Boss Mick McCarthy says full-backs Jonny Parr and Tyrone Mings have blossomed since he switched around his back four.

McCarthy started the pair in the recent 2-0 home victory over Millwall, dropping Tommy Smith and moving skipper Luke Chambers into the centre, and they have helped the Blues to three wins on the trot, Parr netting the first goal in the 2-0 victory over Brighton in which Mings was widely viewed as the man of the match.

Norwegian international Parr, 25, had to wait a few games for his debut after joining the Blues on a free transfer in the summer following his release by Crystal Palace.

“He came in late and he wasn’t match fit,” McCarthy said. “So he had to get his fitness up.

“Tyrone started the season with Chambo at right-back and he just didn’t get his chance. He got in at left-back at Derby and since I decided to play him at right-back and Tyrone on the left they’ve really blossomed, the pair of them.”

Mings has grown in confidence with every game and his manager says he’s reacted well to the Blues turning down Palace's £3 million offer for him on deadline day, the interest appearing to have given the £10,000 signing from Chippenham a significant boost.

“It has,” McCarthy added. “He knows he’s got to stay in the team and if he keeps playing like that then he will.

“It’s no good having your head turned and not playing well because that just gets you out of the team.

“He’s been excellent and he was unlucky not to score [against Brighton], but the fact that we had one full-back crossing and one scoring was great.”

Meanwhile, McCarthy has given short shrift to fans who have been critical of midfielder Cole Skuse in recent weeks.

“It doesn’t worry me that,” he said. “I’ve played with players who have got dog’s abuse every week. They play every week and the punters just don’t like them.

“Cole Skuse was a favourite when he came, so I don’t know what he’s done to change that. It’s par for the course, you get negative comments.”

Photo: Action Images

bluemikey100 added 07:19 - Sep 25 when skuse went off we struggled against wigan shame for tommy smith thou thought he be one ofthe first names on team sheet
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Guthrum added 07:34 - Sep 25 Fans simply don't like defensive midfielders, because they aren't flashy, don't score goals and, being in the heart of the action, any mistakes lead to dangerous situations. But we've seen so many times, particularly on Monday, how not having a skilled DM in place makes us so much weaker as a team.
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Cloddyseedbed added 07:41 - Sep 25 Certainly changed the outlook of the team since we have played 2 full backs that can defend and get up the pitch to supply the strikers and support the midfield. Well done Mick. I too feel sorry for Tommy Smith but his time will come with injuries bound to happen and he is a vital part of the team still. It is good to have someone with his experience to come on. Mick McCarthy had to do something with the shape of the team as we were playing unattractive negative football, I for one was starting to be outspoken about it, as were many more supporters. I give credit to the management team for how the team is now coming together. Confidence has now returned both on the pitch and in the stands.

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Dyland added 07:46 - Sep 25 You're right Guthers. Skuse was excellent when he arrived. This year he's struggled at times. It's notable that when the team struggles he does too, and vice versa. I don't analyse it all enough to comment on which may come first, so to speak. The important thing is in the last couple of weeks he's started showing excellent form again, and is looking as confident as he did in his first few months. He plays an essential role in the team, make no mistake.

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Stato added 07:47 - Sep 25 Bit of a cliché but Skuse does the simple stuff really well. The problem was that him and Hyam were both playing deep and that restricted our attacking options. The arrival of Bishop has changed that dynamic and against Wigan we saw our 3 best midfielders compliment each other. I don't envy Mick the challenge of who to select for Saturday as surely he will return to 442 (and I wouldn't blame him). I guess at some point Bishop will get rested and the pressure will be on the Hyam/Skuse partnership to produce a more attacking performance than they have done previously. I also think that with Mings and Park both being decent players it might be nice to see Gerken give them the ball a bit more often than he did against Wigan.

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Stato added 07:50 - Sep 25 *Parr
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50yearsablue added 08:15 - Sep 25 Smith's time will definitely come as Berra and Mings are on 4 bookings apiece already
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truckertractorboy added 08:32 - Sep 25 I agree about needing a defensive midfielder but when u have one so out of form he cant even pass 10 yards without giving the ball away he is a liability at the moment . If its a simple case of form take him out of the team till his form returns its that easy surely
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blue_steele added 08:55 - Sep 25 £3.5 m from Cresswell, 10k team, no transfer fees, Surely we can sign the Prem loan starlet MM promised us? hope our patience with Palace pays off now they're out of the cup. Or can we get a young striker that has some pace. please do something we are the dullest team in the Championship, we.re never on the TV in the pub even when we.re on, we never get a commentary/mention on the radio and nothing written about us in the newspapers, last on the football league show every week and about 20 secs max.

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thebeat added 08:57 - Sep 25 Not the first time ive said it on here but Skuse was injured at the start of the season and it was clearly affecting his ability to do his job. Looked fitter on Monday and did his job well and we did struggle when he came off. Give it a month and im sure itll all be forgotten when hes doing his job game in game out
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itfc1981 added 09:16 - Sep 25 The problem with Skuse in the past is this: It was a case of too many cooks when he played with Hyam at the start of the season. This was only highlighted by the fact that our full backs at the start of the season made no attacking contribution. However, since the introduction of Parr and the rebirth of Mings, the fact that our centre midfield pair our about as likely to contribute to our attacks, as Phil is as likely to work for the EDP matters not one wit. The burden on the midfield has been lifted and they can do what they do best ie breaking up play. Of the two CM's Skuse was by far the worst this season up to that change and rightly had his critics. Hopefully, he will play more freely as he did at Wigan for the rest of the season.

