| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC 14:30 - May 7 with 2303 views | MaySixth |
i will look back it at it fondly to be honest
on the pitch he over-performed under financial constraints
felt like the club were galvanised after the Jewell and Keane eras
it ended poorly though with a flounce and barbed comments
i also got two season tickets at our lowest ebb in about 2013 and that has proven to be a great purchase for my son and i [Post edited 7 May 14:31]
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:00 - May 8 with 1966 views | MaySixth |
clearly forgettable | |
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| Chambo=Legend. (n/t) on 22:02 - May 8 with 1959 views | Bloots |
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| "....a smegma of a man” - TWTD User (Apr 2026) |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:09 - May 8 with 1941 views | Steve_M |
The only good manager between Magilton and McKenna. It’s not even close.
The progression from November 2012 to Summer 2015 was very good, the only time Portman Road was consistent engaged between 2007-08 and Mckenna’s time. Mick’s biggest mistake was losing the grafters - who could all play a bit - and trying to play better football in 15-16. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:15 - May 8 with 1919 views | sohamblue74 |
Liked MM and TC.
He didn't believe in cup runs though! |  | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:28 - May 8 with 1867 views | Swansea_Blue |
Tedium. He was doing his best but I’ve never felt so bored in all my time supporting us. There are only so many aimless Chambo chips down the channels you can handle. It perked up a bit when we lucked out on a couple of decent players up top, but the joy came from the results as we were a poor team playing poor football. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:33 - May 8 with 1856 views | Vaughan8 |
Obviously some good times and did very well on the budget he had.
However, my lasting memory is that Lincoln game., **Shudder** | | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:41 - May 8 with 1836 views | vapour_trail |
Mick Ma, mick ma mick ma, mick ma mick ma etc. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 23:20 - May 8 with 1769 views | Churchman |
I won’t look back at it fondly at all.
Tbf, he performed a miracle keeping us in the Championship or anywhere near the play offs. The rate of decline and neglect meant that we had no right to get as high as top half, yet he achieved it. I gathered from my late brother in law who met him a few times that he was a lovely bloke, happy to talk football and I’m sure he was/is. He brought in the best he could with what he had and was prepared to take a punt on a player.
On the downside, his football was always pretty Stone Age/ Wimbledonesque. It had to be, but it still made it desperately dull and embarrassing that we’d sunk so low. 9-0-1 formations, every point is a prisoner, Cokey is a proper bloke. I couldn’t care what he was. He couldn’t play football and it felt an insult to mine and 16,000 others intelligence to suggest otherwise. That sort of fob off nonsense began to annoy me.
Games I remember: Charlton away 1-0, Watford away, M’boro at home - the best we ever played under MM. There were other games of course. There had to be given I saw most of the home games anyway but most of the time is was pragmatic and turgid.
Evans was killing the club. Mick did his best. I thought him offhand and rude at the end, but tbf hed had to put up with a lot. I cannot look back at that period with much pleasure but MM has my respect as he deserves from anyone who witnessed those years and cared. [Post edited 8 May 23:23]
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 08:13 - May 9 with 1611 views | PioneerBlue |
The skies were dark and grey and the football was awful | |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 12:56 - May 9 with 1459 views | NBVJohn |
My memories are less about McCarthy and more about the desperation of any comms from the club….bigging up 30 yr old journeyman signings, celebrating the odd lick of paint whilst a tree grew from the roof of the Sir Alf, the back of a fag packet five point plan.
We really were in the doldrums.
If you really pushed me for a memory of the man himself, the f**k off immediately following the Norwich equaliser really summed us up.
The reality was that however bad we thought it was on and off the pitch, the real unvarnished horrible truth emerged after he left us.
Respect is due. | | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 13:07 - May 9 with 1424 views | Chrisd |
A period of frustration. ME doing everything at the club on a shoestring, the football under MM was dire but he did well with the hand he was dealt. Thankfully, the club is in a far better place on and off the pitch than during that time. | |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 13:52 - May 9 with 1358 views | Cheltenham_Blue |
He got a lot of undeserved flack, especially towards the end. Constantly asked to manage with one hand tied behind his back, had no choice but to play pragmatic anti-football for as long as he did, which slowly wore away any support from the crowd he ever had.
