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Mullet added 19:29 - Feb 7

As Town entered the 56th year of our Lord McCarthy we descended the snow-capped peaks of his homeland and into New York on the edge of a precipice. Over-achievement spawning hope, hope spawning despair; as the previous month's new year heralded little in the way of cheer. It was a new start with old faces as all bar Bru started the game today as the established “Mick McCarthy” team, in the arguably established “Mick McCarthy 442” of sorts.

In the opening minute it seemed that Town would be off to the perfect start. Barely could fans exhale quick enough as Murpy breezed off the last man and with the keeper all but beaten, his shot calmly rolled into gloves rather than bulging the net as we'd all expect. Teeth were sucked and hands wrung, alarm bells, not so much. Such a moment was not lost any one least of all the Millers on and around the pitch.

Moving swiftly and directly at us, Town fans' soon audible sinking patience, at the spectre of syncopated movement in the face of Rotherham's throughballs, saw the tractor boys a beat behind for most of the opening exchanges.

Little moments of neat play down the left were often stemmed as neither Tabb nor Mings could find room for themselves or anyone close by. When Town moved down the right a lonely Ando was all too often half a yard short of the ball. To the point by half an hour he came scampering across to the left wing in search of possession or perhaps just company.

Sneered at as a team full of our rejects it was the much undefended Sammon who undermined our defenders often a long way from goal. Persistently fouling and throwing himself at the ball through any man or thing in his way time and again. While the eye-catching Pringle tried to stack the deck the reds' way with decent set pieces, his passing was as bad as his barnet. Leaving just Green in the middle to really run the game, in the only way he knows how. Simply and with little to say – the effect was powerful enough to warrant words of praise though.

Town limped around for much of the first half. Following Murphy's early chance it fell to Tabb to burst through on the left and volley from distance smartly, but some distance wide in the (far) end. The Millers meanwhile, played for cheaply won corners and fouls and ground their way into the Town box with relative ease all too often.

When they launched another freekick following Tommy's retaliation to a snap at his heels, it fell to Derbyshire who rammed home on 37 from all of 3 yards. A header that produced a gag reflex of “offside” from a few of us fans alone. Town players remained like their marking, static and silent. Wondering who else hadn't done their job and perhaps where the lucozades were. Like many other things, we needed them.

Down in the belly of the stand some 8 long mins later the only warmth was to be found in the bizarrely small toilets. As fans were left pissing outwards, knocking elbows and individuals apiece whilst spewing forth accusatory claims at such a criminally tepid performance, the chief suspects were seemingly McGoldrick and Mings. Both of whom had arrogantly stroked the ball about at key moments but achieved little.

In the case of the young full back, it was a performance which burned slower than a £50 note in a nightclub queue and when Town caught late early into the second half, admittedly so did he. Two bold subs from Mick had been designed to stop his side gifting the game away on today of all days. For a little bit it worked.

The lacklustre Tabb and Ando exited and so did a limp 442. Sears and Bishop came on and so did the whole team – a bit. Skuse and Bru are like a cut price Lamps and Gerrard. When placed side by side they should work, but again today showed they just don't. The switch to a narrower middle not only streamlined Town's attacks, but gave Rotherham a bit of a squeeze.

Some great play improved the outlook as the fresh legs and fresh ideas took old in a spell of twenty minutes or so which saw the game swing into Town's court. McG finally had outlets and Mings had space to run into. The fact Bru could now pick a pass and Bishop had belief in himself even when his efforts came to nought was all well and good. The equaliser still eluded.

Murpy had not one, but two chances cleared off the line. A low cross skipped past a tumbling McG and off of the studs of the Gaelic Goal -machine. Again a clean pair of heels was met with dirty touch and a let off for Rotherham. Likewise, a corner fell perfectly and so did his resultant header. Unfortunately it fell right onto the head of a defender who knew little about it on the line. Such was Town's luck or lack of, on a day where we previously made our own it was in maddeningly short supply.

Between those two we can place Chambers chance at glory. He also forced a fantastic save from a much under-tested keeper who tipped the dipping effort from the captain again from off the line, he leapt to divert it from going under the bar and instead, over it. Nearly 1 in 5 of the 10 000 souls inside the stadium were Town, they knew each time, that time was getting away from us. Before 90 so would the game.

As with the first goal, a suspicion of Town defender fouled was waved away, a set piece forced. This time a corner. Upon finding it's way into the box, it dropped, we stopped and who else would finish this one? Sammon gleefully Happy Gilmore'd the ball into the net from much less than 12 yards and lapped up the adulation in front of his new paymasters. How things change.

As the boy Hunt emerged and McG retreated to the bench to vent his frustrations and ponder on another chance to take chances and finally get back his old self it seemed apparent that old faces might new look. Town spent much of the 90 today out of the game and out of the race. When Mings burst forward, and forward and into the corner he had little option and was soon relieved of the ball. He must have been more relieved when strolling back he watched from afar as the hosts broke and almost made it 3-0 in his absence. Firing wide as it happens. Again it was damning of our team that it happened at all.

Whilst last week saw cries and screams of a rut. Town took task and shovel in hand today and showed bar 20 minutes of real endeavour, a lesson in digging oneself deeper into a hole. Mick will sit amongst the wrapping paper and celebratory cheese tonight wondering what changes to make for Wednesday on Tuesday. It's clear he needs to call time on some of the regulars – at least for a week or so.
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Kesblue66 added 19:58 - Feb 7

So thats it now.If we make play of,we will probably lose to Norwich.Ihave said this last ten years i would never see town in the prem.again.[iam getting on a bit] up till new year my hopes did rise.MM is a good man & manager,but why does he persist with players who are not up to it.ie anderson & tabb to name two.Also why try to fit a square peg in a round hole when Parr is on the bench.Team spirit and one for all will last in the short term,but there is no substitute for class.
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Glossopippies added 21:25 - Feb 7

This was a poor lack-lustre performance by Town. Both teams seemed to be lacking in confidence but Rotherham's grew. Too many Ipswich players look to be out of sorts at the moment. The addition of Sears and Bishop definitely pepped Ipswich up for a while, but Murphy is going to need to re-find his scoring boots or else I can see the team sinking fast.
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