Boss Mick McCarthy felt neither the Blues nor Blackpool played well enough to take all three points from the 0-0 draw at Portman Road.

“I thought we started really well, had our best chances but didn’t take them,” McCarthy said. “I thought the game settled, the two substitutions disturbed the game a little bit.

“They had the best chance in the second period of the first half and then the game’s just a scrap. Not great conditions to play in. We could have won it, we could have lost it, to be honest.

“I don’t know how many good chances they had, I thought we had the best chances early on. He’s got a pretty good squad there, they all worked for him and it wasn’t easy to play today.

“We haven’t played well to win the game, but neither have they. I think we probably shaded it, but there wasn’t a lot in it and conditions did make it difficult.”

Town’s best opportunity was David McGoldrick’s header which flew wide in the ninth minute but McCarthy wasn’t too harsh on his top scorer or his other main striker: “Murph got in as well, I’m not sure whether it was a cross or a shot. But it wasn’t to be.

“It’s the hardest thing in the game, putting the ball in the net, that’s why they pay fortunes for strikers and give them fortunes.

“Dids has been our talisman, so I think we can forgive him that. He’s got a knock to his knee, we’ll have to see how he is.”

McCarthy confirmed that Dean Gerken missed out due to a neck problem: “He’s got a stiff neck, he woke up and he really was struggling with it so they tried to manipulate it but it wasn’t [getting better]. Anyway, Loachy came in and did really well. He only knew he was playing at one o’clock.”

The Town boss says Luke Hyam went off with an injury unrelated to the gash which had previously kept him out of action: “He’s got a tight hamstring, I hope he hasn’t pulled it, I think he’s just strained it.”

McCarthy was pleased with home debutant Paul Green and to be able to introduce Sylvan Ebanks-Blake as a sub: “I was delighted with Greeny. It was just a shame that we had to rejig because we started really well. I’m glad to get Sylvan on the pitch and he’ll be involved in the U21s [at home to Charlton] on Monday.”

Regarding the second half penalty incident when Kirk Broadfoot appeared to handle, McCarthy wasn’t sure: “I haven’t actually seen it since but when I’m on the sidelines I’m always going to shout for a penalty and so is Barry Ferguson. All of us shout for everything because we all want to win. I didn’t see it any further. I’ve no idea.

“Tommy Smith got a smack in the gob [from Ricardo Fuller] right in front of us. I don’t know, we appealed for it, that’s all.”

Overall, the Town boss added: “There was nothing in it, it was just a tough, tough game.”

Blackpool interim player-manager Barry Ferguson thought his side should have won: “I’m disappointed we didn’t take the three points. We certainly had the chances to get the three points. That’s the only criticism I can have of the boys, they weren’t clinical enough.

“We’re starting to show signs that we’re a good team, we’ve had a couple of weeks now to work with them and I think you can see we’re starting to take what we’re doing on the training ground onto the pitch.”

Photo: Action Images

bluefeast added 18:16 - Feb 15 It was terrible today , wet windy boring and unadventurous is how i would sum up.
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essexboy added 18:18 - Feb 15 Terrible,what more can I say.Need a midfield badly.
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braveblue added 18:19 - Feb 15 Mick, were you at the game? Why not just admit you are happy with a scoreless draw. Why was the team changed from 2nd half last week? That is where we list it. SEB is miles away from being fit, Green was average. Blackpool are poor. Nonsense comments.
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raycrawfordswig added 18:23 - Feb 15 Boring football from an average team.
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ArnieM added 18:24 - Feb 15 Well we certainly didnt do enough to win. We didn't decide to attack them until the 94th bloody min ffs!! As for making the top 6 - an utter pipe dream. We are incapable of beating teams below us or who are struggling. Where's the attacking flair, wing play, forward passing (instead of 15 bloody sideways then backwards passes), early balls into the box? Or God forbid someone even takes a chance kn a f- king shot at goal.

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bluefeast added 18:26 - Feb 15 I agree the team that played the last 20 mins of last week should of been the one that started the game today.Error bringing Hyam straight back in and an injury was obvious on such a heavy pitch. I do wonder if we spend all week preparing to negate the strengths of the opposition as opposed to forming a plan that works on our strengths.
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Letchworth_Blue added 18:39 - Feb 15 "We could have won it, we could have lost it" no sh1t. I'm surprised that no-one was different class today. C'Mon Mick sort it out. It doesn't take a genius to work out that we have no midfield creativity!!!!!!!
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Norwichbeater added 19:03 - Feb 15 I am so appalled with this football. I have taken my 9 and 8 year olds to about 15 games. They have not seen a single half acceptable match yet. My heart said surely we must play for a good win today given blackpools circumstances. However I watched a team set out to try to achieve a goalless draw. We'll done MM you got what you played for. Your tactical brain is unemployed. I am fed up with this rubbish. My kids were ok they expect this level of football. What I would do to let them see a proper ITFC performance. MM did a great job last year and dinosaur tactics kept us up for sure. However we are going nowhere now and Marcus Evans has shown his true colours with no ambition in the transfer market. Watching ITFC now is really just a very boring dull day out.

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bluefeast added 19:14 - Feb 15 Norwichbeater , i totally agree and taking your young children in this weather shows real commitment on your part. I took my young ones in the John Lyal era. Full on entertainment. Mick needs to adapt as he is making our central mid players worse than they are. He is not an adventurous bloke ,our team are a reflection of his personality. He needs some advice otherwise next seasons average gate will be circa 12k.

