Boss Mick McCarthy admitted that Town were beaten by a better team after their 3-0 defeat at Leicester. Goals from Jamie Vardy, David Nugent and Chris Wood saw the league leaders to a comfortable victory.

“We were beaten by a better side, that’s for sure,” McCarthy said. “Unfortunately for me and for us we contributed to it and they don’t need any help.

“You probably know my view on the first one in terms of the final pass but we had a corner kick, we’d just had our best spell in the game. I think we’d had the best chance with Skusey at the edge of the box, I don’t think we’d had any other chances up until then.

“We went backwards rather than keeping it on top of them and we end up being negative, give it away and they scored."

Although it was Jay Tabb's backpass which played goalscorer Vardy in on goal, McCarthy wasn't too harsh on the midfielder.

“Tabby shouldn’t have been put in that position, that’s my view. We should have been putting the ball in for another cross and we should have been in their third.

“That was where we made the mistake, so I’m not pointing the finger at him, I think he’s great, I think he’s been fabulous for us, Tabby.

“I just thought we'd got into the game. Leicester are better than us, we’ve lost to a better team.

"They don’t need any assistance to win their games and I thought on the second goal again we had the ball in the final third and we lost it and it ended up in the back of our net. Disappointed.”

He said the home side showed little sign of tiredness having fought out a tough 2-2 draw at Forest on Wednesday: “If you can tell me that Vardy and Nugent were tired in the first half I’ll show my arse in Burton’s window!

“That’s all psychological babble that, that they might be tired, you just hope that that’s going to be the case.

“They’re top of the league, they’re winning it by a street, they’re all very, very good players, fit healthy young men and they can cope with it and you can cope with it when you’ve got players with the ability that they’ve got.”

McCarthy felt his team improved after the break: “I thought we played well in the second half. They were 2-0 up, there are two sides to that. They’re 2-0, do they keep going and try and get a third when they don’t need to?

“I thought we played better, I thought we had some opportunities to do better than we did but didn’t take them and we suddenly got punished by a better team.”

Quizzed about his interest in bringing Ryan Tunnicliffe back to Town on loan from Fulham, as TWTD reported yesterday, McCarthy was keeping his cards close to his chest.

“We’ll see. We’ve just lost to Leicester, it’s not the end of the world, they’ll piss [this division], they’re streets in front of the rest of us. We’ll regroup on Monday and see and get ready for Birmingham.”

Tunnicliffe was left out of the Cottagers' 18 as they drew 1-1 at West Bromwich Albion.

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson was delighted with the victory and the display: “A good result. A good all-round performance against a decent side. I’m very pleased with the outcome.”

Photo: Action Images

thebeat added 22:57 - Feb 22 He thinks "Tabby" has been "fabulous" for us. Is he pissed? Or just blind? Or just in denial?
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alfromcol added 23:18 - Feb 22 , I think he's great, I think he's been fabulous for us, Tabby. WHAT, WHAT , WHAT? I like MM and what he is doing for ITFC, but come on MM!!!
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NoelTheDub added 23:46 - Feb 22 Mick your loosing your marbles,if you thought the Leic players were tired after wed night with the squad they have you have a better chance on the lotto.Just be honest with the supporters now as you are losing a few the way you think.Clearly you have players you wont drop or play out of position just to have them on the pitch but this is not working your risking the balance and with your constant refusal to play our attack minded players v teams the same as us.Iv no issue today as most observers knew the team you where going to play but its throwing the likes of Taylor on who last played v another top side in QRP I feel sorry for if your only using him like s..t and Anderson at 2 0 down when clearly it not their fault and you will drop them out next week for the players that got you 2 0 down in the first place.Its time MM to drop the talk that everyone is flying and doing well and try for a change to show how good we can or could be...

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Tractorog added 00:15 - Feb 23 Mick has not had any money. Not sure that we'd be entertained if he had been given a load of cash, but I'd be sure we'd be in with a better shout of getting promotion.
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arablue added 00:36 - Feb 23 MM can only work with what he's got...and what he's got is largely the outcome of the resources/backing given to him by the owner... it is the owner's money, so fair play to him for spending what he wants to and by how much... only that in this "game", coming second best means little...i am sure he is very much aware that to win, and in the process recoup his "investments" , he's gotta back the manager with enough resources...

