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McCarthy: Newcastle Crowd and Atmosphere a Reminder
Thursday, 27th Apr 2017 16:49

Town boss Mick McCarthy says the 25,684 crowd and atmosphere at the 3-1 victory over now-promoted Newcastle United in the Blues' last home game was a reminder of how good Portman Road can be.

Home crowds have slumped to their lowest levels since the late 1990s at times this season - the attendance at the Wigan game was only 14,661 the smallest since 14,514 watched a 0-0 draw with Tranmere Rovers on November 12th 1999 - and McCarthy was delighted with the highest turnout of the season for the Magpies' visit with the club having run a ticket promotion ahead of the match.

“It was fantastic, it was a real surprise to see that and it was a great noise,” he said. “It was a fabulous atmosphere and a really good performance by us. We certainly responded to it.”

The Town manager felt it was reminiscent of the feel around the ground during the 2015/16 play-off season.

He added: “It can be like that any club when it’s good. Look at Lincoln when they beat us and they beat Brighton and Burnley [in the FA Cup] and everybody is talking about how wonderful it is at Lincoln with 7,000 fans in.

“I’ve been there and there’s been 800 or something. It’s not always like that because they were struggling. And that’s been the same with us.

“It was a reminder, if ever we needed a gentle reminder, of how good this place can be. And actually what a difficult place it can be to come and play at if we play like that.”


In their play-off campaign Town’s home form - won 15, drawn five, lost three - was only bettered by Middlesbrough on goal difference but over the last two seasons it’s not hit the same heights.

Last season the Blues’ form on their own turf - won nine, drawn eight, lost six - was the ninth best in the division and this year it’s 16th - won eight, drawn 10, lost four - with only Saturday's game against Sheffield Wednesday left to play.

Is it something he wants to address next season? “I’d like to get more points and better performances and more wins next year. But I think home performances are particularly vital for any club because that’s where all your fans come and watch.”

Town’s season ticket sales are set to dip below 10,000 for the first time since the spell in the Premier League at the start of the century and McCarthy admits that form at home is what tends to dictate the overall mood at a club.

“It is,” he said. “If they come and see us lose a couple [at home] and yet if the 2,000 fans who have travelled away have seen a great performance, it doesn’t really have an effect on the other how-many-thousand that have not seen it.

“They look at the paper and say ‘We’ve won, that’s great’, but actually they want to see us play well and win.”

Following Saturday’s match, McCarthy says he, his staff and his players will take part in the traditional lap of appreciation.

“We’ve just had that discussion and I said yes because we have to show our appreciation, whether it’s one or 10,000 who are still there watching,” he said.

“Show our appreciation for people turning up to watch us and support us. We’re not going to change, no way. We’ll be there.”

The Town boss made nine changes to the team for last week’s dead rubber away against bottom-of-the-table Rotherham and was disappointed that the game ended in a 1-0 defeat.

Did he learn anything from the match? “It confirmed to me what I already know, that when you change nine players, if it’s a League Cup tie or whatever you’re playing, you lose a bit of cohesion.

“But I was still expecting better from us. We shouldn’t have lost the game anyway. It was a good goal by them, a good strike, but it should never have got to that and we had our chances.

“Some things were just confirmed to me, rather than anything else. We’ve all thought Danny Rowe’s been training really well and I thought he was the bright spark out of all of them.

“I was pleased with Tommy Smith coming back. I thought that was his best performance since coming back from his back injury. That was pleasing, I have to be honest.”

McCarthy has confirmed he’ll revert to the team which won back-to-back games against Burton Albion and Newcastle for Saturday’s game against the play-off-chasing Owls.


Photo: TWTD



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christiand added 16:57 - Apr 27
Yes form at home MM, that must be it!? What about setting up defensively to p*ss poor teams to try and scrap a draw at home? Along with crap football that we have played over the last two season. Do you think that might have something to do with it too? I thought he said if he wasn't wanted by the fans he'd go? Poll on here 66.6% want him gone. Under 10,000 for season tickets, do these figures not tell him something?
11

cat added 17:17 - Apr 27
Oh Dino, if only them 25k had come to see you!!!, as many tickets you may have on yourself, they were not there for you in any shape of form!!, bit late now to reminisce however, your response was to tarnish BR's day with your foul Yorkshire gob.
8

ASAx added 17:19 - Apr 27
I fully expect to see close to 26,000 people at Portman Road again come August.

