Boss Mick McCarthy says Town wouldn’t have conceded the late penalty which led to Leyton Orient’s last-gasp equaliser during Saturday’s 1-1 friendly draw had Jay Tabb still been on the field.

The 30-year-old, who was largely on the fringes last season, had been subbed eight minutes from the end with his replacement, youngster Alex Henshall, conceding the spotkick when he fouled ex-Blue Kevin Lisbie.

“If Tabby had’ve been on the pitch, they wouldn’t have got the penalty because they wouldn’t have got out of that corner,” McCarthy insisted.

“He’s a safer pair of hands. He’s not a flying left winger. Alex Henshall’s learning his trade, he’s going to have to learn a lot about me that you don’t dangle a leg, he wins the ball or gives a foul.

“I’d take a foul out there and we’ll defend the freekick. But he doesn’t get in our box and it end up being a penalty. That wouldn’t have happened with Tabby, or Hunty.

“But Alex is a kid, so I’ll forgive him that, he’ll learn. Doing that here, and Kevin Bru as well, they both dangled legs and got beaten, I can speak to them and show them, and hopefully for me, and for them, they won’t do it in a league game.”

Tabb himself is aiming to play a bigger part during the season ahead having had a disappointing 2013/14.

“It started really well for me when I scored against my old club Reading and I felt settled in,” the former Irish U21 international told the Sunday Mirror. “But I got a shoulder injury and didn’t play so regularly after that.

“But I have one year left on my contract at Ipswich and I want to prove I can play a bigger part in our efforts to win promotion.

“Mick is a great bloke to work for. He is extremely honest and tells you things straight. If you are not performing, you are out of the team and that is how it should be. We weren’t far off the play-offs last season and we can improve.”

McCarthy says he was impressed with Orient, who he expects to be among the League One challengers: “I thought they were excellent in the first half, really good. I thought they were the best team.

“I wasn’t happy with my team’s performance but then in the second half I thought we were the best team, I thought we shaded it.

“I think they’re a good side, Russell Slade has made some good signings, I think they play some nice football, they try to play and I think they’ll be a threat for the league.”

Photo: Action Images

kevtblue added 13:29 - Aug 4 Haven't we been here before I think last season Mick was saying how well a player has done only for them not to start on Saturday or even make the team! Tabb will be on the bench after these comments for sure!
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theobald1985 added 13:50 - Aug 4 boring mcarthy-please dont start with tabb on the left or indeed the pitch he is too slow not good enough and we need to score goals to win games-he cant say for a certainty that tabb would not have made a foul and he has chosen to mug off a young player off in public-a private word would have done.mick just likes safety first get men behind the ball and then try and nick a goal from a long ball or a set play.come on mick for once why not just have a go at something a bit more expansive before the gates get even lower

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Beattiesballbag added 14:21 - Aug 4 It's in Micks DNA to be defensive......... he can't change! He's just trying to justify to himself what he's doing is right & why he should adopt a defensive strategy against Fulham, he's not doing it to justify to the public what he's doing. Every match it's safety first, defend what you've got, That's why he can't give younger players game time to gain experience, it means taking risks! In the 70's @ 17, Beattie, Burly, Wark, were given their first games against Man U & Leeds, they made the odd mistake, but were given confidence by being allowed to improve & learn in the first team so by the age of 21 they had experience. Now you have Mick calling 21 & 22 year old's, youngsters!....... needing experience & protection because it's a tough league, what a load of Bull S*#t, it's faster now than the 70's not tougher & that suits youngsters that's their strength! I'd like to see Warkies reaction if you were to say it's tougher now than when he faced Clark & co, trying to kick lumps out of him, he didn't have the protection of the referees that they are afforded now. Any way when Mick makes any public statement about a youngsters defensive short comings, IT'S not for your benifit, It just helps reinforce & justify to himself that his safety first policy is the right one.