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thebeat added 00:41 - Feb 23 arablue the problem is Mick doesnt work with what hes got. He plays players out of position just to be negative and stop the opposition. Hes frightened of playing our more attacking players incase god forbid they should express themselves and play well meaning he couldnt drop them and go back to boring us all to death
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Keaneish added 01:43 - Feb 23 Yes, but... I made big mistakes today. That is how the rest of the article should read! For me, your next team selection will say a lot about you as a man, our manager and the future of your tenure.
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distractored added 08:42 - Feb 23 Clegg Out!
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ChestnutSe added 09:48 - Feb 23 Poor old Mick and TC. Professional football men who have been in the game all their working lives and enjoyed considerable success. All the expert commentators on here can see that a small lightweight, unfit player still coming back from a serious injury and perhaps with a questionable attitude is the messiah that we need to turn our team into world beaters. And the massive, fit and athletics 22 year old who is prepared to run himself into the ground is not as good or has the potential that they can see but the experts on here know that he is useless and needs shipping out. Why did they get rid of the amazing and influential Chopra, Jet and Martin, players who could really make a difference and who the experts on here lauded as real flair players? Get real people. Mick and TC are doing a great job with the resources available. It don't happen overnight except on computer games.

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warktheline added 09:52 - Feb 23 Tractor boys,more like Fickle boys,most of you lot on here just want and expect instant success....get real it ain't gonna happen.So what manager do you want in next?Obviously not Jose,he hasn't played at any recognisable level of football,guess I don't have a creditable view point either having only played a county level.Sorry about that but please excuse my lack of knowledge on the game!Surprised at one or two on forum who have quickly changed tack on the credibility of mick's managerial skills.Not to dissimilar to the West Ham situation.Sam was clueless last month.....one month on he's won 4 on the bounce!Guess he listened to all the know-it-alls!Well said Cheshire boy,pity others didn't have their own individual opinion instead of following the 'self-righteous half-empty brigade'.SHEEP.

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LordMamu added 09:55 - Feb 23 The worry is that crowds will drop....if this mediocrity and lack of ambition continues,will those of us who have to travel a long way renew our season tickets? I do a 250 mile round trip with my son and heir for home games and who reckons we should bother for the Birmingham game with no McGoldrick and Nouble and Tabb playing? I have nothing against either of them and Noublewill get better but Taylor and Wordsworth at least offer creativity. I dont mind losing but not playing like this - its like a death of a thousand cuts!

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BlueSwede added 10:20 - Feb 23 Some posts here nerver cease to surprise me. We play a team that is top of the table we play them away from home where they have 12 wins in 16 and only one defeat, a team unbeaten in 12 games, a team we "never" win against, a team that has David Nugent who always score against us and when we lose it's "McCarthy out" and "everything is wrong... I just think back to where we were a year and a half ago and losing 6-0 to Leicester last season.

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thebeat added 10:43 - Feb 23 The same people keep harping on about how bad it was before Mick and TC arrived. Fair enough it was bad and they saved us from relegation. But thats gone we've moved on, we dont expect instant success, we just dont appreciate being taken for fools. He thinks Tabbs been fabulous? Really? Hes having a laugh surely? Fighting relegation for how many years and the crowds kind of stayed the same. 5 points off the play offs and have been in the top 6 this season but the crowds are dropping every game.What does that say about the style of football on offer? Keep deluding yourselves that you are more knowledgeable and you can see what Nouble offers but deep down you all know he'll never make it and we are the most boring negative team in this division thats why fans are stawing away, attendances dont lie.

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brittaniaman added 10:45 - Feb 23 We are half as good now as to when we played them there last season ????
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blueherts added 11:02 - Feb 23 Some reasoned comments on here and it is laughable people spouting MM out - especially if we saw the corresponding fixture last season with Reo Coker etc BUT - I think we looked a beaten team in the first minute - totally afraid of them and their pace We gifted them a goal and never competed MM does need to look at the top two - it does not work FN and DM Width - like he had at wolves lets build for next season and push on and no talk of Play offs - today showed a gulf in class

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TimmyH added 11:18 - Feb 23 I don't think we want 'instant success' as we know it will take time...but currently what is getting on the majority of people's goat (on this board) at present is Mick's inability both to set the team up correctly against certain opposition and not allowing players in their correct positions with favouritism to some. I know there is some time still to run but I haven't seen enough progress this season which I hoped for, Mick needs to be more 'flexible' tactically if we are to improve next season.

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PSGBlue added 12:28 - Feb 23 I still believe MM is still a good manager, although why he still persists with Tabb and Nouble is beyond me. Surely SEB will replace Nouble once propoerly fit and Anderson or Taylor look more of a threat and less of a liability than Tabb. That all said the problems lie much deeper than MM and the present squad. The only way out of the league is money. ME had money and should take the blame for wasting it on two useless managers - currently our squad and league position is no better than under JM - how many millions have we wasted since then? Perhaps a sharp lesson to any other busisness person who knows nothing about football before they invest! The bottom line is - ME invest more money into the team and help MM or sell up to someone who will invest. Otherwise the top six will remain a distant dream!

