Town boss Mick McCarthy says there’s no problem with team spirit or confidence, despite this week’s back to back away defeats which saw the Blues drop out of the top six for the first time since November.

“The team spirit and the confidence are fine,” McCarthy said. “When you lose games it always gets knocked, that’s all of us.

“I feel a lot better when I’ve won 2-1 as opposed to losing 2-1 and I’d guess the players are the same.

“But as I keep reminding you, if we fluctuate up and down on a couple of results, that we get really knocked and stop believing in what we do and how we do it and whether we can play, we wouldn’t be in as strong a position as we’re in.”

He says the team spirit is still evident even when results don’t go the right way: “I’ve seen it all season. It was there against Norwich and it was there against Leeds as well but we conceded goals that we wouldn’t normally.

“Because you’ve been beaten it doesn’t mean the team spirit has been lacking or the courage or the desire to play or the professionalism or the will to win.

“That’s all been there but we lost the games. Of course it’s a time to get back to winning ways.”

McCarthy says it was a less than buoyant team coach which made its way back to Suffolk in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“Completely pissed off, all of us,” he added. “It was very quiet, maybe reflective. I don’t go to the back of the bus and chat to them.

“Having spoken to them on Thursday morning they were all reflecting on it and I think they all thought we should have got something out of the game, they thought we ought to have won it, actually, with the way we played and the possession that we had.

“But that wasn’t the case, so they were all in the mood for a fight on Saturday. That suits me fine.”

He says he’s not a manager who makes a habit of giving his players the hairdryer treatment after defeats.

“I don’t and I think that surprises people,” he continued. “About twice a year I lose the plot in the dressing room and that’s usually if someone does something grossly stupid or something that they shouldn’t do that they know is going to cause us something and it costs us a game.

“That hasn’t happened. I wasn’t happy on Wednesday night, I was very frustrated and I had a bit of a growl but I had a bit of a growl because I think they know they should have got something from the game, they should have won the game.

“It’s borne out of frustration as much as anything. But there’s no point in screaming or shouting at them, it doesn’t get the best out of them.

“I tend to find that when people are looking at the floor, it’s not them hanging their heads in shame it’s looking at the floor and saying ‘Shut up and get on with it and let’s get out of the place’. I think it’s counterproductive.”

McCarthy was impressed with new strike pair Chris Wood and Luke Varney at Leeds and says he could use three of his main currently fit strikers at the same time at some stage.

“I could do if I wanted to change the way I played or play one wide, of course," he said. "I thought Chris and Reg were excellent on Wednesday night. Two really good signings for us.

“I thought in the first half the pair of them ran the line well. Reg, as he’s affectionately known, scored a great [disallowed] goal and is a constant threat. I thought he just fitted into the way we play.

“I thought the two of them linked up well together. There weren’t many chances in the first half and just the way they’ve fitted in with the rest of the squad has been great. They’re two good pros, they’ve both been good Championship players for a long time.”

Meanwhile, he says young wingers Cameron Stewart - still to make his league debut for Town - Alex Henshall and Dylan Connolly are not yet showing enough to push the likes of Paul Anderson and Jay Tabb out of the team.

“We’ve played 4-4-2, whether you’d describe them as out and out wingers or wide players or wide midfield players, but that’s predominantly what we’ve played.

“The young wingers need to get in the team and they’ve not done enough to get in the team. If they had, they would have had more opportunities. But that’s down to them. I know I pick the team but they’ve got to push their way in.”

He says he expects the promotion battle to go to the wire in a division as close as he can recall.

“I don’t keep a mental history of what Championship races have been like, but if there’s been one tighter than this then somebody will have to show me the stats because this is a remarkably tight one,” he said.

“I think it may be fewer points for the top two and more for the top six this year the way things are going."

Photo: Action Images

yorksblue added 08:05 - Mar 7 I managed to hit a corner into the opposition box once, beating the 1st defender. Surely that's showing enough to push the likes of Tabb out of the team.
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battyblue added 08:08 - Mar 7 Mick you must be watching a different game to us, Varney and Wood excellent at Leeds why didn't they get a effort on target or off target come to that strickers are there to score goals or at least have a good try........ Stewart and Connolly gives us different options to Anderson and bloddy Tabby so how can you say they are not good enough to replace them...............perhaps you mean they don't play the Hoof ball tactic. three points today no more excuses.

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Cloddyseedbed added 08:59 - Mar 7 After watching how we are playing since Southampton game my spirit and confidence on us finishing in the top six is draining away, like the quality of football.
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bluefeast added 09:38 - Mar 7 I made what for me was a 10 hour round trip to watch the Leeds game. Here are my views. The first 10 minutes we were bright lively , good shape ,passed the ball and got crosses into the box. Leeds then switched their shape basically bringing their left sided midfield player into a more central position. An easy decision for them as Chambers is no threat going forward. So they put 3 lively and industrious players against Skuse and Tabb. So we were out numbered centrally and those 3 leeds midfielders then ran the show for the rest off the match. Including the 4 mins of added time Chambers had 85 minutes to surge forward and support our attacks. He did this once in the 2nd half ,putting in a decent crosss that Mings headed and their keeper saved. On a different note Varney ran his socks off and tried his absolute hardest to put the leeds defence under pressure , but i could not say the same about Wood. He looked way off the pace ,was never a threat ,gave the ball away or failed to hold it. Leeds 1st goal was a born from 3 mistakes ,in possession Baz through the ball to Mings level with the left edge of the box ,Mings dallied ,lost possession and then fouled their player. Free kick awarded ,which should of easily been saved ,but it wasn't. Leeds 2nd goal was a joke at this level , punt up field ,Berra misjudged his header ,however there was no cover from either Mings ,Skuse or Smith tucking round in case that happened ,ie basic errors. Ball crossed in and goal , which was then due to ball watching from around 4 or 5 of our players. Overall we never got a grip of the game ,we certainly did not put their defence under any intence pressure etc. However we should of scored 2 and got a draw. the drive home was reflective ,why did i spend over 100 pounds in total ,got 3 hours sleep before a 12 hour work shift. So yes the players might be reflective , so may Mick ,but there is a huge difference between there privileged existence and that of an average supporter like me.

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rfretwell added 12:20 - Mar 7 Well done bluefeast. Keep the faith. Check out the fanzone car sharing site maybe to get yr costs down?
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bluefeast added 12:23 - Mar 7 rfretwell ,thanks very much i will do exactly that..
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