Town boss Mick McCarthy praised skipper Luke Chambers’s performance during Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat to Derby County, which came on the same day as interest from his former club Nottingham Forest, and expects the 31-year-old’s displays to continue in the same vein despite the uncertainty regarding his longer term future.

Asked whether Town are going to offer Chambers a new deal or whether it’s inevitable he’ll move on this summer, McCarthy said: “The club has an option on him and the option is an option to sign him. At the end of it, it’s down to the club.

“And I guess it’s down to Chambo. I really felt for him the other day because of the stuff with Nottingham Forest and I thought out of all the players he was one that stuck right at it on Tuesday night and kept going and I thought did remarkably well considering what the day had been like.

“And I think then he’s got to continue with that. And then if the club decide to give him his contract, great. If not, somebody will take him, they’ll snap him up because he’s a good defender but he’s a bloody good captain and a great bloke to have around the club.”

Is it frustrating that the club is unable to offer him a three-year deal now whereas Forest might, given he has to look after himself and his family?

“Of course and I guess that was the case with them being interested in him now,” he added. “But they’re a competitor of ours in that bottom half of the table, so I can’t understand why we’d want to help [them] unless we could do anything else to replace him, and that wasn’t the case.

“That’s why the option’s there. The club’s put them in. I remember being a player and if anybody offered me an option it was the last thing I was going to take.

“I only took them twice, when I was at Barnsley and I was a kid and I had no option but to take an option, you have to take it.

“And then when I went to Lyon and I was coming to the end of my career and if they’d have taken the option up when I was 35 I’d have been delighted, but I didn’t get that far.”

He says it’s not just a matter of him telling owner Marcus Evans that he wants to keep a player: “There’s mitigating circumstances, there’s the cost of it, the length of it, the age of them, so it’s not just quite as simple as that.”

Asked whether he has told Evans that he wants to keep Chambers, he continued: “Chambo’s been a right-back for us for the last four years and he certainly won’t be staying on for another three years as a full-back, so he’s got to compete at centre-half with Christophe, Tommy and Webbo.

“It’s not just as simple as [that], he’s been a full-back for the last four years since I’ve been here.”

He added: “All those things I’ve just mentioned are in the mix in terms of whether people are re-signed or not.

“It’s the same with Christophe Berra, his is running out, we’ve already talked about him, he has intimated he’d like to go back to Scotland but there’s still an option on him.”

McCarthy admits it’s not an ideal situation to have two key players whose futures are uncertain at an important stage of the season.

“Not it’s not but, as I said, I thought Luke Chambers was excellent the other night, considering everything that had gone on,” he said. “And he’ll continue to be.

“Bearing in mind, if they want contracts here or contracts elsewhere they have to continue playing and they’re both really good pros, so I’m not worried about them."

McCarthy has no doubt that their heads will be in the right place for the remainder of the season: “Absolutely.”

Has he chatted to Chambers, who he says has been a key man during his time at the club and one of the players he’d least like to lose, since Tuesday's game, the skipper having seemed downcast after the final whistle?

“I should f***ing hope he was, we’d just been beaten 3-0 by Derby County!” McCarthy continued. “If he walks off smiling I’ll slap him! Somebody said to me afterwards, ‘Mick seems down’. Really? Really?”

He says he’s not talked to Chambers on the subject: “No I haven’t, I expect him to play and get on with it, just like I’m going to do on Saturday and get on with it, like everybody else.”

Did he want to leave? “There was an offer in, they wanted to have a talk to him, we didn’t [let it happen] because we need him.”

He added: “I dug my heels in, Marcus did, the club did because he’s playing. We want to make sure we’ve got the best team possible to stay in the league, to make sure we’ve got enough points, make sure we’re competitive and not getting wrapped up in anything else.”

So no fee agreed between the clubs? “I’ve said all I’m going to say to you. I’m not going to answer your questions about it.”

Does he understand why fans might be getting concerned about stability, the Blues boss himself having recently said he’ll assess his own position in the summer?

“I don’t think anybody should be concerned about my future,” he added. “I keep saying pretty much most of them would have me out the door anyway, so I doubt they’re all shaking with worry about that.

“I’ve got a year’s contract to run at the end of this season and that’s just what it is. I’ve no intention of going anywhere, but let me see, I don’t know.

“It depends how everybody feels about me come the end of the season. It’s not a particularly pleasant place for me to be at the moment, by the way. Let’s not make any bones about it.