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TimmyH added 14:42 - Aug 4 dear me...Tabb WILL be in the fold again, one things for certain he has to do a lot better than last season and play less golf in the mean time.
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blueboy1981 added 14:51 - Aug 4 ......... next thing we will hear is McCarthy advocating an International call up for his wonder man 'Tabby' - just underlines MM's almost strange assessment of players. And how can a good 'man manager' make a statement such as he has ? - imagine how it makes the other player fee, especially a youngster.
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blueboy1981 added 14:53 - Aug 4 Guys and Gals .......... we have what we've got - and the 'man' will NEVER change, so I guess we have to get used to it !!!
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blueboy1981 added 14:57 - Aug 4 ....... sorry should have read: feel ............. dropped the 'L' by mistake.
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blueboy1981 added 15:00 - Aug 4 ........ head down, charge around, no need to lookup, create nothing, sweat you rollocks off -------- and you are Mr M's man.
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thebeat added 16:47 - Aug 4 Why do I get the feeling we are going to be playing the likes of a Blackpool at home again this season and playing with a centre half at right back, slow central midfielders on the wings and 2 defensive sitting midfielders while the likes of Hewitt, Stewart and Henshall are sat on the bench?
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blueboy1981 added 17:02 - Aug 4 .......... young players need encouragement and if necessary correction in private - ANY good manager would know, and respect that. Failure to do so can literally destroy confidence. I've managed at different levels over many years (not Football League level) - but the same applies.
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blues1 added 17:21 - Aug 4 same old rubbish from michael11. clearly you weren't at orient on Saturday when tabb was by far the best player on the pitch. and no, im not the biggest tabb fan before you accuse of being so, but neither will I slag a player off just for the sake of it. preseason is all about getting fitness, and also vying for your place in the starting line-up. to do that you need to play well, and tabb has done more than enough to warrant his place on Saturday. in fact if I was him id be well peed off if I wasn't in the team. that said, I personally would rather we had henshall out wide, maybe tabb should play in centre in place of skuse who has been poor in preseason tbh. but as has also been said, if mings is in side then more experience is needed in front of him, as preseason has shown that mings isn't imo really ready just yet. would prefer parr there, if fit

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Seasider added 17:34 - Aug 4 Oh dear when Mick came back all refreshed from his holiday,he pointed out Paul Taylors fitness,and said all the players started with a clean slate.He then started to bring in exciting quick young players,also playing 3 youngsters from the existing squad in early friendlies. I started to get a bit more optimistic;but this last week its all changed. First he sent Veseli out on loan,saying that he was a nice bloke but unlikely to play again(only appearance in League cup).Same with Taylor although didn't say he was a nice bloke? Then he gives the team a rollicking for conceding a late goal against the mighty Orient when we were hanging on to a 1.0.Worse still he harangued Henshall in public for his defensive duties when he had previously said he would encourage him to take on players. And to top it all he praised his favourite Tabby saying he wouldn't have given away the pen.How even a know all Yorkshireman can predict this is doubtful unless he's consulted Mistic Meg! Looks like we are in for much of the same this season as last grinding out results,when I hoped it would have been different from the early signs. Still never mind Greene King is back!!!

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brittaniaman added 17:56 - Aug 4 MM says Tabb has got a safe pair of hands,,, surely he is not going to play him in goal is he ????????????
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blue_moon09 added 17:56 - Aug 4 This is yet another non story no one needs to know!! it's pre season MM not goning to start his best 11 Such a shame there is so much negativity before a ball has been kicked from moron trolls who never go to games why slag the owner the manager and players off it's a disgrace not proper supporters pathatic, enjoy the game on Sky!!!
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muccletonjoe added 17:57 - Aug 4 oh well ... at least he has prepared us for what will inevitably follow
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blueboy1981 added 18:34 - Aug 4 ........ facts wrong yet again blue moon09 - why do you think everyone who disagrees with either yourself or MM never actually 'go to games' as you put it ??? - also noted that you can't post without being abusive. Just keep being satisfied and expect nothing more than a ball to be kicked at Portman Road. Thankfully we aren't all like that - otherwise the lower Leagues would be more than adequate in terms of competition level. All that without the need to be abusive - take note !

