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

H1960 added 10:14 - Dec 27 MM...It'll be a tough job turning dissenting supporters around....No Mick I think you will find it an impossible job, personally I never wanted you in the first place (remembering the awful dross you residents at Wolves and Sunderland which ended up with you being fired from both clubs) I remember being criticised at the time for my opinion but safe to say now I feel I had a point, for Christ's sale ITFC WAKE UP AND GET RID NOW BEFORE OUR CLUB IS TOTALLY RUINED as he has not got the dignity to walk away

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Tractorboy1985 added 10:23 - Dec 27 BENT EVANS OUT!
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Cheshire_Blue added 10:26 - Dec 27 However misguided your views may be, it is time the owners of this site reminded themselves of the meaning of the words 'offensive' and 'inappropriate' and acted accordingly.
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yorksblue added 10:34 - Dec 27 Diss. Who then takes over the youngsters, and gets them to an acceptable level? Klug's boys wont go on forever, and there's nothing there that sticks out for me, and says they'll be any good in first team imo.
0

brittaniaman added 11:47 - Dec 27 Perhaps Andre Bocelli could come down and sing this song to McCarthy. !!!!!!!! TIME TO SAY GOODBYE !!!!!!!!!! Our Faceless Chairman will never get rid of him !!!!
5

Dissboyitfc added 11:49 - Dec 27 Yorks... kenlock and Emanuel, youngsters for a start who should be given a prolonged run, young Andre would flourish in a footballing team. We will have to agree to respectively disagree, i know i would have a sense of pride watching homegrown talent playing football the "ipswich way" as i know would many others who support iTFC. MM out now and let Klug take over until the summer. I dont think we will attract too many experienced managers so lets take a gamble with one of our own. Not too much of a gamble as our season is over anyway! Although there is a chance if things stay as they are MM will take us down!

12

BillBlue added 11:54 - Dec 27 Yes Dissboy - my thoughts exactly. It would give us time to see if he can make it or get someone else if he doesn't though I can see no reason why he should not fit the bill exactly!
6

Dissboyitfc added 11:55 - Dec 27 Brittaniaman... very good, i think even Andre Bocelli could see that our full backs are rubbish and Douglas is of Non-league standard now. My biggest single issue, after the style of football, with MM is his different class has been mates. Followed by there stupid pet nick names. GO NOW!
11

Mick_Mills_Tache added 12:03 - Dec 27 Why people keep mentioning Rowetts name is beyond me, he's just a younger version of Mick and mounds a team into one dimensional battlers...like Mick. Klug until the end of the season wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd like us to go for Clarke from Bristol Rovers, Curle from Carlisle, Cook from Pompey or possibly Hill from Rochdale. All younger managers that can work on a budget, gives youth a chance and play a better brand of football than we currently do (mind you, that's not exactly difficult.)

14

ChrisFelix added 12:04 - Dec 27 Brilliant post trigger67. I now play " Douglas during the game.More amusing that seeing our skipper often caught put of position
2

ChrisFelix added 12:11 - Dec 27 I mean I play " watch Douglas during the game". It better than trying to find where our skipper is playing. Certainly not full back
3

BillBlue added 12:27 - Dec 27 Tauntonblue - re Surgery's first comment which you obviously had deleted. That is just one of a thousand words most of us feel like calling him and if Surgery spelt it in the same way you did I find it highly appropriate as I do his second post.
1

yorksblue added 13:07 - Dec 27 Diss ..respect for your opinions. I just feel that the youngsters, especially the ones mentioned, aren't good/strong enough. Yes, I'd love to see reserve players come through, but until the old competetive reserve leagues are reintroduced, or we uncover a gem, I can't see it happening. Mickey mouse u23 games are not the answer.
3

Walk_the_Wark added 13:51 - Dec 27 Where's your dignity McCarthy? Pride? Honour? I never wanted you here. I've waited 4 years for you to go. Now no one wants you here. Be a man
13

goat_man added 14:37 - Dec 27 I'm so sick of hearing about how good opposition teams are and how expensive they are and what reputations they have. I want to hear about how good my team is and what qualities we have and how we are going to go out there and get the two goals needed that will give us the chance of winning the game.
12

Edmundo added 14:59 - Dec 27 This should be a line in the sand for this club. No more. We cannot accept this. Please everyone stay away from the Lincoln game (if MM is still there). An all time low crowd for an all time low team/management. We didn't just lose thousands of fans, our demise has been ten years in the making. We're losing a generation of fans, people. We have to show we care the only (peaceful) way we can.

11

dukey44 added 15:01 - Dec 27 So we been beaten by 11 better teams than us??? Mick I really don't think so maybe we MAKE THEM ALL LOOK BETTER?? It's 24 hrs later and he's still here planning for Friday? Please explain Ipswich Town why he's still in a job ?
13

jas0999 added 15:42 - Dec 27 Seasider - yes I'm afraid I was way off the pace with my prediction. I just felt the law of averages suggested we may well win two on the bounce at some stage! Against a team who hadn't beaten us for 53 years, I thought it may be our day. In fairness, I did add that under no circumstances should we start with both Skuse and Douglas. But overall it's very depressing and just thinking about a ITFC makes me very despondent. What a sorry mess.

6

dukey44 added 15:46 - Dec 27 Another thing is what team in the championship is doing worse since they changed their manager yet have kept same squads? Please take note if you read these sites Jesus we can't do any worse ? Well we will if Mick stays!!
7

Brownie added 17:26 - Dec 27 Dukey is spot on - I don't get the idea we should be careful what we wish for. Changing manager after 4 years is not a snap decision. I assume the board has some idea about potential replacements and if they don't they should have. Football clubs are in business to entertain and there is nobody who can say we are being entertained at the moment. Let's get someone in with progressive ideas now and not wait until we are in the bottom 3 & really under pressure. Look at Huddersfield & Barnsley and see what can be achieved..

12

vanmunt added 18:11 - Dec 27 Disagree mr Magog, we weren't beaten by a better team we were beaten by a team playing better football.
8

thechangingman added 18:17 - Dec 27 I rarely post anymore - I am just so disillusioned by everything that's happening at our beloved club. If anything is going to change, I personally can't see any other option than fans agreeing on a one-match boycott. Either to stay away, or to turn up and not enter - both would send out the only message that these folk will ever listen to. COYB...
9

Bildestoned added 18:28 - Dec 27 I've decided I need to see this for myself so will be undertaking the 146 mile round trip this Friday evening to see the team I have followed for over 50 years. I suspect that the meal in town beforehand in the company of my girlfriend may prove to be the evening's only highlight.
3

warktheline added 19:17 - Dec 27 @mickmillstache, great shout that pal, Clarke at Bristol Rovers! I've followed their progress under his influence from non league to Div 1 to date, he would certainly entertain Town fans with his swashbuckling approach to football!👍
6

stiffy501 added 19:18 - Dec 27 George Burley !!!
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