their usual post-match phone call today or tomorrow: “Why would that change?”"

Youngster Andre Dozzell was given his first home Championship start of the season, was it perhaps not the right game for the 17-year-old the way it eventually panned out?

“That looks the case but had we been on top and he’d played great you’d have been saying ‘Well done Mick for playing Andre at home in that game’. Who knows?

“It’s a difficult environment for him to be playing in, that’s not a learning environment for somebody to come in and play and expect to play well. Their three in midfield were excellent.”

What did he tell his players afterwards? “The dressing room is sacrosanct for me. I guess it’s a flavour of what I’ve said here. I’ve not dressed it up in terms of ‘We were unlucky’. We’ve been beaten, we could have been beaten by more.

“And I guess we all need to pull together for Friday and have a performance and try and get a result. That’s the flavour of it. But if you ask what I said and how I said it, I’m never going to tell you that.”

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic was delighted with his team’s performance and the result.

“We are very happy with how we played today,” he said. “It’s a very good Boxing Day for us, an important three points for us continuing fighting for important targets.

“We made another clean sheet, we dominated the game. At the end Ipswich hadn’t hit a shot on target, which is good news for us.

“This time we created many, many, many chances but we didn’t score a second goal in moments when we were dominating very well. But in the end we scored the goal which closed out the game.”


Photo: TWTD



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tazdac added 18:30 - Dec 26
Same sh!te, different day!
14

Hipsterectomy added 18:30 - Dec 26
Well done the North Stand for getting some songs about Jim Magilton, Bobby Robson and BFJ out. At least we can remember some men who made us proud of our town and team.
45

backwaywhen added 18:30 - Dec 26
You are deluded McCarthy and clueless ...please go !
26

dukey44 added 18:34 - Dec 26
And he's still here because? Same old same old tosh cones from his mouth now?
15

prebsa added 18:35 - Dec 26
BS mick! Youteam selection is cr@p, tactics are cr@p. You are cr@p.

Mick out
20

ChrisFelix added 18:35 - Dec 26
Even if Williams had been fit he would started with different class Douglas. This bloke has got to be the least effective midfield player to ever grace PR. Watch him for 5 mins & he staggers arround always 20 yards away from the actipn
20

busterjames added 18:37 - Dec 26
Out !
12

dukey44 added 18:38 - Dec 26
We were at home and didn't have a shot at goal because? Please explain Mick why we didn't?
22

oldblue added 18:39 - Dec 26
Yes Town were beaten by a better team..however they are a better team because they clearly have a training regime that focuses on passing and movement supporting the man with the ball and finding space to demand the ball ...all things that our management team clearly do not ask our squad to do or are incapable of asking them to do it.Good luck to Fulham for playing football the right way and if they had a goal scorer of note they would have sealed MMs fate today . We do have some good players but they clearly play to orders fearful of trying to play football and it shows....
46

Bluetone added 18:40 - Dec 26
McCarthy said. “I won't be resigning in the morning, if that's what you're asking me. I'll be here on Friday for the game and will keep scrapping as I always do.

McCarthy if you had an ounce of common decency you'd go now and take your "Proper blokes" with you.
39

tauntonblue added 18:40 - Dec 26
Regardless of how good or bad we were the comment by surgery is unnecessary. Criticise away but to call mick cnt is entirely unnecessary.
-3

jas0999 added 18:41 - Dec 26
His interview almost accepts Fulham are a better side. That's how low we have fallen. They weren't last season or the season before. The reality is this team isn't good enough. The manager is past his best and the owner is more interested in making excuse for no spending rather than fund what's required. We are miles away from promotion - which I thought was the aim at the start of the season? Now it's as if we are below average. Offer little. Have average players and offer no entertainment. Everyone at the club seems to think that's acceptable. Shambolic and again shows how far this once proud club has sunk. Marcus Evans OUT.
32

Penguinblue added 18:43 - Dec 26
McCarthy and his proper blokes utterly inept.
There is nothing that is positive about McCarthy. If he had any decency he would walk, if Evans cared he would sack him.
Connor should go to, There is no evidence whatever that any of his coaching is productive.

