Boss Mick McCarthy doubts any of the expensively assembled sides Town face between now and the end of February will be looking forward to their games against the Blues.

McCarthy’s team, which has been put together on a relative shoestring, faces Derby at Portman Road tomorrow, Reading at home on Saturday before visits to Aston Villa and Brighton, a home game against Leeds and then the East Anglian derby at Norwich. All six are currently ahead of the 14th placed Blues in the Championship table.

“We’ve got them all coming up and I can’t imagine any of them are thinking ‘Hip, hip, hooray, we’re going to play against Ipswich’ just because we haven’t got as big a wage bill as they have. That’s not going to happen,” McCarthy said.

“They know they’re going to get a really competitive game. We can put the brakes on a few. Let’s hope we do, or it can do some damage to us.

“They’ll be looking at it in exactly the same way, to beat us. I think we’ve got some great games for us, I think games where we’re not expected just to turn up and win.

“When we get the ones that are in and around us and below us here it’s a bit like, ‘We should win that’, not from us, but I get that feeling [from some].

“Maybe the games coming up here and the ones [over the next] month, they make all of us work that little bit harder to get the points we need.”

McCarthy says he relishes giving those with greater resources a bloody nose: “It’s always a challenge and it makes it a little bit tougher but it also makes it a lot more pleasurable when you beat them.”

This morning, the signing of free agent centre-half Steven Taylor, 31, put pen to paper on his deal to the end of the season, although the former Newcastle and Portland Timbers man won’t be available until his international clearance comes through, which is likely to be later in the week.

“I’m hoping if he plays he’s going to be a brilliant signing, of course, and hugely important,” McCarthy said. “We’ll see.

“He was - and I’m hoping he still is - a top defender when he was at Newcastle and been in and around England squads, he was a terrific defender.”

Photo: Action Images

therein61 added 17:56 - Jan 30 I bet they are all shaking in their boots Mick we would have won more games and been confidence wise ready for anything if it were not fro your blinkered selection policy which I rally hope has now changed i.e we cannot win 0-0
6

Campag_Velocet added 18:02 - Jan 30 I can't say I'm really looking forward to watching them either.
8

SpiritOfJohn added 18:24 - Jan 30 Mick, if your objective is for other teams and fans to dislike playing against Ipswich Town you have undoubtedly succeeded.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 18:28 - Jan 30 Completely disagree, they will be looking at their matches against us thinking "guaranteed point, "stop Lawrence from playing, they got little other attacking threat" "pressure the defence & they'll crack" "3 points is a must against Ipswich" I genuinely don't see us beating, Derby, Brighton, Villa, Norwich, Reading, or Leeds..... if anyone disagrees I'd be very happy to hear your reasoning as to why we will win any of these games?

13

trncbluearmy added 18:34 - Jan 30 You really are in a complete fantasy land And the fact that you and that idiot Evans did not have a Murphy replacement lined up and secured at the start of the window is unforgivable and amateurish
9

12th_Man added 18:50 - Jan 30 Glad you are mick because I'm not
2

blueblood66 added 18:51 - Jan 30 Says everything, love stopping other clubs so no ambition to be one of those clubs. Pathetic.
6

BillyBaxterwasbest added 19:11 - Jan 30 Negative, negative, negative. Please go and support the budgies they deserve you! Support the town. Support the manager and support the chairman.
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poldark added 19:13 - Jan 30 Excuses already coming out be lucky to get any points
6

Miles added 19:41 - Jan 30 I'm looking forward to them too. Win, lose or draw I will always enjoy it and always get that buzz when we score a goal. We're playing very average at the moment but you have to get through the bad to appreciate the good. Keep the faith! COYB
3

Seasider added 19:44 - Jan 30 We can put the brakes on a few,doesn't sound too positive.Lets hope Mick does not set up to try and stop all these teams playing,hoping to nick a goal;as wont be much of a spectacle,and could result in several losses.
6

BluedanW added 20:01 - Jan 30 Really?? Just like lincoln must of been cracking themselves playing us twice. The bloke is a fool
7

TimmyH added 20:55 - Jan 30 Reverse psychology?...I doubt if any of the forementioned teams Mick has mentioned will be cacking themselves when they play us, the win we got up at Pride Park was very fortunate, I doubt we will do the double over them.
1

jas0999 added 21:38 - Jan 30 No point moaning about other clubs finances. Marcus Evans has again failed and gone cheap. Not the fans fault. Marcus must take the blame - again.
2

Dissboyitfc added 21:56 - Jan 30 Saddest part is he actually believes the spiel he comes out with.
4

BrettenhamBlue added 22:49 - Jan 30 We do well given the circumstances. Costa is worth as much as our entire assembled squad!
1

KiwiBlue2 added 23:22 - Jan 30 Recent results against Derby have been good, won the last 2 I think. I just hope that MM does not play Douglas with Scuse and Toumani D. We need to pose some threat so would like to see same team as against Preston otherwise we will be on the back foot the whole time just soaking up pressure until we crack - no hope if we just do that....
1

itfchorry added 23:27 - Jan 30 Truly awful times you have created
4

Churchmanschild added 06:16 - Jan 31 He gets more and more deluded by the day!! How will we take points of those teams the way we are playing???? I know Lawrence is carrying us but nobody else is stepping up. I can't see anyone being scared of us MICK! I despair!! Please sack him so I can come back next season.
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