Manager Mick McCarthy was delighted with sub Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’s match-winning piece of magic during Saturday’s 1-0 home victory over Bolton, but still wants to see more from the 22-year-old. The ex-Arsenal man tricked his way past Trotters’ defender Sam Ricketts in the 88th minute before sending in a cross which skipper Carlos Edwards buried at the second attempt.
McCarthy says Emmanuel-Thomas’s quality is not in question: "His ability to beat the full-back, he twisted his blood to get that cross in, was fabulous. We all know he can do that.
"We inherited a team with seven points and rock bottom of the league. It’s all that s----y stuff that they have to do.
"That ultimately would have been a 0-0, and but for Jay and but for Carlos we would have had to have taken the point.
"All the lads who broke their balls all afternoon, all throughout however many games there have been since I’ve been here, is what I’m after. And if he can do that, and produce that little bit, [he’ll play].
"Let me tell you, Ryan Giggs runs about and he’s a magician, Beckham did, Ronaldo does, all the top, top players put the hard yards in and do the s----y jobs and if he does that for me, he plays.
"If he doesn’t, he’ll be a sub that comes on and might do a bit of magic. That’s the way it is, I’m sorry my team is going to be that way.”
The Blues boss says he was pleased with the work ethic shown by the Londoner on Saturday, aside from one momentary lapse: "If you want me to be ultra-picky, he let Chung-Yong Lee, the winger, run once and the vein on my neck was popping out because he’d got too far forward.
"I’m being a bit hard on him because I don’t think it’s lack of effort, I think it’s sometimes just seeing it and reading the game and putting yourself in the position.
"He’s trained really well, loads have tried to get him on loan and I’ve told them all to get lost. I haven’t got that many players and I want him to contribute, and he’s done it today and I’m delighted for him.
"And he contributed the last time I put him on as a sub, he blocked it and got us a point. Great.”