Boss Mick McCarthy praised Paul Taylor for showing application as well as his ability during Saturday’s 1-0 home victory over Birmingham. The 26-year-old was widely viewed as Town’s man of the match having been added to the side at the last minute when new loan signing Jonny Williams suffered a minor hamstring injury.

“He did the other side of the game, which is not always his best,” McCarthy said. “He worked very hard, he was unlucky not to score actually.

“I thought he grew and got better in the game. I don’t think he started particularly well, I don’t think it was a game in which any of us did, it was just a scrap. But I thought he got better and I’m delighted with him.”

He added: “I thought he was considered in his play today. I know he can do the maverick bit and boom one in from 40 yards, but how often does that happen? Very rare, maybe once, maybe twice a season.

“You have to track back with the full-back every single game. You have to hold it up, you have to find a pass and you have to do all the stuff that sometimes is a little bit boring. But I thought he did all that really well, I was pleased with him.”

McCarthy also had praise for Frank Nouble, who, along with Taylor, created Daryl Murphy’s winning goal, and was Town’s biggest threat in the first half before making way with a hamstring injury just after the break.

“I thought he got better further into the game as well,” the Town boss said. “It suits him playing 4-3-3. It suits him playing in that right-hand channel, he’s a handful there.

“He’s still learning the game, Big Frank. He’s just a very young lad, who has been farmed out on loan everywhere and he did great for the goal.

“He was unlucky with a left-foot cross from a similar position on the other side. He did all right, I thought the three of them up front did.”

McCarthy felt midfielder Jay Tabb deserved the ovation he received when he was replaced in the second half: “He was terrific, he just ran out of gas, Tabby.

“Whether he plays wide left or plays tucked in, I guess he epitomises what I want from any player that’s playing. He’s good.”

The Town boss, who spent yesterday covering the Capital One Cup final for Five Live having beaten the Wembley crowds by arriving on the back of a motorcycle, was also impressed with Christophe Berra’s display at centre-half and believes the Scotland international isn’t always given the credit he deserves.

“I don’t think he’s appreciated as much outside the club as he should be,” he said. “I’ve heard one or two disparaging ones when I’ve been on the bench saying ‘Get at him’. Get at him? He’s as quick as anybody.

“He’s a fantastic defender and he’s playing on the right-hand side which is not his favoured slot but he’s had a great season, he’s been terrific.”

Berra will be with Scotland this week for their friendly with Poland in Warsaw on Wednesday, while Daryl Murphy and Paul Green will be with Ireland for their friendly against Serbia in Dublin on the same night.

Jonny Williams is due to meet up with the Wales squad for their friendly against Iceland in Cardiff, also on Wednesday.

Photo: Action Images

TimmyH added 21:08 - Mar 3 Whilst Blueboy might be enjoying a smoke maybe you can have some of that humble pie that Mick might not be enjoying at the moment...quite a few other puppets also on this forum or haven't you noticed? When have I ever said Mick out or he's doing a poor job? I've mentioned that I feel he doesn't at times get team selections right/or players in their correct positions and also disagreed about the fact that MM saved us from guaranteed Div1 football last season arguments that you are very belligerent on!

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Garv added 21:22 - Mar 3 He should have been starting games weeks and weeks ago. Almost laughable that again he was set to be on the bench before Williams got injured. Didn't see the game but it was a lovely piece of hold up play and footwork from Taylor to set up Nouble for the cross. His upper body strength is hugely underrated, had no right to bring that ball down. Chances of an attacking 4-3-3 at Boro?

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thebeat added 21:24 - Mar 3 Surprise surprise Mick has to get some praise in for his pets Baldrick and Smithers. I really cant be bothered to worry about it anymore, hes gona play them no matter what out of pure stubborness. The first half on Saturday was the most boring 45 minutes ive seen since the days of John Duncan but i was a kid then so the thrill of being at my beloved club made up for it. No matter what Micks fan club say we all know who our best players and formations are, but the majority of us arent going to be happy most Saturday afternoons when we see the team sheet. I really cant be bothered to argue about it anymore, i have eyes and. I see it. Mick sees it. You all see it

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blueboy1981 added 21:53 - Mar 3 warktheline ............ has your Mick invited you to lunch yet ? - I guess you are expecting it anytime now, hate to think how dissapointed you will be when it doesn't happen. As for the 'tosh' spoken - you should know all about that. Wouldn't dare question you on that subject - but Football ANYDAY - juat lay your cards on the table beside mine ANYTIME. Something has to be wrong with team selection when the out and out MoM was in the team by default - but you wouldn't understand,know, or want to know anything about that - now would you ?

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theobald1985 added 22:01 - Mar 3 JWM mick will never replicate swansea as he hates that style of play he favours defensive long ball football no question. you say it took them 3 managers but the second one brendan rodgers took them up. what happened was the chairman decided on a style of play for the club and you did not get the managers job unless you believed in that fundamental football philosophy. we should try to replicate them and every moment playing long ball under mick is a moment wasted

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JWM added 22:22 - Mar 3 Are you seriously suggesting that Marcus Evans should do the same! Lol He doesn't know one end of a football from the other! The man that brought us the two biggest clowns in Keane and Jewell and you reckon that he should be deciding on our future footballing strategy....You are a joker! Thank god we don't have to take your nonsense seriously as we already have a manager in place who knows more about football than any of us on here will ever know!