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blueherts added 12:59 - Feb 23 Strange , was chatting with Leicester mate on way back home and he argued best thing that happened to them . in hindsight! - I may add, was going down to Div One !!! They came back stronger and full of confidence - Yes I know you can point to Cov and Sheff U etc but you could also point to Norwich and Southampton - in recent years - Just a thought !!
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StowTractorBoy added 13:05 - Feb 23 It is crazy for fans to even mention MM should go. Yes Tabb and Nouble are nowhere near good enough but Mick is not going to come out and lambast them in public. Think where we were the previous two years - in real real trouble and Mick miraculously turned it around. Mick has had no money and I don't blame the owner for that as previous managers have wasted millions. This is a gradual building process and I am sure MM and TC will get the players in the summer to give us some pace which we havn't had for years and a craftsman in midfield. Yesterday was a disappointment not just the result but performance wise as well. I say however be very careful what you wish for regarding the Manager. MM is the best we have had since Joe Royle and he was lambasted on here as well. Since Mick has been here he has completely transformed the Club from top to bottom and it now has a foundation something it has not had for a long time. As for yesterday Leicester are streets ahead of us now, but remember they had many years of struggle but slowly they have built an excellent squad. As for crowds going down I believe we are holding our own and the drop is in line with a lot of Clubs in our division. However we play, supporters will always come to watch if we are a winning team but Clubs in our division have the same ambition as us in a very tough league. We have no devine right to beat the likes of Barnsley and Millwall as they have the same ambition as us. Keep the faith could all be different next weekend.

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Blue041273 added 13:20 - Feb 23 TimmyH Do you go to any games at all? Your assertion that MM does not set up his team correctly or favours certain players is just plain rubbish. He uses his years of experience and knowledge of the the players in his squad to determine the tactics/formation in respect of any game. That knowledge/experience is what the club is paying him for. Are you close enough to the squad to assert that you 'know' more than MM? At the moment it isn't pretty but to take us from the brink of oblivion to the cusp of the play offs is a massive achievement. With no resources to significantly improve the squad, he is asking the players he has, to play in positions and ways that may be alien to them. He will trust the players that buy into this philosophy. Those that don't, won't play; end of. At the end of the day, as any of us that have to work will know, the manager is always right. While he retains the confidence of the hierarchy, and why not at this stage, all the wingeing and bitching on this forum serves no purpose at all.

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NoelTheDub added 13:41 - Feb 23 Everyone stop saying Mick has no money Its the type of player he goes for, even if that be a free agent or cost small money.Mick talks one way but does another.Im not a Mick out merchant or think we can compete with Leic or QPR or thought we had a playoff hope but its a big let down when Iknow the team he going to play v teams like ourselves its clearly set out to defend our goal and nothing else, then throws on forward minded players when we are 1 or 2 0 down at home or away.He is just not giving it a go even to judge who he wants to keep or let go but we all know the answer there.Giving Mick big money wont take the mans mindset away so everyone forget the no money issue.I really think if we got Messi Tabb or big Frank would keep him out thats MM just have to face it Micks old school...

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PSGBlue added 13:58 - Feb 23 The best thing for MM to do is read this forum. At least then when he shuts down he may get the option to close "Current Tabb!"
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billlm added 14:10 - Feb 23 went yesterday biggest disappointment was at half time he didn't go 4-3-3 and at least have a go at them2 he kept same players and formation, he was scared of 4-3-3 before the match as he likes to keep it very tight 2-0 down is not tight should have took nouble tabb of for taylor and seb made Leicester work as there was no change of formation they had a 45 minute stroll, if we had took our chance in the 84th minute they have wobbled but apart from that far to easy for them

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WickedBlue added 14:17 - Feb 23 Some are being too Harsh on MM others blinded by loyalty because he has done a good job compared to the nightmares that were our last two managers. He has steadied the ship. And really we should be aiming for a top 10 finish top 6 is just beyond us this season. Let's see where he takes us next season. The one thing I don't like a MM is he does play his favourites then harps on about players having to earn their place. Well Loach was MOM last week and MM drops him and even the experts can't understand why Taylor isn't playing instead of Frank. MM's actions do not match his reteric which is disappointing. Prime example we were 2 down against QPR and he brings on Frank. Did anyone think we might just get back into this game with that move? He left Alan Lee on the bench that was the time to take a gamble and put him on. Say what you want about Alan he knows where the goal is something Frank doesn't. And don't try arguing about his age that is Bull Sh*t. Putting on Frank just said he had given up the chance of any comeback. He who dares wins Mick remember that.

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halsteadblue added 14:23 - Feb 23 I am getting sick and tired of all our supporters who keep saying mick has done a fantastic job with no money to spend,true,he has done a good job,but lets not forget the majority of these players at the club now are players that mick has got in,i.e all the same type of hard grafters who give 100%,we have no midfielders at the club capable of scoring goals (ffs whats that all about) midfields who cant hit a barn door from five yards,thats laughable,we are pedestrian and predictable with no flair or pace and no creativity,that has been micks choice of players he has got and nobody elses.

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