Town boss Mick McCarthy was left bemoaning missed chances and poor defending as the Blues were defeated 2-0 at Rotherham United.

Daryl Murphy failed to take two early opportunities and had a header cleared off the line, while Millers keeper Adam Collin made an impressive save from skipper Luke Chambers.

Goals from Matt Derbyshire and ex-Blues loanee Conor Sammon netted the goals for the Millers, both from set pieces.

“We had the first chance, the first couple of chances, and of all people for them to fall to it was Murph, the top scorer and you’d expect him to score,” McCarthy said.

“Maybe having just come back after his time away, it dulls the senses slightly.

"That chance came early in the game, yes they’ve had their warm-ups, but I thought we were OK in the first 15 minutes and I didn’t see what came coming, I didn’t see us defending that badly, to be honest.

“The game was going nowhere, they scored from the freekick which was poor marking from us, which isn’t like us."

Having brought on Freddie Sears and Teddy Bishop seven minutes after the restart the Blues had their best spell following McCarthy’s half-time team-talk.

“As always, if we’re one behind [we tell them that] there are certain things that we could do better. And I thought we did that.

“We passed it better, we were a bit more considered, but even doing that I thought we were a bit more aggressive in how we played.”

He added: “When we conceded the second it was probably just after our best spell. The keeper’s made a good save, they headed one off the line, we’ve had chances, but if we defend like that and lose our markers that’ll cost us.

“We had momentum at that stage but we didn’t take our chances, that was the difference.

“It was a good save, it was a good header off the line, I can’t knock that, they’ve done their jobs. We’ve let them get away from us with the second corner. But I have to say, I thought Rotherham played well.

“There’s nothing special, strange or unusual about the deliveries, we should have dealt with them better.”

It was perhaps inevitable that Sammon should be amongst the scorers having spent the first half of the season on loan from Derby at Town.

“I was going to say it’s Sod’s Law, maybe I should say it was Murphy’s Law,” McCarthy continued. “But if he gets that chance because we don’t mark properly then he’ll put it in the net.

“I thought Conor played well, he looks like he’s played games and he’s back at it. I’m disappointed it was against us but good luck to him because he’s a great lad.”

Rotherham manager Steve Evans was delighted with his side’s display: “I think if you take it over the 95 minutes or so I think it was a wonderful performance full of all the things that we’re good at.

“Good on the ball, good in possession, fantastic industry from everyone in a Millers shirt. That’s always more difficult against an Ipswich side.

“We made a mistake and they should perhaps have been one up with less than a minute on the clock.

“We took 10 or 15 minutes to settle ourselves down and maybe we stood off them in that first 15 minutes and gave them too much respect.

“They’re a side which Mick McCarthy has put together who have real quality so you can’t over respect them. They’ve got some absolutely outstanding players I’ve no doubt they’ll bounce back because they’re full of good players.

“The overall view is that we’ve beaten an excellent side and very good football club backed by tremendous support.”

Photo: Action Images

WashbrookBlue added 21:53 - Feb 7 It is hard to criticise MM when his man management and eye for a player has turned a bunch of mediocre cast offs, free transfers and young kids into a team challenging for promotion. The accompanying raised expectations are now coming back to haunt when dreadful performances like this get turned in. I would rather look at the players rather than management today. McGoldrick has been feted , pampered and loved by his manager but his performances and body language of late is like a spoilt 10 year old. Even Mings I thought today strutted round with an air of complacent arrogance not justified by his woeful performance. I would drop both for Parr and Sears. I couldn't care less about promotion - how anyone (apart from the accountants) can think a year of ritual humiliation and being ripped off watching games every other day but Saturday would be fun is beyond me - but its important now to regroup and finish the last third positively.

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StowTractorBoy added 22:08 - Feb 7 I am disappointed as much as anybody on here tonight particularly after driving over 330 miles to watch that display. I do however disagree with the harsh criticism stacked on the Manager. Yes he has made mistakes but the guy has performed miracles since he has been here. Yes he is stubborn with his team selection and his tactics but he has brought us a long way since those horrible Jewell and Keane days. The players who have over performed so well look to be a bit of a spent force at the moment so Tuesdays team selection must be right.

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Ipswich24 added 22:23 - Feb 7 The answer is staring you in face Mick 3-5-2 if you must play 3 centre halfs then play them but in correct position. Parr and Mings as wingbacks. Skuse can hold with Bishop or bru then Mcgoldrick in free role behind Murphy and Sears. And pass the flipping ball!!!!
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brittaniaman added 22:31 - Feb 7 For goodness sake little old Brentford has overtaken us now, also losing to Rotherham how embarrassing both these teams were in league one last year ??????? Looking at our rivals around us none of those look tired MM ??? We will probably be back to 16.000 our next games again !!!!
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commuterblue added 22:46 - Feb 7 I would prefer us to play 3 5 2. but I have neve been manager of a championship side nor won promotion with different clubs. until either of those change my own views count for little other than in my own head. As before this game, I expect MM will have his eye on someone on the fringes of a premiership squad.
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bluesince84 added 00:14 - Feb 8 i wont rehash what has been said so far, but then one single reason that this is so sickening is because we have been given the one thing that has lacked in the past 13 years, and that is hope. Take hope away from a man and that will be the end of him. 13 years knowing we were crap is fine, we knew our limitations, but something better has been dangled in front of us and is now being snatched away,. I d rather not have it. Shame.