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blueboy1981 added 18:52 - Aug 4 Seasider - good, honest post that. Would like to think Greene King were back for the long term / significant investment - they will need to be impressed for that though, let's hope we don't fail them !!.
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Bluetone added 19:28 - Aug 4 I agree good post Seasider - soon those with brown tongues from attending to McCarthy's rear-end will be along to down arrow you. How the hell even they could think that it is a good idea to criticise a young player in public thus risking undermining his confidence. Counter productive or what.
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jas0999 added 19:30 - Aug 4 What I find even more remarkable is I have receive a minus from a number of people who never seem to post themselves!! Not all, but majority!
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Pip50 added 19:35 - Aug 4 Seaslider excellent post. MM please go now go badly kicking and screaming. Let's start afresh some football some youth no favorites and some common sense. Sadly this won't happen!
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Count_Arthur added 20:17 - Aug 4 Agree Seasider, same point as I made earlier, "if you do well pre-season you'll be in the starting 11" yeah right. We were all screaming for Marriott to come on for the last 10 mins of our final game last season, I'm concerned Henshall may be subject to the same excuses as were made by MM for not playing Marriott. The last game we had on Sky against Burnley was a lacklustre performance by what seemed to be a bunch of tired players. We need a manager to take a few risks and field a team that's not afraid to attack with some young players in the side. The teams we put up against West Ham showed we can be a exciting, attacking side AND they held a premiership side to a draw! I can see these pre-season friendlies being the only chance we get to see some fresh, exciting football!

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Seasider added 21:19 - Aug 4 Well Blue Moon I dont possess Sky,and went to my first match at Ipswich when Stanley Matthews was playing(for opposition).Have been going ever since;and had a season ticket since standing ones were introduced in Churchmans many moons ago! Are we not entitled to put our views if they do not coincide with yours,and suffer verbal abuse accordingly.
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gorse added 22:03 - Aug 4 Everyone knows (incl Tabb) that he under-performed last season but this is colouring the judgement a bit -- like it or not, he was one of our best 3 players at Orient (in my opinion) -- he created the goal and his work led to some other chances. He moved intelligently, won balls he had no business winning (admittedly Orient's midfield were terrible in the air), won fouls, worked like it wasn't a friendly, distributed well, and barely put a foot wrong *shrug* Main gripe about him would be him not supporting Mings enough in the first half -- tho that may not be his fault as Hyam & Scuse were anonymous for 90% of the game and Tabb was playing where he was supposed to I guess... Main worry for me was Mings, who was terrifying on the ball until the second half when he got some support & settled a bit. At least his hopeful punts in the general direction of Bajner cleared up the question of whether the latter is a natural target man (he's not, but he's got more to offer than that). HIs positioning and pace were OK, and looked decent going forward towards the end, but that uncomfortable vs Orient does not bode well at all, he needs support. Polar opposite of Hewitt who ran rings around their winger & looked very comfortable.

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DenanMurton added 22:06 - Aug 4 Tabby a decent player don't knock him just yet experience could get us somewhere with a bit of young players too. COYB Bring on Saturday anyone?
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RRanger added 11:34 - Aug 5 There are a lot of people slagging off MM's man-management skills on here.Maybe he knows more about how to treat each player as individuals than you lot give him credit for. Since he has been here one of the constant comments by players ,both new to the club and established, is how much they respect and appreciate the honesty and down to earth comments of their manager and indeed quite a few of the players who have come here since Mick started at the club have said what made up their mind to join ITFC was BECAUSE of Mick being the manager. Don't you think most players on the circuit know the personalities of most of the established club Managers. Berra ,for one , stated quite openly that MM being here was what ultimately made him decide to come here. And do you for one moment think that Henshall is such a pussy that he cares a jot about the fact that MM has stated publically that he wasn't impressed by Henshall's rash challenge? I suspect MM knows full well that Henshall is tough enough to take a bit of honest criticism - after all he had been here on trial for a while before MM offered him a contract. I suspect that we shall see plenty of Henshall this season even if in the early season it is mostly coming off the bench to run at tired defenders.

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