Mick McCarthy says the opening weekend’s Championship results held few surprises and the Town manager wasn’t even too shocked to see Mark Robins leave his role as Huddersfield boss after only one game.

“There are no surprises for me ever in the Championship because it’s a league full of surprises,” McCarthy said.

“I’m not a betting man - I can’t now but I never did anyway - but the league just throws up results.

“Someone asked me about the three teams who came down, whether they were going to find it easy.

“I wouldn’t have thought they were going to find it easy. One’s come to Ipswich, which is a nice place to come to but not when you’re on that Portman Road pitch it isn’t.

“One’s had to go to Blackburn and one’s had to go to Wolverhampton, who have just been promoted. They won’t have been thinking anything other than that it would have been hard.”

Regarding Robins, who left the Terriers following Saturday’s 4-0 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth, McCarthy added: “I’m not sure whether anybody’s left or been sacked before after one game.

“I certainly wasn’t stunned. I was there at the end of last season when we beat them [2-0] and there was not a nice atmosphere there at all, and towards Mark.

“It’s never nice as a fellow manager to see that because I’ve been on the receiving end of it.

“But then to put your faith in him and let him sign players and be there and do all the pre-season and to do it after one game, that is a bit shocking, that seems a bit ridiculous.

“However, having experienced it and seen what the feeling was like when we won, and then to lose 4-0 at home missing a penalty [perhaps it isn't a shock].

"I’m surprised they did it [when they did], although I’m never surprised what happens in football, but that was a tough one for him and I feel for him because he works hard at it.”

Meanwhile, he says striker Balint Bajner will have learnt some lessons about the Championship having been replaced after 44 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Fulham.

Did he feel the intensity of the game shocked the 23-year-old Hungarian? “I said to him afterwards, ‘if you thought the Championship was easy that’s put that silly little thought to bed!’, But I’m not so sure he was thinking that, to be fair.”

Meanwhile, former midfielder Simon Milton's role at the club has switched from academy sponsorship manager to director of academy sales. Milton is in charge of raising a target of £500,000 a season to help fund the club's youth set-up via the Academy Association.

Photo: Action Images

goleszowski added 13:23 - Aug 13 what an inspiring pile of horse sh*t? how was it tough for Priskin? we didn't touch the ball in the first half except for Murphy to put it in the net?
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Luka added 14:22 - Aug 13 Or Bajner, goleszowski?
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jwalker added 15:06 - Aug 13 Football is tougher off the ball ... So saying he didn't touch the ball (though it could be considered a legitimate criticism) doesn't mean he didn't have to chase the ball and hence tire (IMO too) quickly
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rambohambo added 15:41 - Aug 13 No surprises in the cup yesterday we went out nice and early like normall
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Blue041273 added 16:49 - Aug 13 No club wants to make a tactical substitution in the first half and when it happens it must send a huge message to the player involved. I hope that BB takes it on board and learns appropriately. I would guess that he is not a happy bunny right now but hopefully he has a better understanding of the manager's football philosophy and his expectations of his players. Otherwise I can't see him featuring too often in the future.

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Fat_Boy_Tim added 17:08 - Aug 13 It clearly wasn't a tactical sub, he was replaced like for like and we were winning. I think he was just knackered as MM said. Clearly he needs quite a bit more fitness work and to use his energy more carefully. He must have been nervous also having only got a deal after an extended trial, coming out of playing reserves football and being thrown in from the start of the first game against a team he saw in the Prem last season!

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Blue041273 added 18:55 - Aug 13 Fat Boy Tim Of course it was a tactical substitution. He wasn't suffering from an injury. Unless you are forced to make a substitution because of injury or the like any substitution is tactical. MM chose to make the substitution because he couldn't trust the player to do the job he was selected to do. He may have been knackered but the substitution was made to improve the team not because the team was short of numbers.

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bohslegend added 20:37 - Aug 13 Golezowski, what an incredibly consistent bit of form you are showing for an Ipswich 'fan'. Not one single positive comment EVER on TWTD. Everything you say about the club, the team, the manager, the atmosphere, everything is completely negative. I know of (other) Naaaarwich supporters who give us more credit than you do.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 22:40 - Aug 13 Goleszowski what a sad individual you are, we're you even at the game? ? Why not jog along & support one of the Premier League glamour clubs, that way all your childish wishes/comments will come true, we're all entitled to an opinion, but if you hate what's happening that much, p**s off & find something else to do.
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Gazelle added 08:27 - Aug 14 On this performance I can't quite understand how big Frank is part of Mick's plans but not Taylor. Must be something off the pitch.
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tractorgrl added 13:37 - Aug 14 I know a former saturday local league player, a decent one at that, who played at Portman Road in a cup final, it nearly killed him because the pitch was so fast and lush! Any new player or even fringe player is going to have to get up to speed as it were.
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