“I don’t like turning that sort of performance out and getting beaten. And the last thing I need is the abuse I get. It’s not particularly nice for me, so I will consider what I want to do.

“Whether it’s a year either way, I can’t just decide I’m going to walk off and go somewhere else. I’ll have a chat with Marcus at the end of the year."

Photo: TWTD

therein61 added 17:33 - Feb 2 Yet more utter spin this time with more contradictions
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warktheline added 17:43 - Feb 2 Totally lost the plot McCarthy! Chambers been full back some 4 years now! Really!!!! The bottom line, McCarthy wants to be paid off, why? Because Evans is clueless on football matters. Should of backed his man tail end of season two, wasted opportunity! All downhill thereafter. Sorry bloody state of affairs!
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Knightsy added 17:54 - Feb 2 In Mick We Rust
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couldbebetter added 18:08 - Feb 2 Evans doesnt care,McCarthy doesnt care and I dont care anymore
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cat added 18:10 - Feb 2 Michael11 - agree 100% on Lawerence, but the other 2!! REALLY!!! Going on this seasons poor performances we will be better off without them imo.
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LondonBlue73 added 18:15 - Feb 2 Football poor, atmosphere at home games shooting, five point plan will not work, McCarthy past his sell by date, all the above is factually correct. Whilst MM deserves some stick many of the comments are too personal and not right especially when the true problem clearly lies elsewhere. The question is how do we get to deal with the real problem. Our beloved ITFC has been in decline since Jim Magilton was sacked firstly under Keane, then Paul Jewell and now under MM who at least had a small period of time that generated a little bit of success. If three managers in 10 years fail surely the problem is not the manager but the structure, the investment, the plan, the top of the tree needs sorting out. This is not a four year problem but 10 years of bad investment followed by no investment, 10 years of mis-management from owner to MD's. I don't know how we get heard by the owner but if MM goes tomorrow I personally do not think anything will be any different in the season that follows or the one after that until there is change in philosophy, approach and investment and like all other clubs we need to say F OFF to FFP

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NSL added 18:25 - Feb 2 Ultimately sacking Mick and getting an exciting manager in WOULD have boosted season ticket sales. Now the club will lose more customers. For what? A million quid or whatever? I just don't get it.
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blueboy1981 added 18:27 - Feb 2 How did IPSWICH TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB ever get into such a mess, and in the hands of Evans and McCarthy..?? Ease all our pain, and make your decision now Mick ....... and GO.... please. Evans - put the Club up FOR SALE at a sensible figure - which of course we all know you won't do, for obvious reasons - and get the hell out of this Town once and for all.
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DurhamTownFan added 18:39 - Feb 2 Cockycrew: how else do we show our anger then? What do we do, sit back and lap up a game and pathetic 3-0 defeat? I'd like to know what else you propose
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norfolk1 added 19:11 - Feb 2 ITFC is one BIG JOKE. I just wonder what other club supporters are saying any ideas anyone?
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blueblood_soldier added 19:22 - Feb 2 I think he'll be off then. I like chambo and a good captain but for him and his family it's probably for the better. I see smith Taylor and Webster being more than capable next season, injury permitting...
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Mark added 19:32 - Feb 2 It is the first time I have noticed McCarthy talk about "the club" as a separate entity to himself. “he's got to compete at centre-half with Christophe, Tommy and Webbo." What about Taylor? If Taylor does well, Chambers could be forth choice centre back and perhaps I understand ITFC not wanting to pay a top wage for him. However, I also feel sorry for Luke as he must feel badly treated after all the effort and passion he has put into this club, as well as playing right-back so long when he is a centre-back. Maybe we could come to an arrangement in the summer where we give Luke a 2 or 3 year contract on a lower wage.

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WhoisJimmyJuan added 19:35 - Feb 2 Spot on Jas0999. I think the cracks are starting to appear. Much as I want MM out (and in fact even MM now wants out), I think ME and his management style is coming into focus. Leaves the manager to get on with it with little interest but procrastinates about the financial side. Makes it difficult for any manager to plan for the future.
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chorltonskylineblue added 19:35 - Feb 2 Feels like the days when we let the contracts of players like McAuley, Leadbitter and Delaney expire. My point is that we didn't seem to have a plan then and it feels like we're back to that again. More loan signings and we won't even up bids for a striker when we received £3m for Murphy.
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cranky_old_tractor added 19:50 - Feb 2 MM does not appear to give a shlte about anyones focus including the fans. However, the fans do give a t@ss about his focus! And its nowhere and probably the result why the captain's focus is in question
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grubbyoik added 20:13 - Feb 2 The pain for us fans will probably continue long after you ve left .. while you relax at some 5 star beach resort counting your hard earned cash..
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dirtydingusmagee added 21:11 - Feb 2 listening to McCarthy on TV and Radio,he seems like he has given up,no emotion no f fight, nothing at all, its like total abject acceptance of things as they are now.Sure Evans is the main problem,but McCarthy seems like he has nothing left and is just biding time,regardless of the clubs plight.If Mick is as good as he thinks he is surely he would want to move on if Evans is holding him back,just to preserve his pride ,but no,he seems like he has just come out of a room after a stun grenade has exploded these days .I wonder if he went in to ask for the funds and got Tazered by Evans .

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warktheline added 21:24 - Feb 2 Just read an article on BBC sports, McCarthy giving the impression again that's its up to him if he decides to stay or go! He's not happy with the environment (unhappy fans) around Portman Rd presently, and as such will see how things pan out! Basically, he's not sure if we deserve his services!!!! Unreal, bloody incredible Evans allows his manager to speak this way! The connection between fans and club have never been so distant!

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armchaircritic59 added 22:02 - Feb 2 Afraid the days when our chairmans/director or owner's blood would run blue if he cut himself, have long gone. We are now just a (small) cog in a Corporate wheel. In my opinion, the club needs (almost) a complete cleanout from top to bottom, (with the honourable exception of people like Bryan Klug, who still keeps the blue flag flying as best he can). Will it ever happen? Your guess is as good as mine!

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DoseOfReality added 22:06 - Feb 2 Disaster looms. There are not 3 worse teams than us in this league, thankfully there are teams with less points at the moment. ME won't sack MM coz it will cost him money so we won't have the wave of momentum the sacking would bring let alone the optimism of a new appointment for the players and fans alike. That means we can only hope MM, who clearly doesn't give a f@ck about ITFC and is scorned by ME lack of support, can somehow motivate a group of players when the leaders of the group (players & managers) want out too. And it doesn't look like he's able to hold it together on recent showings. Lets hope we have enough points already but if the best we can do is what we have seen against Lincon twice, Derby, Fulham etc we won't get many more points. The players are totally shot at PR but might get the odd away point. ME has systematically ruined our club. The amount of bad appointments and poor decisions he is responsible for have lead to one almighty downturn. The next decision he makes when MM walks this summer is absolutely vital. I only hope it is that it is to sell up and clear off. Either he can't afford this or enjoys tormenting the fans and then gets his puppet Milne too take the p1ss by encouraging us to get behind the mess he has created. Or he really is somehow using ITFC as a tax loss. His anonymity sums him up and lets all be honest was a worry from the word go.

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the_beat added 22:17 - Feb 2 'It's not a particularly nice place for me to be at the moment'. How the hell does he think we feel. He's being paid a lot of money to be there, we're paying for the privilege.
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stevelincsexile added 22:38 - Feb 2 Chambers and Berra will both go and the defence will be built round Webster, Taylor and Smith with Emmanuel and Kenlock regulars.
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heathen66 added 23:26 - Feb 2 Hold on a minute.... We are thinking about offering a 31 year old a 3 year deal...really ??? And this is a player that has to play RB to get in the side. He has no pace now,let alone in 3 years time, do we not ever learn ??? If he is to be offered a contract it should be for one year with another year option (triggered by us not him) As mentioned before the defence should be built around Webster, Smith, Taylor Emmanuel and Kenlock. Emmanuel and Kenlocks progress have een hampered in the last 2 seasons by Micks insistance on playing his favourites (Chambers and Knudsen) despite them both lacking any form. Both of these players should have 1.5 years of Championship football under their belts.

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braveblue added 00:21 - Feb 3 Does he ever think before he speaks? They way he talks about the fans is unbelievable.
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Penguinblue added 01:38 - Feb 3 What an absolute shambles. What awful self centered comments by McCarthy. Unbelievable that anyone, not least Evans and Milne (and perhaps the players) can tolerate this any further - never mind the supporters. McCarthy OUT -now - even on the eve of a match - it is that bad
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