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GiveusaWave added 01:23 - Feb 8 Bluesince84 Think you've hit the nail on the head. All of us could see the small glimmer of promotion and that is being snatched away with every game. We've had a much better season than we have had in years. The days of being thrashed by Colchester etc are long gone. MM has done a good job, but we have overachieved. Now comes the reality check. There are (at least) 12 teams that are better than us in this division. Some of these teams have ludicrous amounts of money (parachute payments etc). We are doing well to compete at all. At the beginning of the season I would have said we were a mid table team at best. We all know how important promotion would be. Even if we got thrashed every game in the premiership next season the parachute payments would make us highly competitive for seasons to come. That glimpse is now frustrating us all. Let's hope we beat Sheffield Wed and get something from Norwich.

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tomitfc added 03:16 - Feb 8 Paul Anderson couldn't beat an egg let alone an opponent. Players like him and tabb may 'work hard blah blah' but when we're in possession they offer next to nothing.
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pennblue added 06:59 - Feb 8 MELTDOWN
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bazza added 08:24 - Feb 8 So just to clarify... 6 points off top... And 17 games to go... Some perspective is needed here. And people slagging mick need their head testing. Only thing mick is to blame for is giving us a glimmer of hope of promotion after years of utter dross, and people are out with the pitch forks after a couple of bad results... Should all hang your heads in shame!!
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BillBlue added 08:52 - Feb 8 So Bazza - just to clarify... you are satisfied with continued wrong team selection, wrong formation, lack of tactics, bulling up minor opposition to giant killers and playing your old mates while leaving your better players sitting on the bench or many not even making it that far? Right?
4

ArnieM added 08:54 - Feb 8 Hmm. It was 1 point, then 2pts, then 3pts.....now 6pts off the top. We're now closer to you know who in 7th. Yes 7th.. what will it be after yet another underwhelming display Tuesday night I wonder? Answers on a postcard ......
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bazza added 09:03 - Feb 8 I'm not happy we've lost the last two games, am I going to start making comments, like playing his old mates, and slagging formations and slagging tactics, no, micks tactics and formations and player selections, have got us to 6 points off top, with 17 games left to play, and I have the faith he will work through this and push on for the rest of the season.
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Steve70 added 09:38 - Feb 8 Get Chambers back at CH. Start with Bish every game. Drop Didz to the bench and play Sears. Tabb dropped too get Stewart in the game.
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Carrotblue added 09:55 - Feb 8 How bad was yesterday? I'll tell you Been going to games since 1968, first time I have ever left a game before the final whistle Didz not interested Chambers not a full back pi--ed off with hoof football
6

dirtydingusmagee added 10:02 - Feb 8 i think thinks went t#ts up playing our strongest team twice against Saints.If Mick or anyone else thought that doing that would assess our prospects in Prem,it was wrong.Even if we had won it would not have proved anything in that respect,it was a one off occasion,and we would not have the same team in Prem.More would have been achieved by resting some of the players and giving those who are not playing a chance,they would have been well up for the challenge even if the result was same .As it stands now we have a team with ''tired ''players, who have not recovered mentally from losing after a really good run,the confidence and the team spirit has evaporated.

0

jonbull88 added 10:22 - Feb 8 Oh my have I missed something and losing yesterday condemned us to relegation?? Oh wait we at 5th! We are having our "slump", players are tired, why didn't we sign players you all ask? Answer we simply cannot afford to, we scraped in the ffp, and next season the limit is LOWERED! When the loan window opens I expect 2 or 3 new players in, and that will stop the rot. Yes we could have got ince and bent, but I expect Derby are paying the best part of 50k a week for the privilege. Having been to Brighton and seeing a poor game, I was disappointed yes, but my god the games are 1000% better than under Keane or jewel, anyone saying otherwise didn't see many games under their leadership then. Mm and tc have worked wonders with an average bunch of players, but mm would never put his team down, he is too good a man manager for that, he knows our limitations and knows he has a challenge to turn around the fortunes again but he will I believe, if people don't believe please don't turn up again when we start winning again, i cringe when I see 18000 at PR again after 2 or 3 loses.

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bazza added 10:26 - Feb 8 Job bull!!! Don't come on here with your positive attitude and spouting common sense!!!! You will get a few down arrows for it!!!
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ChrisFelix added 10:42 - Feb 8 Ignoring luck & we havent had the rub of the green recently. However I feel as i did a year ago that we have a good side but missing one thing. The link up between midfield & the front 2. We badly need some creativity & this is the effect Williams had last season as well as earlier in the season. Hard working as they are Tabb & Anderson to not create this spark.
3

portmanteau added 12:53 - Feb 8 jonbull88." MM would never put his team down". wrong. you obviously didnt hear him say " the result was never in doubt after the second goal went in". that tells me that with 30 minutes still to go he had already foreseen that his players would not/could not turn round the match. this is a shocking revelation about his and his team's couldnt care less attitude. bradford must be glad he wasnt their manager against chelsea.

5

walberswicks added 15:07 - 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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walberswicks added 15:15 - Feb 8 And FFS play chambers and berra as our centre halfs and sell smith if that's too difficult a concept to accept.
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BillBlue added 15:26 - Feb 8 bazza = so why not just say 'yes' you are satisfied and save all the words?
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BYRNE_16 added 09:04 - Feb 9 I understands the frustration amongst fans but look where we are. Top 6! Mick and Co. have got from basment bashing Ipswich to high flying blue boys. Just because we have had a couple of blips on the radar against Derby, Rotherham in the League and Southampton in the cup. Yes saturday was a bad result if we had taken our chances then this would be a different conversation. It's also time to ditch McGoldrick. Start with Sear's & teddy and Murphy & Hunt up front!

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Hegansheroes added 17:03 - Feb 9 It's about time MM put his hands up & said, yes I got it wrong (again). Poor team selection, abysmal tactics, an abundance of arrogance from him. I have always thought he was a poor manager tactically and was so annoyed when he was appointed so I have never really had anything but annoyance at his appointment
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