How the guy defended Evans for as long as he did is still, to this day, beyond me, the club was in managed decline and Evans chose to make Mick the face of that, literally throwing him under the bus with the Town support. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 14:38 - May 9 with 1281 views | LeoMuff |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 22:09 - May 8 by Steve_M |
The only good manager between Magilton and McKenna. It’s not even close.
The progression from November 2012 to Summer 2015 was very good, the only time Portman Road was consistent engaged between 2007-08 and Mckenna’s time. Mick’s biggest mistake was losing the grafters - who could all play a bit - and trying to play better football in 15-16. |
We were decent in 14/15 probably would have got autos if Marcus had spent a little in the January window. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 14:47 - May 9 with 1265 views | Farmerpiles |
Watford away 0-1 (Chaplow) & Charlton away 0-1 (Hunt) were highpoints for me under MM amongst a few others, quite alot of lows for me what sticks in my head is heading to Old Trafford on the coach for a midweek cup game only to hear over the radio he'd dropped Chambers & few reg starters to 'save them' for the following sat away game ... which I think we drew! He didn't like cups did Mick. |  | | |
| Wasn’t the reality this: on 14:59 - May 9 with 1261 views | unstableblue |
1) Mick arrived into Town as a proven experienced manager
2) He’s a likeable guy and brought much needed solidity to the mess that followed Keane and Jewell
3) Sadly Mick arrived too late for some of the funds his predecessors had received
4) Marcus was beginning to lose the appetite and the club was moving into some king of stasis
5) Fortunately Mick did inherit some quality and brought in some good buys
6) He galvanised us because he’s an excellent people manager
7) The play-off season was positive, with some good exciting football played, with Daryl Murphy in his absolute best form… he was unplayable
8) But there was an elephant in the room in that Mick wasn’t playing a particularly modern or technical style
9) Norwich were a better side than us in those play-offs, we were relying on laudable effort, less on a system
10) Then Marcus funding became laughable and Mick caught the wrong end of the Evans reign
11) Understandably Mick resorted to a more pragmatic footballing style Skouglas/Hyam, and he started to have to trawl the loan market
12) It all just deteriorated over two seasons, and the football was unwatchable, and crucially teams with similar budgets came with more progressive managers and passed round us, and we lost the Ipswich way, and it turned really sour
13) In summary Mick was a good guy, perhaps from an older guard of manager, who was badly let down by Evans. But he gave us a great season and probably kept afloat an underperforming club off field
Post Town Mick had a failed go in Greece, before starting well at Cardiff, before alienating fans with style and results. His Blackpool reign was disastrous. But prior to Town he’d had strong spells at Sunderland and Wolves.
Don’t think Town fans should hold any ill will towards Mick, but let’s not pretend that the football at the end wasn’t anything less than painful. [Post edited 9 May 16:00]
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 15:04 - May 9 with 1241 views | Trequartista |
2012-2015 Excellent - it doesn't need to be that stylish when you go from relegation candidates to the top of the league
2015-2018 Terrible - when the results disappear the basic football compounds it. We were about 15th biggest budget sure, but McKenna was about 22nd biggest when he got automatic promotion. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 18:31 - May 9 with 1029 views | 66notout |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 15:04 - May 9 by Trequartista |
2012-2015 Excellent - it doesn't need to be that stylish when you go from relegation candidates to the top of the league
2015-2018 Terrible - when the results disappear the basic football compounds it. We were about 15th biggest budget sure, but McKenna was about 22nd biggest when he got automatic promotion. |
You’re kidding, right? When we were promoted from League One we had a bigger budget than just about anyone else. | | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 18:32 - May 9 with 1020 views | Radlett_blue |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 14:38 - May 9 by LeoMuff |
We were decent in 14/15 probably would have got autos if Marcus had spent a little in the January window. |
Yes, but apparently Evans asked Mick if he wanted a few new players, but Mick said no, it would disrupt the squad so we added Freddie Sears, plus Richard Chaplow & Luke Varney on loan. It still nearly worked. |  |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 19:00 - May 9 with 984 views | Trequartista |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 18:31 - May 9 by 66notout |
You’re kidding, right? When we were promoted from League One we had a bigger budget than just about anyone else. |
I'm not talking about League One. | |
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| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 19:10 - May 9 with 968 views | jasondozzell |
Looking back, the only person who could have got us out of it in 2012. Did brilliantly.
