Town’s first ever visit to the New York Stadium ended in defeat as a goal in either half from Matt Derbyshire and ex-Blues loanee Conor Sammon saw Rotherham to a 2-0 victory. Derbyshire nodded home the opener in the 38th minute and Sammon added the second on 64, while Daryl Murphy, who failed to take two early opportunities for Town, saw a header cleared off the line and Luke Chambers had an effort well saved.

Murphy, back after missing the Wigan game with a calf strain, took over from Noel Hunt up front in an otherwise unchanged Town side.

Rotherham included three former Blues loanees, Sammon, Frazer Richardson and Paul Green.

Murphy had a golden chance to net his 19th goal of the season after only 18 seconds when he latched onto skipper Chambers’s ball down the right and outmuscled Millers’ captain Craig Morgan. The Irishman brought the ball into the area but scuffed his shot to keeper Adam Collin when he really should have scored.

On seven, Chambers scraped a weak effort wide with neither side having been able to create another clear-cut chance. The home side’s greatest threat so far had been a long throw from Kari Arnason on the left towards Sammon which the Blues defence repelled.

Murphy had another opportunity to add to his season’s haul in the ninth minute when Jay Tabb’s corner from the left landed at his feet having been missed by Christophe Berra, but the Town number 10 blazed over. The Blues striker, who complained that he had been dragged back as he unleashed his shot, again probably should have scored.

Cole Skuse picked up the game’s first booking for a foul on the breaking Paul Green in the 17th minute. From Ben Pringle’s freekick, Arnason’s downward header deflected through to Bartosz Bialkowski.

McGoldrick sent a weak shot through to Collin on 27, then a minute later Chambers exchanged passes with Bru but the Town captain’s shot was blocked.

Moments later, with the Blues briefly putting the Millers under pressure, Bru and Tabb interchanged on the left but the Mauritian international failed to find a team-mate with his low cross. The ball eventually ran out to Skuse, whose strike failed to trouble Collin.

Just after the half hour, after Town had cleared a corner, Richie Smallwood floated a ball into the area towards Derbyshire but just beyond the former England U21 international.

On 33 Tabb smashed a powerful volley wide after the ball had fallen perfectly for him on the left just outside the area.

Rotherham had been at their most threatening from set pieces throughout and in the 38th minute a freekick on the left saw them take the lead. Pringle sent the ball in, Conor Newton flicked it on, Morgan nodded it back across the area from the right and Derbyshire headed past Bialkowski from close range.

Town were unable create an opening from which they could get back on terms prior to the break.

On the balance of the half overall, the Blues probably didn’t deserve to be behind with the Millers’ goal having come from their first serious shot on goal of the afternoon.

Up to then Town, without ever really playing particularly well, had had the better of another not overly enthralling game’s opportunities with Murphy having had two very good chances to add to his 18 goals.

Newton lashed well wide six minutes after the break prior to a double Town change. Teddy Bishop and Freddie Sears took over from Anderson and Tabb with the Blues moving to 4-3-3.

Town went close to getting on terms in the 54th minute after Zeki Fryers had been booked for a foul on Bru on the right. Skuse sent the ball into the area, Chambers headed goalwards but Collin rose superbly to tip over. From the resultant short corner, Chambers nodded Mings’s cross well over.

On 58 Derbyshire was unable to divert Pringle’s cross from the left past Bialkowski but in the main it was Town on the front foot with the substitutions having made a difference.

A minute later, Mings’s long distance shot landed at Sears’s feet five yards outside the area and the former Colchester man hit shot on the turn which Collin uncomfortably bundled behind down to his left. Sears took the flagkick himself and found Murphy, whose powerful goal-bound header was nodded off the line by Fryers.

The Blues continued to push, Chambers doing well on the right of the box but twice his crosses were cut out, the second falling to Bishop, whose shot was also blocked.

But despite Town having been on top since the break, the Millers increased their lead in the 64th minute, again from a set piece. Pringle whipped over a corner from the left and, as Berra and Arnason tangled, the ball was knocked down to Sammon, who gleefully slammed home his second Millers goal against his former loan club.

The Blues had a chance to pull goal back in the 69th minute when Arnason missed Chambers’s low cross from the right and the ball fell to Murphy. The Irishman turned a shot goalwards but it struck Morgan at point-blank and the ball ran harmlessly to Collin.

Another former Town loanee Green volleyed Pringle’s deep left-wing cross against Skuse on 74 before the Blues replaced McGoldrick with Noel Hunt and the Millers Sammon with Danny Ward.

Sears saw a shot blocked after exchanging passes with Hunt on 84, then at the other end Ward scuffed wide. Moments later, Derbyshire was replaced by Jordan Bowery.

Town never looked like getting back into it in the closing minutes and the Millers might have increased their lead in injury time when Bowery was sent away one-on-one with Bialkowski but the Polish keeper blocked and the ball bounced over the bar.

The Blues were left rueing failing to take their chances, while Rotherham made the most of their opportunities. Derbyshire’s goal was the Millers’ first significant shot on goal, while Sammon’s second came just as Town were starting to put the South Yorskshiremen under pressure.

Overall, there wasn’t a lot in a typical Championship battle, while manager Mick McCarthy is likely to be less than pleased to see his side concede twice from set pieces.

The Blues drop to fifth in the table, now six points off the top, having taken just four points from their last 15 since the turn of the year.

Rotherham: Collin, Richardson, Arnason, Morgan (c), Fryers, Newton, Green, Smallwood, Pringle, Sammon (Ward 75), Derbyshire (Bowery 85). Unused: Thompson, Broadfoot, Milsom, Ward, Hammill, Frecklington.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Anderson (Sears 52), Tabb (Bishop 52), Murphy, McGoldrick (N Hunt 75). Unused: Kenny, Parr, Clarke, S Hunt. Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey). Att: 10,336 (Town: 1,879).

Photo: Action Images

blueboy1981 added 09:32 - Feb 8 ....... we have a Manager who is stubborn to the extreme, scared rigid of pace, creativity, and flair ......... the only thing that has taken us to where we are / were is hardwork and by default because (as battyblue says) the attack mindedness we had earlier was largely forced upon the Manager thro' injury / availability. The above has / will only take us so far - we have reached that plateau. We must currently be one of the easiest teams in the division to hatch a plan to play against - as is indeed now showing, yesterday being a classic example. Let's not even hear a mention of us playing an 'exceptional team' again - PLEASE MM - and go for the jugular from the off, home or away - even with our wafer thin squad, we still have players capable of doing the business. If, of course, they get the chance. !!!!

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chepstowblue added 10:26 - Feb 8 It seemed for some that our cup elimination was going to help cement our place in the top 2......well unfortunately we have been absolutely sh*t since then. Losing becomes a habit and it started with Southampton. The Realism is now hitting home for some. Its time to focus on whether we can achieve a play off place but with Watford and Norwich behind us that seems very unlikely. I refer the honourable gentlemen to the reply i gave 2 months ago. 1 paced,1 dimensional,static predictable football.Hard work,effort but zero craft or guile but now with defensive frailty to boot.Im straining to think of a single goal this season that has been created by an incisive pass from a midfield who do well without the ball but not with it. For me,we didnt deserve to lose yesterday and perversely the only pleasure was to have Sammon put us out of our misery........a player who was plenty good enough for us but received dogs abuse from the limited brigade to the side of me. People never learn. Expectation turning to distant hope.

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bellazzurri79 added 10:31 - Feb 8 Connor f****** Sammon!!
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BlueMachines added 10:55 - Feb 8 Can we just be clear please? The negativity on here isn't a knee jerk reaction. It's mostly centred around MM's negative tactics and playing people out of position. The latter being the reason that we hated Jewell. Edwards at right back. Now it's Chambers. When MM came in we signed Stearman. A right back. Playing right back. That's what we need now. These opinions aren't knee jerk, they are based on many have been able to see for a long time!

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HackneyBlue added 11:03 - Feb 8 Where is MARCUS EVANS,we had yes had a great chance to achieve success and unlike other ambitious clubs we decided to keep our very thin TIRED looking squad to save money. We may not get another chance for a decade to get out of this league.WAKE UP EVANS
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runningout added 11:27 - Feb 8 quite a few long winded essays on here... Last seasons weak links are popping up again
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warktheline added 11:56 - Feb 8 Bluemachines, the back 4 has been an issue all season, I think Mick realises this, and has been trying to get away with playing all three CB, but in a back four system. unfortunately one has to miss out,if Mick continues with 442.We need some balance back. Tough choices, but that is what managers get paid good money to do. We desperately need stability back as our foundation, and build from there. As I said before, all managers get it wrong but it's how you react. At present, it's without doubt, bordering on sheer stubbornness...hopefully he will re evaluate and make better selections on Tuesday night.

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thebeat added 12:17 - Feb 8 Bluemachines spot on this isnt a knee jerk reaction at all, this has been coming ever since Mick reverted to type because of one half of dealing with pressure against Southampton away that spooked him. We were absolutely flying playing some decent stuff in the 4-3-3. It was so much more fluid, Didz had so much more space to play, the fullbacks were bombing forward providing ammo for Murph and the centre halves were balanced with a left foot right foot combo. We were playing that well in that formation that even Tabb and Anderson slotted in well in the games they played in it. Our recent poor run of form is all down to team selection and formation, nothing more. If we can sit in the pub before a game predicting how we will play when we see the team sheet that just shows how easy it is for opposition managers to work us out and set up to beat us. As good a job as Mick has done this bad run is simply down to him and his frightened mentality which some of us spotted a month ago. Getting fed up of people saying "get behind the team" etc. Its not a case of that, we support the boys from start to finish of every game, its just bloody frustrating when we all see where the problem lies except the man who picks the team and when we've banged on about it for a month and he still digs his heels in and we are still losing games then of course we are going to moan and say i told you so.

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Ipswich58 added 13:07 - Feb 8 Well said The Beat. Spot on.
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BlueMachines added 13:15 - Feb 8 You're right Walktheline. It is something that has been an issue for most of the season. That's my point. As it was months back which you took as hating MM. Which I don't. The fact that it has been an issue for so long backs up the fact that the people on here getting fed up, me included, of poor team selection and sticking with his favourites. I see many of your recent posts have also admitted MM is getting it wrong. It's taken ages to convince you, and proves that the reactions aren't knee jerk. Hopefully MM saying the players are tired (2 games in 17 days I believe!) is his way of saying changes are coming. Without admitting he has been wrong (it's the MM way). A good manager will make changes Tuesday. A great manger would've made them a month ago.

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ChestnutSe added 14:08 - Feb 8 What a load of old tosh some people come up with. I was not at the game but it sounds like we had the chances to win it but did not. presumably that means we need to drop Murphy because he missed a couple of chances and he only missed them because MM is negative and one dimensional. let's get Paul Taylor in shall we? What a load of twaddle. There is a long way to go with a lot of football to be played. We are capable of beating anyone in this division but sadly (and it's what makes the Championship so interesting) is that anyone is capable of beating anyone else. The margin between success and failure is very small. So don't panic and let's grind on. MM will make changes because he needs to rest players where he can so that we can get optimum effort out of the group he has assembled. COYB

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warktheline added 14:35 - Feb 8 Bluemachines, I'm not into 'blind-faith', and will pipe up when I feel it is appropriate, but not all are capable of constructive criticism, calling the man a dinosaur and donkey are not acceptable in my book, just like when the English press turned on Sir Bobby, sorry but it's not right. All managers make errors, Mick is no different, that said, I still believe we have the right man to get us out of the Championship, his CV suggests likewise. My biggest issue with his selection is the back four, that needs addressing immediately, sorry there is no room for sentiment, Smith needs replacing with Chambers and Parr back as RB. We had problems back end of last season when McGoldrick got injured, again we have a similar problem, not through injury but lack of form. Let's not forget, people rave about Murphy, but who turned him into a 20 goal striker, who has added quality players to the team without spending big, and who has steered us into the top 6, yes, many forget easily, McCarthy and TC. Let me tell you now, I am far from deserting them, some of us have longer memories, and thus allow people time, to solve problems.

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BlueMachines added 14:56 - Feb 8 Agreed. There are many idiotic comments on here. Don't rise to them though. Many don't care about the game or the team. They just like to wind people up. We can both appreciate why many do get frustrated though. As you said, his attitude has just become one of stubbornness. Not good for the team at all. Many have said we are flagging because we didn't sign anyone other than Sears/Hunt. I'm not convinced we needed big signings. We just need MM to give the ones on the fringe a chance to prove their worth. His current thinking isn't working. So please MM, take a chance and attack a team now and then!!

