Vice-captain Cole Skuse has paid tribute to departing manager Mick McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor. In the absence of injured skipper Luke Chambers, Skuse, 32, wore the armband during last night’s 1-0 victory over Barnsley which turned out to be the duo’s final game in charge of the Blues after five and a half years.
"It was a shock to the system, definitely,” Cole told the club site. "From a personal point of view I cannot thank him enough — he’s the one that brought me here and signed me.
"""I’ve played a lot of games under him and earned a couple of new contracts under him and I cannot speak highly enough of the pair of them.
"It might sound like a scratched record but it’s true. The way they conduct themselves as gentlemen, not just a manager and a coach, they are a true credit to themselves.
"I know I speak on behalf of the whole dressing room when I say a big thank-you. A thank-you for their efforts, even after the announcement that they were leaving the way they came in and conducted themselves was admirable.""
"Mick is a credit to himself and I’m sure he’s not going to be out of work long. It would be great to go up against a team managed by him in the future but it also wouldn’t be good because it would be such a hard test!
"""It would definitely be a challenge and I don’t know whether it would be nice or heated but it would certainly be a challenge.”
Caretaker-boss Bryan Klug will speak to the media for the first time tomorrow lunchtime ahead of Saturday's game at Nottingham Forest, however, the club have said none of his press conferences will be shown live on Facebook via TWTV or anywhere else.