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Keaneish added 09:44 - Sep 25 In truth, i was pretty stunned watching the Wigan game on TV. Overlapping full-backs driving at defenders with the ball, midfielders breaking into the box and making incisive forward passes. 3 up front... That's what we've been wanting since the Joe Royle days! long may it continue. AND...what has happened to Mings in the close season??? Looks a totally different player and Hyam has bulked up and got better too. Interesting times.

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PortmanTerrorist added 09:55 - Sep 25 Def Mid, Attacking Mid. Shouldn't all our players be able to produce defensively as well as when we move forward ? Whatever MM says he will know Skuse has been well below par for most of the season thus far. He has made one forward pass (to ironic cheers against millwall) and conceded possession in dangerous areas too many times. He also dallies on the ball encouraging pressure from the opposition which usually ends up with the ball back with gerks. At least Hyam tries to produce moving forward as well as breaking up play which is why many on here want him to replace Skuse. Just don't expect it to happen as MM clearly wants an old head in the midfield and Skuseeeee is all we got ! So all you moaners get over it, get used to Skuse being in the side, and hope his form comes back sooner rather than later.

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spanishblue added 10:10 - Sep 25 Just in case you lot of moaners have you blinkers on,MM has produced a team of triers ,some with obviously more skill than others , Ty Mings is just a baby in football experience ,anybody could see he had something about him,his improvement has been astronomic,we now have a wonderful blend of experience youth guts talent and strength I've been very impressed by the dirty stuff that the teams been doing without the ball, not everybody will play or will have the opportunity to look great every game so stop having digs at players ,you can rest assured if they are not trying they won't play COYB

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TR11BLU added 10:22 - Sep 25 @Keanish, funny, stunned was the word I used when discussing the game with a work colleague the morning after. That was after I told him how, pre game, how negative we are/were. Lets hope this is the dawn of a new era, cant wait until saturday now. Lets push on and Muller the Millers! COYB Boys!!!!
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footyblue added 10:24 - Sep 25 I personally think we miss Hyam more than we do Skuse as Hyam does a lot of the dirty work no one else in midfield does
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Lightningboy added 10:51 - Sep 25 Parr was an excellent signing..feel slightly sorry for Smith & Hewitt tbh but that's football and it's good that we've got such a good group of defenders to pick from - the best outside the prem. Skuse is one of those players that you miss when he isn't there..I don't mind him sitting in front of the back 4 just so long as it let's the rest of the midfield get forward. I've given Mick some stick on here at times but only for flat performances like the Burnley away at the end of last season and the Norwich game a few weeks ago - they were unacceptable...monday night is what I expect from Mick McCarthy teams : 100% effort is all I ask and i've got no problem with whatever the result.

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TimmyH added 11:13 - Sep 25 Personally thought the team effort was very organised on Monday night, we looked physical and how often can we have said that over recent years (have all the players been on steroids)?, efficient and pressed Wigan into numerous mistakes. I'm not sure just because Skuse left the field we would have coped that much different, it's probably a case of being tired with that much effort exerted as team unit and psychological as we see in many games towards the end and to an extent probably losing our shape and playing deeper. Agree re: the back 4 - far more balanced, I think quite a few thought (including myself) at the beginning of the season Parr would come into replace Mings at LB and this has been a bit of a surprise Mick opting for 'proper' full backs and removing one of the 3 central defensive minded players, but it has to be said it does looks interesting! Still like to see a Premiership loanee come in (maybe 2) - I'm not sure we still have the quality in midfield particularly over a season where we are likely to pick up injuries.

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battyblue added 11:24 - Sep 25 If Skuse was carrying an injury as is believed he should not have been in the team end of.
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daniel9624 added 11:58 - Sep 25 The only thing missing from the team on Monday was that one real quality player, either with rapier pace, or a really creative player (something Teddy Bishop with undoubtedly be). Still say that Luke Hyam is a better bet for the holding role than Skuse, which would allow Bishop + another creative player to come in. Also Dids was poor on monday, hope it is just a stepping stone in his recovery from last season

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Lightningboy added 12:27 - Sep 25 Plus another thing from monday night's game..we played so much better during that game when we kept the ball on the ground and passed it around rather than hoofing it forward at every opportunity. Mick needs to show more faith in his players to do that..i've got no problem with hoofing it forward in the dying minutes when we're defending..if in doubt get it out etc. Monday proved that we can still be a very good footballing side.

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Tractor_Thief added 12:46 - Sep 25 For me the most impressive thing about the Wigan game was the hunger, with the exception of the last 15-20 minutes we were in their face, every player was chasing down the opponent this in itself made it very hard for Wigan to play a passing game. I am over the moon to see players such and Mings etc improve and bring more to the team, but for me MM seems to have instilled some hunger back in to the team which always gives you a chance even if you are an underdog in a match.

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Garv added 13:16 - Sep 25 What he's done to change that is fail to keep up a decent level of performance. He's been better in recent weeks but for a long time he's been average to poor.
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Garibaldi added 14:10 - Sep 25 The problem that most Town fans have with Skuse is not that he's a bad player - most of us would admit that he's a decent defensive midfielder - it's that he's played in a team together with Hyam at home. That leaves us looking all too negative and lacking creativity. Playing both away from home in a midfield 3 works well. At home playing those two in the middle just doesn't work for me. All I can say is long may Teddy prosper to save us from that again.

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Superblue95 added 19:50 - Sep 25 The two attacking full backs has certainly made us look a different outfit although I'm gutted for Smith as he is my favourite player. As for Skuse he has been in awful form this season and I don't understand why he's above Hyam in MM eyes. Hyam does everything Skuse can, and more!
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