Tommy Smith agrees management can be stressful — but it hasn’t put him off the idea of perhaps following in the footsteps of Town boss Mick McCarthy when the time comes to hang up his boots.
The 25-year-old defender can see the effect the team’s recent poor run has had on McCarthy as he sends his team into battle tonight against third-bottom Bolton desperately seeking to end a run of seven games without a win.
Smith said: "Yes, it is a stressful situation but you can never say never until you’ve been put into that situation because you don’t know how you are going to handle it. But the gaffer is doing a great job and he keeps a smile on everyone’s faces.
"He stays positive no matter the situation because if you get too down and out about it then it can bring the whole vibe of the club down. Everyone is still in vibrant mood and we’re all looking to get that win to kick-start our season again.”
Academy graduate Smith has clocked up more than 250 appearances, 222 for Town and the others in loan spells at Stevenage, Brentford and Colchester, and is quick to acknowledge McCarthy’s positive influence on his career during his three years in charge.
Smith, who often saw himself cast in the role of scapegoat under Roy Keane and Paul Jewell, added: "I’m really happy because of the way the gaffer has stood by me. He has given me the chance and shown loyalty to me, and hopefully I have shown him that in return.
"There is a lot of pressure on the gaffer and he’s doing all he can to sort things out. It’s up to us, the players out on the pitch, to get the results that he deserves.”
Meanwhile, Smith has spoken of his sympathy for colleagues who have found themselves on the receiving end of supporters’ criticism during the club’s recent poor run.
Goalkeeper Dean Gerken and skipper Luke Chambers are two who have been targeted more than most by a minority of fans frustrated by the team’s winless run of seven games.
But Gerken has repaid the faith that manager Mick McCarthy has shown in him by keeping successive home clean sheets, while Chambers showed in Saturday’s goalless draw at home to Cardiff that he still has plenty to offer.
Smith said: "There comes a time, I think, when you just have to turn a blind eye to it and just listen to what the gaffer says.
"At the end of the day, if you’re pleasing the gaffer then you’re going to stay in the team and you’ve got to try to win the fans back that way, by going back to what made you play well in the first place.
"In Luke’s case I think he’s done really well at right-back. It’s not his natural position but he’s still growing into the role and he’s getting better and better with each passing game. He had a great game on Saturday and hopefully that form can continue for him.”
Smith is now recognised as a central defender but has also played at left-back in the past and he admitted: "It can be difficult but Luke’s a good enough player to deal with that, as he’s shown. He’d rather be playing at centre-half but he’ll play wherever the gaffer tells him to play.
"He’s a lad who doesn’t mind and just gets on with it. He’s the skipper of the club and he’s always in a chirpy mood, getting the lads going, and he’s a brilliant character to have around the place."