McCarthy: We Still Need One More Win
Monday, 15th Apr 2013 06:00

Manager Mick McCarthy still believes one more win will be enough to confirm Town’s Championship status. The Blues are currently in 17th on 53 points, four from the drop zone, with four more games to play.

McCarthy said: “We haven’t got them yet, so I still think 56 points will be enough. But it doesn’t matter what I think, let me tell you. I don’t get everything right, I wish I did!”

The Town manager fully expects the relegation battle to go to the final day: “From day one I said I think it will.

“Another set of results which are a mixed bag, Barnsley, who have been beating everybody got beaten by six. Where’s that come from? I don’t know the circumstances.

“Peterborough just keep pulling results out of the bag. Wolves, I don’t know what’s happened there, but they got beaten at home by Huddersfield. Strange, strange league. It’s just bizarre.”

McCarthy switched his side to a 3-5-2 formation to match Hull on Saturday and felt that it worked for a time: “We worked on it on Thursday for a good while, playing against 4-4-2 or them playing 3-5-2 playing against our team and then us reverting to their shape.

“It nullified them for a while until we conceded the goal. And that was through letting somebody run.”

The Blues boss says his outlook remains the same, despite Saturday’s 2-1 defeat: “My attitude from November 1st has been ‘keep calm and carry on with it all’. I just take each game as it as it comes, I know it’s a bit of a cliché.

“That has been my attitude and nothing’s changed. It’s going to be difficult because Crystal Palace haven’t played today, they should have done. That doesn’t make it any easier. But I never seem to have done anything easy in my life.”

Palace were set to face FA Cup semi-finalists Millwall this weekend and given their additional rest, McCarthy is pondering whether to freshen up his side on Tuesday: “I’ll see about that on Sunday. We’ll see.”

Photo: Action Images

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BrettenhamBlue added 06:36 - Apr 15 This is a ludicrous league this year. Who can guess how many points we will need??
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Stevehowyabeen added 07:11 - Apr 15 Personally I think we need 57 points because of our GD.!
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bluefeast added 08:18 - Apr 15 agree with the above 57 points
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martleshamitfc added 08:37 - Apr 15 We may already be safe on 53pts? let's hope for a win tonight to make sure though.
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wkj added 08:38 - Apr 15 thanks to Charlton and a great defensive run we are now tied 4th bottom for GD with Barnsley- which may help a lot come judgement day if the bottom three turn out to be Bristol Huddersfield Barnsley
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walberswick added 09:11 - Apr 15 for a side in a relegation scrap who can.t score, draws are the best we can hope for. so only one or two more points and we will go down
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Jeff_winger added 09:19 - Apr 15

Barnsley goal difference just as bad as ours and huddersfield worse off so hopefully goal difference wont be too much of a handicap.
I also just did league calculator again and put ipswich to lose every game and I still had us just safe with what we have, be nice to be safe before last week of the season when any freak result could happen.
Wolves have a tough run in hopefully with ebanks blake out that might just keep them below us

hancockingoal added 09:22 - Apr 15

I must admit I am more worried now than I was a couple of weeks ago. We are solid at the back, probably as good as any team in the division but or midfield just doesnt create anything. Any goals we score are really fought for and are hard to come by. We enjoyed some luck the past few weeks but against Hull or luck ran out. If we only get bad luck in the last four games then it could well be relegation?

theobald1985 added 09:41 - Apr 15 beat palace and i think were safe. its gonna be a tough game for the full backs agaist palace but there defence can be exploited COYB
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Daleyitfc added 09:55 - Apr 15 Someone will be relegated with 56, possibly 57, points this year : let's hope it isn't us! With our goal difference, we need 58, in my view.
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Guthrum added 10:06 - Apr 15

@walberswick - Have you been watching Ipswich Town recently? For "a side in a relegation scrap who can.t score" we do so remarkably efficiently, having accrued 23 points from just 14 goals in 2013, including six wins. Town have won over a third of their games in this calendar year (even better when you consider we won none in January), so you can hardly say "draws are the best we can hope for".

Looking at all the teams' recent form and assuming that continues, another couple of points should be enough to see us safe. It's worth noting that Palace's away form has been pretty poor of late (just four points from the last six matches) and our home form has been outstanding, last Saturday notwithstanding (we've only lost at home to Brighton, Watford and Hull since McCarthy's arrival, plus just three draws, out of 14 games - a win rate of 57%).

whosroundisitanyway added 10:18 - Apr 15 martleshamitfc Dont turn up tonight, you'll find it a bit quiet!! Think we may need two wins to be out of the frame by the last day and we;ll get them, starting tomorrow night.
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wkj added 10:19 - Apr 15 the bottom three will not end with more than 54points I almost guarantee it
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ippy4life added 10:26 - Apr 15 I think we need more than just one win. I still don't think Mick is the one for us.
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tearle1974 added 10:59 - Apr 15

I think our fate will come after the next few matches against Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday. Lose both and we are back in trouble and the nerves will be back. I believe Mick is a true manager for the town. He It's the luck of the game and hard work. Derby game we robbed them of 3 points and Hull robbed us from a point. Thats football. Other clubs have tough games too. However if we go down it will be on goal difference and we know who to blame for that don't we. I think if we had Mick from the start of the season we would have been relaxing more getting ready for the summer. Instead we have some nervous times and nail biting to do. At least it keeps us interested right up to the last day.

Tractorog added 11:08 - Apr 15 Don't panic. Don't panic captain.
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Pessimistic added 11:50 - Apr 15 I agree with Daley I think we will need perhaps as many as 58 points this time season. The problem is a re-occurring one with the teams in and around the relegation zone beating teams above them. On the other hand, if we win our last four games though we could end up in eight place!
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BiggestMick added 12:17 - Apr 15 IN BIG MICK WE TRUST !!!!!!!! COYB <3
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BiggestMick added 12:26 - Apr 15 @ippy4life , MICK IS A-mazing SO DON'T DISS HE HAD TURNED US AROUND , IN BIG MICK WE TRUST
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Pendejo added 12:30 - Apr 15 Fear of relegation aside... you've got to love the Football League and the Championship especially here's to a team being relegated with 5 points more than the accepted wisdom of 50 being the safety zone... We will win @ Burnley on last day, a win that keeps us up.
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MathieandMarshall added 12:32 - Apr 15 The Sheff Wed game could be massive! and i worry that it is the sort of game that historically we'd struggle. On the other hand we seem to play better against the sides doing well in the league so hopefully we'll get something out of the Palace game Squeeky bum time!
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KilburnBlue added 12:36 - Apr 15 Have repeated this so many times but I shall repeat it once again NO TEAM HAS EVER GONE DONE WITH 55 POINTS EVER!!!!! THATS NOT JUST IN OUR DIVISION BUT THE TWO DIVISIONS BELOW US AS WELL!!!! Basically add that all up & that's 90 league tables spanning over 30 years. & even though its a mad league no way will it be as silly as 58 points.
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DanLyles added 12:55 - Apr 15

I fancy us to win 1 and draw 2 of our last 4 games. Palace are there for the taking tomorrow night. They are on a teribble run. Murray has lost form, partly due to injury. Zaha and Bolaise aren't creating from out wide and their engine room will miss Garvan's passing, while Jedinak is suspended. We have avenged our thrashings by Blackpool and Leicester with a 1-0 win, so why not make it three against Holloway's Eagle's?