Manager Mick McCarthy is determined to keep his feet on the ground despite the Blues getting back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory at Charlton yesterday. Town have now taken 20 points from 33 since McCarthy took charge.

Despite the loss at Leeds and Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bristol City, the Blues boss dismissed suggestions of a drop in form: “I don’t think we’ve had a dip.

“I prefer to look at it overall and I think when you come into any job where the club’s having a little bit of a struggle, you’ll have your highs, you’ll have your lows, but it’s how it ends up.

“I saw it with Bristol City last year when Derek McInnes went in and they had a really good run and then they ended up in the bottom three, I think, and then they had to get back out, and that could happen to us yet. It’s about just keeping a calm demeanour, on the outside anyway.”

He admits that his team might have lost yesterday’s match a few weeks ago with Charlton putting the Blues under pressure during the second half: “That comes with winning games and that self-belief.

“It doesn’t come from me, you have that within yourself. They’re all professional footballers, so it must be there for them to have got to where they are and achieve what they’ve achieved.

“But it gets a bit flaky sometimes when you’re getting beat and you can’t see yourselves hanging on. When you’re winning games or at least playing well you’ve got that bit more self-belief, so I’m pleased with them.”

McCarthy has said he’ll use his squad during the busy festive period but named an unchanged side. He switched Andy Drury for Nigel Reo-Coker just after the hour but says it wasn’t a pre-planned switch: “Fresh legs, that’s all. I brought Nigel on, a defensive midfield player, as I thought we were getting a bit overrun.

“I didn’t think Andy had played badly at all, but that’s what they’re there for, they’re not sat on their backsides just to keep the bench warm, and I thought Nigel did well.”

Whether he’ll look to shuffle his pack when Town take on his old club Wolves at Molineux on Saturday, he says he’s not yet made up his mind: “I’ll see how they are tomorrow. I’ll give them all a kiss and a cuddle and see how they are.”

Meanwhile, former Blues boss Roy Keane has been linked with the manager's job at his former club Nottingham Forest, Sean O'Driscoll having been sacked yesterday.

Photo: Action Images

hello66 added 07:35 - Dec 27 I'll give them all a kiss and a cuddle and see how they are.” ..........he has a way with words !
0

blockb_steward added 07:46 - Dec 27 Mick Mac, you truly are a legend! Onwards and upwards we go :)
0

Suffolk_n_Good added 08:13 - Dec 27 How about a new T-shirt: "Keep calm and trust in Mick McCarthy "
0

BLUEBEAT added 08:46 - Dec 27 Last sentence suggests MM is a sexual predator, using his position to garner sexual favours. Somebody should tell Esther Rantzen.
0

bluefeast added 08:46 - Dec 27 Ourselves ,Peterborough and Shef Wed all picking up points. Bristol City and Barnsley look two from three for relegation . We know how quickly things can change but the next game is all that matters. COYB
0

oscarwhiting added 09:14 - Dec 27 BLUEBEAT: your comment suggests you would like to join him and that your not thinking straight as mick is a legend COYB
0

Stato added 09:28 - Dec 27 MM has worked wonders and the only thing making me nervous is how we would cope if we didn't have DJ.
0

DurhamTownFan added 09:55 - Dec 27 Sensible enough approach from Mick. Like bluefast said, the other teams are also picking up points, and it would only take a terrible January of losing DJ with no replacement to put a dampener on things (although I'm sure if we do lose him Mick has plenty of other ideas). My guess is we'll at least go for it at Wolves. Mick will be keen to get one over those who sacked him last year, and I reckon he's likely to get a good reception from their supporters. Hyam in for me (sorry Drury), with JET on earlier if its a stalemate. For all the abuse I've heard levelled at him from the stands, at least JET gives it a go and tries something exciting in the final third. He deserves a good run out after so long in the margins!