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walberswicks added 15:22 - Feb 8 What are ME and MM playing at? What are they doing to get us promoted? It seems unless we can do it on a budget of £100k + wages well that's tough. With nearly all clubs outspending on players and wages and the other top sides playing attractive football and scoring goals the chances of promotion are practically zero. And with a dinosaur like MM dictating that we play an attritional and physically direct game that is not followed by any other successful team in the league we are fast paddling up a footballing dead end. What is so fantastic being in the top six when we play such dire football. We haven't a hope in hell of getting through the play-offs even if we could get there. Scoring lucky goals from set pieces and boring the opposition into defeat won't get you anywhere. MM is the worst manager we have ever had. I enjoyed battling relegation with Keane and Jewel rather than this cheapskate and mean joke of a game we now serve up.

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warktheline added 15:29 - Feb 8 Bluemachines, 'the Smith dilemma' is extremely difficult, he contributes in many ways, and is a fans favourite, and I guess, also with players and staff, so I can see the manager's reluctants to push him out. Also if this is to materilize,we may lose him to another club, all these things need weighting up. Agree with all of your post. First time for everything!!!
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SanDiego added 16:15 - Feb 8 Chambers' lack of attacking prowess wouldn't be so evident if he had a decent winger doing the business in front of him.
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warktheline added 16:28 - Feb 8 The troll is back....p***k. Billy no mates.
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blueherts added 17:13 - Feb 8 the comments about Dids not looking interested or not as effective I think may be frustration We play our best football when MM was forced into a change and Dids off a front two gives him room to play his type of game Lumping ball after ball towards Murph or Dids is pointless and he is probably feeling the same Play the best player we have produced in years - Bishop , Sears and have Ambrose and Stewart or one of the irish lads on the bench Nothing to lose really - teams will certainly not know much about him Take a 'gamble' Tues is a a MUST WIN - Dont want to hear what a great team they have and they are in a false position etc etc Just go for the jugular and play with some flair

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blueherts added 17:14 - Feb 8 the comments about Dids not looking interested or not as effective I think may be frustration We play our best football when MM was forced into a change and Dids off a front two gives him room to play his type of game Lumping ball after ball towards Murph or Dids is pointless and he is probably feeling the same Play the best player we have produced in years - Bishop , Sears and have Ambrose and Stewart or one of the irish lads on the bench Nothing to lose really - teams will certainly not know much about him Take a 'gamble' Tues is a a MUST WIN - Dont want to hear what a great team they have and they are in a false position etc etc Just go for the jugular and play with some flair

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blue_moon09 added 17:26 - Feb 8 Went to the game yesterday as I do every week. Lots of moaning on here by so called fans that don't even attend games, its a disgrace how you lot have turned on the manager and players, that were doing really well just a few games ago! your not proper supporters just fair weather arm chair fans that support the team when there doing well. Instead of moaning try supporting the club, I'd rather be watching a team 5th than a team in the bottom 3...

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jocasaja added 17:34 - Feb 8 Lets get real - we are having a sticky patch - BUT best season for many years - could still achieve promotion. I have a lot of respect for this hard working and tight knit squad - we have a few fringe players at the moment who I am sure will come to the fore in the coming weeks and months...fans are far to fikkle COYB !!!!!!
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daisy1234 added 19:10 - Feb 8 U lot saying mick has no plan b and slating the team need to remember what it was like under Keane and jewell we should be happy we r in playoffs what a joke some of u r
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walberswicks added 19:23 - Feb 8 we won't be in the playoffs and I can't see us getting another away point this season.## we are a busted flush, we have been found out. back to mid table obscurity.
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smithy0981 added 19:56 - Feb 8 Agree with daisy1234! U lot make me laugh, when mick came in everyone said he ain't the right appointment and his teams play bad football. He saves us from relegation, just missed out on play offs last year and were competing for a play off spot with teams that have spent some serious money! It was only a few weeks ago we were in the top 2 and mick was the best thing since sliced bread! Yeh were in a bad run (like every team has throughout a season) but we are still fighting for playoffs! Now mick is useless! Get a grip and stop being so depressing and negative!

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PJH added 20:15 - Feb 8 walberswicks-but enough about Norwich, how about Ipswich?
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