Lots to like about 14/15 side. Tabby epitomised it.
But it soured after. Boring football with no hope. Not his fault but he could have been more honest.
Evans let it drift when he shouldn't have. Dereliction of duty.
But some fond memories of the build up to 14/15.
'Johnny on the spot '
,'TC works on the finishing'
'call the cops there's been a burglary' (Derby away - 2012/13?) |  | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 21:03 - May 9 with 899 views | braveblue |
Awful | | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 21:31 - May 9 with 861 views | have_a_word_with_him |
Nicely put. McCarthy did a pretty phenomenal job at a time when the club was in an utter state, with no investment, under an owner who clearly had no idea how to run a football club, but with an arrogance that told him he did. It was a huge shame things got as ugly as they did and I for one would like for MM to feel that there is respect for him and an appreciation of how impossibly constrained he was. |  | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 14:41 - May 10 with 603 views | Pilgrimblue |
Us too! It enabled us to get to lots of away games and even though it was dire we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Remembering QPR away when MM played with 3 defensive kids which we booed of course!!
Stijl it was fun at times so lots of treasured memories |  | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 16:49 - May 10 with 532 views | mrfixit426 |
Time for a confessional. I absolutely hated the bloke long before he came to Ipswich. A nasty piece of work with a real vindictive streak. I was dismayed when he was appointed.
Supported Ipswich since the mid eighties but I couldn't bring myself to watch a single minute while he was in charge.
He did a decent enough job under very trying circumstances, but the day he spat his dummy out and walked was like a beautiful sunrise after 6 years of darkness.
Sorry about that to people that liked him, but I feel better now I've got it out there. |  | | |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 17:38 - May 10 with 455 views | Churchman |
| Recollections of the Mick McCarthy era at Ipswich Town FC on 16:49 - May 10 by mrfixit426 |
Time for a confessional. I absolutely hated the bloke long before he came to Ipswich. A nasty piece of work with a real vindictive streak. I was dismayed when he was appointed.
Supported Ipswich since the mid eighties but I couldn't bring myself to watch a single minute while he was in charge.
He did a decent enough job under very trying circumstances, but the day he spat his dummy out and walked was like a beautiful sunrise after 6 years of darkness.
Sorry about that to people that liked him, but I feel better now I've got it out there. |
I can understand your view even though I don’t quite share it. I quite enjoyed him facing down Keane when he was Ireland Manager but when he was at Millwall, Sunderland and Wolves I never liked the way his teams played football. Always got the pragmatism but most of the time it was ugly to watch.
As a person, see earlier post. The brother in law thought him a nice bloke. I was nervous when he pitched up but it felt like we needed a kick up the @rse merchant given the state Jewell and his merry men left the team in and that’s what happened. Brutal backs to the wall DJ Campbell 1-0s? Great. Getting us out of that hole was his biggest achievement with us in my view.
The play off team? I thought it might develop into a decent footballing team with Bishop, McGoldrick and Murphy and it almost did. Good moments and some fun results. But when we finished 6th in my heart I felt we were inferior in every way. In truth we were.
The season after, despite a half reasonable finish it became ever more Stone Age and hard to watch. It didn’t improve. When Waghorn and Garner pitched up I thought we might be ok. We played Fulham at home early in the season and they wiped the floor with us. It was clear where it was going but there was enough firepower to stave off trouble. And downhill we went and deserved it.
I didn’t enjoy McCarthy’s time. The other managers in Evans’ time were far worse, but I cannot view that time with anything other than gratitude it’s long behind us, much as I respect what he did.
McCarthy should he ever visit the club, should be made welcome. He deserves that. Lambert on the other hand deserves to be chased away by the club polar bear, if we have one hanging around. | | | |
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