Town boss Mick McCarthy says owner Marcus Evans remains “as hungry as ever" that the club should be challenging for promotion to the Premier League.

McCarthy recently stated that he still had the ambition of returning to the top flight, either with the Blues or his next club, having said that he will consider his Portman Road future in the summer.

“He’s as hungry as ever for this club to be challenging to get promotion, of course,” the Town manager said when asked about Evans’s ambitions for the club.

“Very much so. I had that discussion with him recently, that I don’t want to be middling, just finishing mid-table and nowhere to go, that’s not what I want to do.

“And to be fair to him, he doesn’t. So let’s try and finish as high as we can this year then we’ll plan for next.”

McCarthy admits he’s still keeping one eye on the relegation zone with the 15th-placed Blues only nine points away from the bottom three.

“Until we have enough points, yes, so that we know that we’re going to stay in the league,” he said.

“But it’s got less of a concern because of the way we’re playing and the way we’ve played over the last six games.

“If you’d asked me six games ago, which I think you probably did, then it was more of a concern, of course.

“But we’ve played well enough and looked solid enough and good enough that we will get the points required.”

Town are set to send out season ticket renewals in the next few weeks and McCarthy admits he understands why some supporters may be wavering when it comes to securing their seats for 2017/18.

The Blues boss has previously said fans’ thoughts about him, as well as the budget Evans makes available, will come into his thinking in the summer and he believes the remaining 11 games of the season will impact upon that.

“As I said, I don’t want to be walking up the track next year and there’s only 10,000 fans at the first game of the season. If that’s a reflection on me, I don’t want that,” he added.

“I want the fans to be proud of the players, of the club and proud of their team that they’re supporting, so the next few games and results are [crucial] in trying to get people to come and pay their money.

“The only way you’ll do it, you can try everything else, but the only way you do it is by having a good team that wins games, and you get fans in.”

Photo: TWTD

Seasider added 19:46 - Mar 6 March 6th 2012, before Jewell was sacked in the following Autumn,league position 15th ! March 6th 2010,before Keane was dismissed at beginning of Jan 2011,league position 19th ! March 6th 2009,prior to Magiltons sacking 22nd April,league position 10th ! Can never remember a Manager having the audacity to say I will decide my fate at the end of the season;but this shows how arrogant this Yorkshireman is.A trait that men from 'Gods County' possess so its not just Magic Mick. I don't know what Evans is thinking but surely he must realise that the status quo will hinder season ticket sales,thats if he is bothered,as he never has the decency to attend the AGM even though he is Chairman of the football club. If he were to consider selling,why not unload some of his shareholding to real supporters,as happened before the takeover.It would probably have to be enough to reduce his stake to below 50%.Who knows Ed might put a few quid in as well.This would remove the arms length situation we have had at the club for the last 10 years,and enable Mr Evans to recoup some of the money we are told he has put into the club despite bringing in over £17m in player sales. This coupled with the complete removal of McCarthy would I am sure bring a surge in ticket sales which I fear wont happen unless there is a radical shake up in the club.Words and tinkering at the edges wont do the trick;and the gradual decline of Ipswich Town under Marcus Evans will continue.

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blue75 added 20:03 - Mar 6 Best way to increase season ticket renewals would be to remove McCarthy how many season ticket holders don't bother going to games unless they've got nothing better to do?
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northblue added 20:25 - Mar 6 Will be renewing my season ticket. Means making sacrifices again. Am a pensioner and due to some believes am not that well off. Take note m.e and make the commitment
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Michael11 added 20:50 - Mar 6 "Evans as hungry as ever." "Town are set to send out season ticket renewals in the next few weeks and McCarthy admits he understands why some supporters may be wavering when it comes to securing their seats for 2017/18." Don't insult our intelligence every single year by doing this please. He's had absolutely no hunger for 5 years so you're not exactly selling it by saying he's as hungry as ever.

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wayway added 20:51 - Mar 6 If Evans is still hungry why doesn't he sell the club and buy Sainsburys
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VulpineBlue added 21:23 - Mar 6 Not renewing. As with last year (when I did renew) this is a complete pig in a poke. Best players are still loanees, manager may or may not change. Respect for those who continue and renew in this blind situation, but I've just had enough of all this.
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smellmycheese added 22:40 - Mar 6 FFS please put us out of our misery and f..k off now.
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Pencilpete added 23:14 - Mar 6 Evans is as hungry as ever...... Just like i'm as hungry as ever to attend matches even tho i'm a season ticket holder (I've been twice since Rotherham and haven't seen us win since August !!)
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Swn98 added 08:09 - Mar 7 Is that truth!!!!!fact!!!or fiction Bluebore
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Swn98 added 08:11 - Mar 7 Surgery?
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blues1 added 08:24 - Mar 7 Jas0999. Ah the perfect story for you to spout ur usual tirade against Evans. No1 disagrees that to guarantee challenging for promotion, we need to spend more money. I agree that the club isn't being run the way many would like, spending millions on transfer fees but even as
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blues1 added 08:31 - Mar 7 But we have spent in excess of £3m this season with loan fees, etc. And the club isn't badly run at all. The fact is that if we'd had an owner who ran the club the way u and others would like we'd prob have no club to support. He tried throwing money at it with3different managers and it didn't work. So he's taken a more prudent approach. Does he need to loosen the purse strings a bit again now? Almost certainly. But not for this manager. Because whoever we bought would not change his approach to games. Thought that for a few games he had learnt that lesson but then against Norwich and Brentford he reverted to type in trying not to lose rather than trying to win.

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Lightningboy added 10:33 - Mar 7 Jeeeeeeez. It's sounding more and more like McCarthy's going to be here again next season.
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itsonlyme added 11:45 - Mar 7 Despite all, I have not changed my mind. MM has to go. Yes, I accept that ME has been very tight but that has no bearing on the style of football which is purely and simply the reason why most fans have drifted away from PR. Having said that, I don't doubt that there will be a number of clubs willing to take MM on as manager and don't mind the style of football.
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Westy added 13:38 - Mar 7 I see no evidence of any ambition whatsoever.
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Swn98 added 15:15 - Mar 7 I hope he doesn't go to a Championship club you can be sure he would bring a team here and thump us.
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warktheline added 16:55 - Mar 7 Swn, give it a rest! Your McCarthy bloody mad! No doubt in your eyes 'your man' will be the ring for the Barcelona job come May!
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