McCarthy OUT
26

bigfatjoe87 added 18:44 - Dec 26
Even their manager is taunting us
5

Blue_Fred added 18:44 - Dec 26
Has he gone yet?
10

PSGBlue added 18:45 - Dec 26
I don't like MM tone, he accepts defeat as though there was nothing anyone could have done about it. He also basically says that Evans continues to back him. What sort of message is this sending to the fans, but more importantly to the players. It says 'ok lads, you were beaten by a better side, but hey there was nothing we could of done about it. The owner doesn't give a monkeys, so its same time next week to put in a lackless display!

In realality it's only the die had fans who still care. The casuals and even the semi loyal fans are staying away. How many season ticket sales next season? 8-10k, at least we will then get some truth out of the club - the correct match attendance!
22

PSGBlue added 18:45 - Dec 26
I don't like MM tone, he accepts defeat as though there was nothing anyone could have done about it. He also basically says that Evans continues to back him. What sort of message is this sending to the fans, but more importantly to the players. It says 'ok lads, you were beaten by a better side, but hey there was nothing we could of done about it. The owner doesn't give a monkeys, so its same time next week to put in a lackless display!

In realality it's only the die had fans who still care. The casuals and even the semi loyal fans are staying away. How many season ticket sales next season? 8-10k, at least we will then get some truth out of the club - the correct match attendance!
4

ITFCGloryDays added 18:46 - Dec 26
It's the fact that he (MM) won't go now that that shows a complete disrespect for this, our football club. He has more respect for his contract than he does ITFC.
14

HackneyBlue added 18:46 - Dec 26
agree Taunton blue
3

Mark added 18:47 - Dec 26
It would be poor if we lost to the league leaders today, but Fulham were NINTH. Not even in the play-off places, yet they come here and totally outplay us. The stats show we had 39% of possession and no shots on target. Totally depressing - fans will be walking away in droves. Surely we must take some action because people are just not going to renew season tickets or buy match tickets to watch such abject play.

McCarthy didn't help with his selections either. Skuse and Douglas again, which never works. Sears on the wing never works. Pitman isolated on his own up front never works - that's a tough job even for someone like Murphy.

We can't pass the ball and the manager surely takes responsibility for that?!
30

Brownie added 18:48 - Dec 26
Took 5 extra tickets today one of which was my father in law who had a fiver on 2-0 Fulham as they play football and we don't.

Experience and knowledge does come with age then unless you are a football manager at my club.

Credit to MM for being honest but he knows, we know and anyone in the real world knows it is time to go. As I have said before if he stays then this club will go down if not this season but in the very near future.

Over to you Mr Evans.
19

surgery added 18:52 - Dec 26
tauntonblue. Such a lovely respectful man who would never dream of calling one of us one
4

blueboy1981 added 18:53 - Dec 26
The only way to change things is for everyone to talk with their feet - STAY AWAY FROM PORTMAN ROAD is the only language that will be understood.

Very sad - but it has to be. Maybe for one specific match ..... ? - if not more.
20

Pencilpete added 18:55 - Dec 26
We've just made Fulham look like Barcelona, yet another team who can't keep a clean sheet for toffee turn up at Portman Road and do it without breaking sweat. I have no idea why Douglas was the man to replace Williams at all, MM picked an attacking team last week and we won and when there was just the smallest glimmer he had changed his philospohy he retreats back into his shell and goes negative again.
27

Jewels added 18:57 - Dec 26
I'm a season ticket holder and I am surrounded by empty seats. Season ticket holders have stopped their direct debit payments in their droves. Today for me is the lowest point. Mick I'm sorry but you have to go as soon we will not have a football club left. Either that or Evans needs to back Mick and give him quite a few million to spend plus we need to keep hold of Bart and Webster.
16


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