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Walk_the_Wark added 19:15 - Feb 15 Been saying this for weeks. Our league position is nonsense. Anyone who thinks we are play off contenders is quite frankly an idiot
7

bluefeast added 19:15 - Feb 15 Entertainment is when enjoyment is created. is that fact totally lost on the club.
5

das_bones added 19:16 - Feb 15 Poor football today, glad to get home
3

bluefeast added 19:22 - Feb 15 The difference between ourselves and the top 5 clubs is midfield creativity. Reading are not to dissimilar to us. Then Brighton wigan leeds etc ie those around us have great creativity in midfield.
1

bluefeast added 19:24 - Feb 15 Someone at the game today mentioned MM contract not to be renewed , he also asked to speak to palace prior to Pulis being made manager. It was being discussed in the press box apparently .
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jas0999 added 19:28 - Feb 15 Bluefeast - I quite believe it. Mick was promised funds when he joined us and has not been backed.
4

depressed added 19:33 - Feb 15 Well Mick, that jolly in the Algarve has certainly paid dividends.....NOT !!
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martleshamitfc added 19:40 - Feb 15 Haha...Well my prediction of a 5.0 drubbing of a team with no confidence was somewhat wide of the mark. Hope we can get another bore draw next week at Leicester?
0

Blaine96 added 19:42 - Feb 15 ALL OF YOU NEED TO TAKE A F*CKING CHILL PILL. WE ARE NOT GOING TO WIN EVERY GAME, WE AINT GOING TO PLAY WELL EVERY GAME, THATS FOOTBALL FOR YOU, IF YOU WANT THAT THEN PISS OFF AND WATCH BARCELONA, WE HAVE A SMALL SIDE WHO GIVE ALL THEY CAN, CONDITIONS PLAY A VERY BIG PART IN MATCHES, SOME IT HELPS AND SOME IT RUINS, END OF THE DAY, OF COURSE WE ALL WANTED A TOWN WIN BUT A POINT IS BETTER THAN NOTHING, WE HAVE TO BE GRITTY TO GRIND OUT RESULTS SOMETIMES, SO DOES EVERY TEAM, SO STOP COMPLAINING AND TURN YOUR ATTENTIONS TO THE NEXT GAME AND BACK THE TEAM. IM IPSWICH THROUGH AND THROUGH, IF WE DRAW THEN IL TAKE IT AND IF WE WIN ITS BRILLIANT AND IF WE LOOSE THEN I HAVE MY MOMENT OF FRUSTRATION AND MOVE ON FROM IT!

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captaincrunch added 19:49 - Feb 15 Agree with Blaine. We didn't do as well as we had hoped but its not THAT bad to draw 0-0. We did play well for spells but there are a lot of variables going on here and it would be stupid to simplify it to that we should have won because we played a team who haven't won in a long time. How many times do you see upsets in this league? Well there are a lot worse than this. Plenty of games left to try for 6th spot.

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Letchworth_Blue added 19:52 - Feb 15 Blaine, can you say that again in little text as capitals make my eyes go funny.
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Mark added 19:57 - Feb 15 The played well in the first few minutes and last few minutes, but the 85 minutes in the middle were dire. The midfield was particularly poor, perhaps with the exception of Skuse. Hunt had a real off game. Green did okay-ish, but perhaps it isn't his fault he was on the right of midfield. Isn't he a central midfielder? If he and centre-back Chambers are our answer down the right side, then I don't see us creating much at all. Berra was probably the best of the lot, winning some good tackles and helping us keep the clean sheet.

1

NoelTheDub added 20:12 - Feb 15 Blaine96 I Disagree with you totally on todays comment.MM couldnt wait to play players out of position ie green on the right making the balance of our team totally wrong.This negative thinking gives most ordinary teams that come to PR a great chance to get a result as we have seen a lot this term.Weather conditions play a big part in matches but if you set out your stall not to get beat most times it back fires on you.MM done a amazing job but its giving easy points away thats bugging the life out of me.

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ChestnutSe added 20:14 - Feb 15 I thought it was a really tough typical championship games played in horrible conditions which made it difficult for both sides. Indeed the weather and wind has been so bad for the last few home games it has certainly affected the play. We have been playing into the wind first half and struggling, then coming out 2nd half playing with the wind and going gangbusters. It's disappointing not to win at home against a struggling side but hey, that's football. I remember town losing at home 1-0 to the divisions whipping boys under George Burley. Keep grinding out the results and see where it takes us. We are capable of going to Leicester and winning, then everybody will be saying how great we are. Still a long way to go and it's great to be in with a chance of a play off place instead of flirting with relegation.

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muccletonjoe added 20:25 - Feb 15 Blain96 ... That CHILL PILL you were talking about ...
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TimmyH added 20:25 - Feb 15 @ChestnutSe - likeliest outcome of the Leicester game, we perform better but lose with a very outside chance of getting a draw - we battled like hell to get a point up at Forest so unless they get a player sent off winning is out of the question. Very very poor game today, look forward to the games on Saturday but leave feeling deflated after a performance and lets face it result against one of the Championships poorest teams at present who have got their first point away from home since November!

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