0

DutchTractorboy added 10:01 - Dec 27 @BossMan, totally agree. MM so far is nothing short of a miracle. If I only think back to what the table looked like 11 matches ago.... He is right to speak out about keeping his feet on the ground with 22 matches to go. But as TWTD shows in the form table over the last 11 matches, he really has something to be proud of: http://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:championship/form/matches:11/typ On the DJ subject, with QPR interested on all kinds of striker names (Demba Ba, Anelka, Keane a little while ago), I still think that DJ isn't going back there. However, even if he doesn't, with these goal scoring statistics we should be aware that he has many options at the end of his Ipswich loan spell. Let's just hope. -=ITFC4EVER=-

0

weddings added 10:04 - Dec 27 What worrys me is when the Republic of Ireland job comes up will we keep Mick ?
0

brittaniaman added 10:18 - Dec 27 Perhaps the Republic of Ireland job will go to Roy Keane ,, we hope ?????
0

MCGOODERZ added 11:01 - Dec 27 Why is the Roy Keane sentence in this story?
0

jas0999 added 11:27 - Dec 27 6 wins in 11 games. Compared to the last regime - simply brilliant! Agree with MM though - a long way to go and we must all remember that the squad is not a particularly good one - it's just been managed really well. We will still lose games - but at the moment just happy with seeing us win / hard to beat again. Well done MM.
0

warbeat78 added 11:57 - Dec 27 I don't think MM would take of just like that for international dutys, i'm believing he's actually enjoying task in hand, and the general feel of the club and suffolk as a comforting area to be in. He's far from finnished what he wants to achieve here with us very promising times ahead i feel and well overdue COYBSsss!!
0

dirtydingusmagee added 12:22 - Dec 27 The right attitude to take, its great getting the wins since he took over, but he knows how things can turn in football, it aint over till the fat lady sings . Well done Mick, keep it up !.
0

Mark added 12:42 - Dec 27 Results have been superb since Mick took over, and were it not for the good recent form of the bottom four we would be feeling relatively safe right now. After Saturday I feared that the two away games could see us slip back into the bottom three, but the win at Charlton was a real boost. As for Forest, sacking O'Driscoll when they are 7th in the table, and one win off 5th place - what are they doing?! It makes you glad to have someone like Marcus Evans who at least is patient with his managers.

0

muccletonjoe added 12:59 - Dec 27 Some sensible comments from the manager and those 3 points yesterday have at least taken some of the pressure from the wolves game on saturday. Team selection will be vital for that one , 3 games in a week will be too much for a few first team regulars and he needs to pick replacements with care.
0

TractorBeezer added 14:19 - Dec 27 DutchTractorboy...thanks for posting the form table. Look at our next opponents Wolves with only 10 points from the last 11 games. Another 3 points for us on Saturday perhaps!
0

Seasider added 14:36 - Dec 27 Well we got the win I had hoped for to keep us clear of bottom 3;but teams below us also keep picking up points which is compacting the league. Have said previously that Murph only has one good game in four,well now its about every other game and was MOM at Charlton. Every player has improved I think apart from Carlos Edwards who I thought would have had more impact further up the field.Bradley Orr is still suspect to pace,glad Danny Haynes switched during game;and gk is still a bit like Dracula sometimes. Mick Mc Carthy however has done a wonderful job so far and like many fans now I no longer fear relegation so much as I did earlier in the season.

0

jamesmostevens added 14:40 - Dec 27 Mick McCarthy's Calmy Army! Feet on ground maybe, but he is doing even better than I'd hoped.
0

tractor57 added 18:02 - Dec 27 MM is doing an amazing job really! Roy Keane. What a massive C**T he is. Stick to being a pundit . Please don't ruin any more teams. He should receive a lifetime ban from management !
0

ericclacton added 18:03 - Dec 27 where did he used to keep them then.
0

runningout added 23:04 - Dec 27 this headline is almost laughable.. we are not in any state whatsoever to get carried away.. even if we had won the last 7 games you dont count your chickens in this league
0

runningout added 23:17 - Dec 27 no need to be so harsh on Roy Keane 'tractor57' No one deserves that..
0

ITFC_1_Fan added 23:42 - Dec 27 McCarthy is doing a great job! I won't be calm until we are atleast 10 points clear of relegation though. I know one thing that would make me calmer, Loach in goal!! I get nervous every time the ball goes near Hendo, especially when our defence passes the ball back to him.
0

Blogs 296 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls