Town boss Mick McCarthy denied that he told the Blues’ travelling support to "f*** off" when celebrating skipper Luke Chambers’s goal during the 1-1 derby draw against Norwich City at Carrow Road.
TV footage appeared to show McCarthy gesture and shout towards the away fans in the Jarrold Stand after Chambers had given the Blues the lead in the 89th minute. Timm Klose equalised for the home side in the fifth minute of injury time.
Earlier fans had been chanting, "Mick McCarthy, your football is s***" following a 79th minute substitution.
Asked whether his reaction was aimed towards supporters, he dismissed the suggestion: "Just celebrating the goal.”
Pressed further on it looking like he was telling fans to ‘f*** off’, he added: "You’re putting words in my mouth. No, just the game, celebrating the [goal].”
So it wasn’t a reaction to fans’ earlier chants aimed towards him? "A reaction to the game, I want to win the game and we didn’t.”
Was he frustrated by the fans’ chants when he swapped Dominic Iorfa for Jordan Spence rather than making a more attacking change?
Safe to say Mick McCarthy enjoyed that goal.... pic.twitter.com/ZGoFMr4r7q– Irish Football Pics (@irish_pics) February 18, 2018
"Jordan Spence came on because Dominic Iorfa was cramping up,” he said. "That’s my tactical substitution and making the subs we have to make, I do my job as I see fit.”
Does he think fans didn’t appreciate the situation of needing a defensive replacement at that point?
"Well, it’s funny that I’m answering questions like that. If we’d come off and we’d won instead of them equalising it would have been so different, wouldn’t it? It’s sad that you’re having to ask me those questions. I’m not bothered, I do my job as I see fit I think and I do it particularly well actually.”
Asked whether he is concerned that his relationship with supporters is permanently fractured, he added: "Not really, no. I keep doing my job and doing it as best as I possibly can.”
But once a rift of that type appears it’s difficult to turn around, isn’t it? "Winning games overcomes it, so we’ll see what Wednesday [and the home game with Cardiff] brings, shall we?”
Asked again whether he told the fans to f*** off, he reiterated: "Just emotions at the game.”
As for the game itself, McCarthy was pleased with the display if not conceding the late, late equaliser: "I thought we did well. It was a really good performance and we’ve just let our guard down in the 95th minute, wherever they came from.
"Of course [the goal] could have been prevented. We might have blocked the ball in the box, we might have won the first header, we might have followed him out instead of Bart following him, I think that was just a bit of confusion.
"That’s how goals come about. I’m sure they’ll look at ours and think somebody should have been marking Chambo closer, no pun intended.”
Did the game go to plan? "I thought it was a really good performance in the first half as an attacking threat, as an offensive threat.
"And I thought in the second half when it got really tough those players were blocking and tackling and working hard, and Bart made a couple of saves. And I knew that would be the case. I was delighted with my team’s performance today.”
Reflecting further, he added: "I was pleased with the team’s performance, all of them. Stephen Gleeson has not played that much football so that’s why he was replaced with Lukey Hyam who, to be fair, has probably got more legs than he has and we needed that in the midfield. I was pleased with them all, I think they played well.”
He was pleased with the way Cole Skuse too care of James Maddison in the first half, although the Canaries youngster made more of an impression after the break.
"I thought in the first half certainly,’ McCarthy added. "Second half, he’s a very good player and you’ve got to take care of him.
"And pretty much we did, he had two freekicks he hit the target with but overall, up until the 95th minute, a job well done.”
Regarding the change to a 3-5-2 system, he said: "It was for today, might be for Wednesday and it might be for Saturday, but the system and the tactical changes worked today.”
The switch allowed him to get both Adam Webster and Cameron Carter-Vickers into side but equally means other players have to miss out.
"It does but it gets Santie out and it gets somebody else out, so there are the dilemmas. You can’t play everybody.”
Despite the criticism aimed towards him by Town fans, it was pointed out that the Blues are still ahead of Norwich on goal difference.
"We are, I think if I’d been given £100 million over the last three years I think I could have been languishing in 13th as well,” he added.
Norwich manager Daniel Farke felt the match was "a typical derby”.
He said: "Much aggressiveness, many duels. Some crazy things happened and then a lot of emotions with conceding what looked a determining goal and then the celebration in the 95th minute. There was an explosion at Carrow Road.
"To be honest, after this second half normally it is ridiculous to have one point. I thought it was a close first half but in the second half we had 75 per cent possession, we had 13 shots on goal to their one shot, one header that went in for them.
"We had James Maddison with two freekicks, Nelson Oliveira with three shooting chances, Timm was two metres out and missed his kick. Normally you must be sad just to have a draw.
"Sometimes small things make the difference. We gave away a freekick in the 88th minute with a young player who was a bit naïve. Ipswich is the best team on set pieces in the league. From the freekick came the corner and from the corner the goal.
"I just can’t praise the reaction and the mentality of my boys enough. It feels like a bit of a winner. So important for our club and supporters and us as a group.”