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

gt81 added 19:03 - Dec 26 I don't know what's more boring; the football on the pitch or the interviews after the game. Zzzzzz.
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brittaniaman added 19:07 - Dec 26 TO Arrogant,Stubborn and Blind to see what is Happening at this great club of ours !!!!!!!! The Fans base are sinking fast BUT he will still be here this time next year shouting the same old crap in front of a FEW THOUSAND ????? THEY MIGHT AS WELL PLAN TO SHUT ONE OF THE STANDS FOR NEXT SEASON ?? Whatever he does now he will not win those fans back !!! If we avoid Relegation he will say LOOK i SAVED YOU AGAIN just like I did 4yrs ago

14

Lightningboy added 19:15 - Dec 26 "I haven't done anything different to what I was doing 4 years ago" Yeah Mick,that's the bloody problem,idiot..we were at absolute Rock Bottom when you took over & Stevie Wonder could've sorted out what Jewell left behind. Stop kidding yourself - the football under you at times (quite regularly let''s face it) has been truly abysmal..only Murphy's goals papered over the play-off season..other than that it's been dire...truly dire. You should not be anywhere near this club..it's only the fact that we have an owner who is (unbelievably even more) inept than you that is keeping you in a job. How far do we have to sink???????

28

tauntonblue added 19:16 - Dec 26 Surgery, from your comment on here, he might well be right to.
2

yorksblue added 19:20 - Dec 26 Hound them out - Evans and MMc
4

cartman1972 added 19:38 - Dec 26 That's done me, since 77 I've supported Town but alas at the present time I've completely lost interest, this man is a recalcitrant so and so and impossible to recognise totally inept players.
13

shakytown added 19:38 - Dec 26 The entire problem is micks stubborn refusal to attack. Set up today with 7 defenders means we had no chance at all. Sorry but the time as come for him to be sacked as he will never walk away. Slow ineffective carthorses like douglas cannot play at this level in the modern game.
17

Geddis78 added 19:40 - Dec 26 Very poor today. Only Bart emerged with any credit. Webster seemed determined to show Everton he is a long way from ready for the Premier League. Thought they were excellent. Passed well, defended as a team and broke with pace and purpose. McGoldrick was the only one who looked to get at them but things just not coming off for him since he came back from injury. We have lacked any creativity all through 2016 and I would hate to be a striker in this team. Worrying times.

8

blue75 added 19:41 - Dec 26 Anyone left supporting that crap, I watched today from McCarthy's proper blokes should stay away Friday and those who want this nightmare to end should all attend and let your voice be heard McCarthy's on the ropes let's finish him!!!!!
6

JCBLUE added 19:42 - Dec 26 I have been supportive of Mick up until now and today. Fulham played well today & sadly we will alway occasionally come up against a better team, however, our performance was abysmal. Mick is a good manager and we should appreciate the job he has done for us, particularly at the beginning. Whilst he has been a little unlucky with injuries, especially in 2016, sometimes you just have to accept that a fresh impetus and different approach is required. Thanks Mick, but it's time to go.

8

warktheline added 19:42 - Dec 26 I said McCarthy a couple of years ago, you need to walk through the gates at Portman Rd as though it's your first day in charge, then believe me, you will see much has changed over the last 2yrs or so! Complacency is a terrible thing! Sadly you can't see it, or is it, you refuse to see it? Arrogance is also a terrible thing!
14

megamoth added 19:43 - Dec 26 Given the position that we were in when he was appointed and the position we now find ourselves in, is there one club in the country that would stand by the same manager for 4 years? List of club names on a grain of rice please
10

DurhamTownFan added 19:44 - Dec 26 Sounds like a beaten man without ideas. Time for a change
16

grumpyoldman added 20:02 - Dec 26 Please Evans put MM and us out of our misery and kill off his reign, new year, new manager, new start. It is sad to see the club writhing in pain, supporters arguing amongst themselves when they should be putting in all their energy into cheering the team on, but who has caused it MM and you, by both your stubbornness to resist change
15

Blueactually75 added 20:12 - Dec 26 Well that was embarrassing. I've not bothered to do the research but maybe someone can tell me how many goals and or assists have our dynamic central midfield pairing contributed this season.
11

bluejake78 added 20:16 - Dec 26 Half decent amount of walk ins who won't be back.,,,,14K gates await and they will be lies as season ticket holders cannot be ar5ed.
6

Mick_Mills_Tache added 21:01 - Dec 26 Blueactually75 - I can tell you how many goals they've scored between them this season without even having to look....Zero. Zilch. Zip. None. Assists wise, looks to me to be maybe two? Both Skuse against Wednesday and QPR. Anyone more certain? In contrast - Fulhams central 3 midfielders (Aluko, Cairney and Johanssen) have scored 14 goals between them and assisted 11 or 12 I think? Long gone are the days of Tommy Miller etc.

9

martin587 added 21:06 - Dec 26 Absolute disgrace,MM go now. This club is termoil.!!
15

itfchorry added 21:12 - Dec 26 You have driven out thousands of fans with your brand of football - Surely today, it is clear that what is left of us don't want you - Please Go
12

dannysonner added 21:42 - Dec 26 Beaten by a better team? This is your team. No excuses
6

obiwan7 added 21:57 - Dec 26 A sad day today, so disappointed, had two blokes behind me in the family enclosure with their kids who constantly moaned about every player and seemed glad that Fulham were winning. We were very poor today and deserved to lose and the lack of quality is evident. But to want the opposite to win is totally wrong, go and support another team.
-4

ChestnutSe added 22:01 - Dec 26 I always support the manager and the team, you won't catch me booing anybody in a blue shirt and I don't believe in sacking managers during their contract, that's not the Ipswich way. Having said that I have to say that the first half in particular was dire today. I think MM got the tactics all wrong. At least he changed it round at half time and we looked a bit better second half but never really looked like scoring. We were definitely beaten by a better team today and MM to his credit tells it as it is. This squad is definitely better than any MM has had at ITFC but we are missing a goal scorer and a creator as well. We need an out and out speedy, attackin, skilful winger (where can we find one?) and somebody who can stick the ball in the net. We only need a modern day Bobby Petta and a Marcus Stewart. How hard can it be 😀

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Orraman added 22:19 - Dec 26 Well I've been watching football now for 64 years and that is the first time I have seen a 6-2-1-1 formation. Sears and Lawrence having to play RB and LB respectively to shore up the total ineffectiveness of Chambers and Knudsen. He might just as well played 6-1-1-1 as Douglas spent so much time running round in circles that he eventually disappeared up his own @rsehol€ just trying to get a kick. I'm afraid the season ticket will be staying at home with me on Friday night as I cannot take this sort of punishment twice in one week.

11

TB42 added 22:23 - Dec 26 It's been quoted before I know but Einstein's quote re-insanity i.e. Continuing to do the same thing but expecting different results seems ever more relevant. McCarthy really does need to go. Just when will Mr Evans wake up and smell the coffee.......
6

bobble added 22:36 - Dec 26 We havent got any good players left.
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