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DerryfromBury added 22:41 - Mar 3 I thought it was Taylor who, deservedly, got the ovation when he came off....
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syntaxerror added 22:58 - Mar 3 So, Billblue, Thebeat et all - who would you like to replace Mick with?
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theobald1985 added 11:56 - Mar 4 JWM behave yourself yes i am suggesting evans should folloe swanseas lead look at the position of the 2 clubs and tell me thats not a reasonable suggestion! they play good football it took them into the prem and europe we play sh*te football and wont even make the play offs in the championship. i would suggest that mcarthys style is anti football its all about stopping people playing than playing the game ourselves. you talk about him like he is some messiah when really he just gets team defending like mad and pumping it in the mixer its football from the past it will never take us anywhere and if you knew anything about the game you would see it to-if you enjoy watching the long ball game then I feel sorry for you. my under 9 team play better football than town at the moment. evans is our chairman and knows nothing about the game as you said and that lack of knowledge led him to appoint mcarthy because he would not know good play from bad play he cares only about results-you care only about results-fair enough but people who truly love the game like myself care about the way the result is achieved a bit more

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JWM added 13:11 - Mar 4 Theobald what you fail to realise is that Mick was embroiled in a relegation dog-fight as soon as he walked through the door! The only objective was to keep us up at all costs and who would have thought that it needed over 50 points to achieve safety! This year is about consolidation and rebuilding and although you dont want to hear it, this takes time! You seem to think that MM inherited a quality squad of footballers but in reality he didn't. Mick inherited the worst Ipswich side in living memory and to guide them to safety and then onto challenging for the play-offs in just over a year is a staggering achievement by anyone's standards! You obviously dont like Mick's methods as is your want but you cant deny that he has dragged this team by its boot laces into being a competitive and effective unit. I bet you were one of these that loved what PJ was doing with his gung-ho approach and look where there ended up! I agree that a balance needs to be struck and i believe that Mick is now working on developing a more dynamic edge to our play but these things take time and if you knew anything about football you would also accept this and be patient. Its laughable that some of you wanted to give that clown Jewell more time and yet you are only too quick to slate our current manager who is doing a bloody good job!

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theobald1985 added 15:11 - Mar 4 lol at JWM suggesting mick is working on us having a more dynamic edge -are you sure your not s*agging mick? i see no signs of a dynamic edge there is nothing dynamic about the bloke. what he did was simple enough went defensive and hoofed balls into the mixer and hoped for chances based on pecentages-and it works to an extent but then the long ball game will get you so far I admit that it took cambridge to the brink of being founder members of the PL under Beck but I could not care less its hideous to watch and we will never establish in the prem under mick playing it. I was not a fan of jewell in paticular though you have assumed I am but all the patience in the world will not change mcarthys view of the game. i dont think a real football fan who knows anything about the game could advocate this style of play. and also the players mick inherited could all play football for gods sake they were all decent pros and he has been able to bring in a number of decent players himself since-there is no rebuilding there is no long term plan-just keep it tight at the back and pump it in the mixer-i think we should move on

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JWM added 15:36 - Mar 4 Good old Theobald losing the arhuement so you resort to personal abuse!
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theobald1985 added 16:07 - Mar 4 would not call it abuse JWM bit over the top dont you think. from the general tone of your posts one might assume you would love to get in mcarthys Y-fronts -it was a suggestive complement.
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thebeat added 20:25 - Mar 4 sytaxerror ive never said i want Mick to go, i just want him to stop playing players out of position just so he can play them. I want him to see what we all see, that Tabbs not good enough and the punt on Nouble has failed. I want to see us go at poor teams at home instead of playing 4 central midfielders across the middle and trying to nick it 1-0. I totally respect the job Mick did last season but its not last season anymore, we are the team on the verge of the play offs not fighting relegation yet we still play like we are the team down the bottom. Even Micks biggest fan cannot tell me they enjoyed the first half on Saturday. It was like watching paint dry and the second half wasnt much better apart from the odd flash of creatism from Taylor. The defence is sorted, and has been for a year, we know how to defend now, we can still play good football and be defensively strong, we have the players but there lies the problem, he'd rather play his pets like Tabb and Nouble and bring in workhorses like Green, we play the twins Hyam and Skuse most of the time, you only need one defensive midfielder in any team. I just want decent football to go with the solidness, but Mick refuses to try, he just wants to grind grind grind. We can do it, he just wont let them. If he did i wouldnt have a problem

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blueboy1981 added 20:32 - Mar 4 thebeat - ...... I guess you've noticed how the besotted MM followers have this 'knack' of twisting around what is actually said - into something totally different. Like flogging the proverbial - to try and get through, and 'the point' across. (pardon the pun).
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