About 10,000 each for the two league games and another 6,000 for the League Cup most probably.
11

itfchorry added 17:24 - Apr 27
There will be 20,000 plus again - When you have
gone.

McCarthy Out
11

phillo added 17:28 - Apr 27
All to do with honouring the memory of a great manager & a great man who put out teams playing the right way.
You start actually trying to win things, promote positive play, utilise creative players not "solid blokes" & start trusting some of the talented youngsters our Acadamy is again starting to churn out then maybe you'll get people back week in week out to see your teams.
Till then expect to be playing in front of one man & his dog every week fella !



7

woohoo added 17:28 - Apr 27
"And actually what a difficult place it can be to come and play at if we play like that"

So, the players have the ability.

And who is responsible for getting the maximum out of the team at every game?.....
5

jong75 added 17:30 - Apr 27
Amazing what sensibly priced tickets and attacking football produce. Genius.
4

truckertractorboy added 17:30 - Apr 27
Im sure they are just trying to make me regret cancelling my season ticket .
1

therein61 added 17:43 - Apr 27
Yet again this man just beggars belief with his comments as manager(motivator) he has given us 3 good performances all season and had you been more adventurous would have had the ground rocking more often.
6

DirtyOldNodger added 18:02 - Apr 27
Token moan
0

jas0999 added 18:19 - Apr 27
However good the performance against Newcastle was, sadly it wasn't representative of the last eighteen months. If Mick selected an attack minded line up every game, then fans will return. But we know at the end of last season we had a couple of good games in dead rubbers, and then MM returned to his usual defensive formation at the start of the next season. Reality is folk are deserting PR in their droves due to negative tactics and an ever reducing squad quality due to assets being sold and the cash not fully reinvested.
10

Mark added 18:58 - Apr 27
"I think home performances are particularly vital for any club because that's where all your fans come and watch.”

MM is one for contradicting himself, as I thought his usual comments indicate that it is all about the result rather than the performance? If he believes home performances are vital, how come we have so often lined up in home matches with two defensive midfielders, even three at home to Rotherham last season, sometimes in front of five defenders?! The football has been dreadful for a long time, and that is why fans are walking away. MM could argue that the squad does not have the quality to play nice football due to lack of funding, but then the Newcastle match disproves that. We lined up positively against one of the best sides in the league and won it. So Mick, how come we can attack Newcastle but not Birmingham or Wolves?
8

cat added 19:06 - Apr 27
Asa - you lived up to your name there fella. 😂😂
1

iaintaylorx added 19:28 - Apr 27
Then get the stupid board to lower the RIDICULOUS season ticket prices and match day prices - it's an insult to the fans. We are treated like comsumers, not fans!
2

Lightningboy added 21:13 - Apr 27
The Newcastle crowd/performance was down to Sir Bobby - not McCarthy.

So much for him making his mind up during the Summer - just makes it up as he goes along.

Staying on where he's not wanted is just delaying the inevitable & holding the club back.
5

stevieiriswattii added 22:56 - Apr 27
'It confirmed to me what I already know, that when you change nine players, if it's a League Cup tie or whatever you're playing, you lose a bit of cohesion.' No sh1t Sherlock! Why oh why do you keep doing it.
3

blue75 added 07:17 - Apr 28
Lap of appreciation well there can't be anyone that's appreciated the average home performance this season why bother?
0

the_beat added 20:00 - Apr 28
“It was fantastic, it was a real surprise to see that and it was a great noise,” he said. “It was a fabulous atmosphere and a really good performance by us. We certainly responded to it.”

Does he not feel that possibly the crown responded to the performance, maybe he needs to take responsibility for poor performances or in this case credit for a good one, not the supporters.
0


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