Town manager Mick McCarthy has heaped praise on “fabulous professional” Jay Tabb. The Blues boss says the 31-year-old, the scorer of Town’s winning goal against Bolton on Tuesday, is “an absolute joy” to have at the football club.

“Tabby’s a fabulous professional footballer to have at your club and to play in your team,“ McCarthy said of a player who he believes is underrated by supporters.

“Is he ever going to score you 10 goals a season? Unlikely, he’s not going to do it. Is he going to pick holes in the opposition with passes? Not all the time.

“But I’ll tell you what he’ll do, he’ll beat somebody who is 6ft 4in tall in the air, he’ll win the tackle off him.

“Whether he plays left, centre, right, it doesn’t matter, he’ll do it diligently and professionally and he’s a diamond. He’s an absolutely joy to have in the football club.

“Whether you play him or you don’t play him, he gets on with it and does it every single week. We have got lots of them like that, but he’s an absolute joy to have in the club.”

He says during the 1-1 draw with his old club Brentford last Saturday the former Irish U21 international popped up all over the field: “That’s him. He’s all action, all energy and he is terrific. I’m not decrying him technically, because he has that as well, but he’s not Teddy Bishop, he’s different.

“But you can hang your hat on him every week, in terms of his level of performance and effort and what he does.

“From when he came here he’s played well. To be fair to Tabby, as we all know, I told him at the end of last season I was trying to change it and I brought Alex Henshall in.

“But he’s seen them all off, whoever’s come and played in his position. He’s been excellent. That tells you what a good pro he is, he gets his head down and gets on with it.

“He’s out of contract at the end of the season, but have I had any discussion with him about it? No. And he’s not sought me out to have a discussion, he just gets on with it. He’s been outstanding.”

Photo: Action Images

joepublic added 10:02 - Mar 19 Tabb has a place in a balanced midfield with a threat on goal. Unfortunately we do not carry that threat and coupled with our workman like style of play it is understandable that fans get frustrated when it appears our wingers are behind Tabb and others in the pecking order. Lets hope Connolly can push in to the first team get bums off seats with some pace and flair! coyb

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Jeff_winger added 10:03 - Mar 19 Some people on here are a bit harsh! Tabb has been one of our better players lately. He was brilliant against Brentford and Bolton, wins the ball stops attacks and can bring it forward (although his vision is not the greatest). against Brentford they tried to take a free kick short to get a ball/shot in he was so quick to read it stole the ball and created an attack from their free kick. Im a Tabb fan

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GerkensBeard added 10:11 - Mar 19 I just love this headline
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runningout added 10:55 - Mar 19 Tabb needs a haircut..
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flyingdutchman added 10:56 - Mar 19 goodbye promotion
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MeenoITFC added 11:03 - Mar 19 Tabb fan or not, once goal, one important goal is enough to make mick play him more and more. Definately not on the wing but in central midfield i can handle. Watford saturday big game, get behind the blues, come on town
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jalapenosteve added 11:13 - Mar 19 I really do like Tabb. He was outstanding Tuesday night in terms of effort and workrate - you could see that winning that match meant everything to him, and he set a proper example to the others. Problem is, his shooting is awful and his passing is mediocre. The manager will pick Tabb time & time again because he ticks the managers boxes, i.e. effort and workrate......but sadly that won't get us promoted. Need to think again Mick.

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juniorblue added 11:21 - Mar 19 I agree that Tabb will run and run, give 100 percent and is an excellent professional and role model. But, Tabb and the rest of our midfield is poor most of the time. When you look at the teams above us they have players from all over the pitch who can score a goal. Without Murphy's fantastic contribution we would be struggling even more. When we have a midfielder in the mould of Holland or Wark, then MM can call them fabulous. MM seems to prefer midfield work horses who try but do not deliver.

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bluesince84 added 12:05 - Mar 19 Reads like a love letter
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thechangingman added 12:08 - Mar 19 So, he isn't desperately talented, he lacks obvious skill and and often won't deliver in terms of the 'finer things' and yet he works the only way he knows how - i.e. 100% and with solid grit and determination and an obvious desire to succeed. Hang on, who are we talking about? Tabb or MM?
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BackTheBlues added 12:20 - Mar 19 He has probably been our most consistent player during this poor run of form... No he's not a world beater, but I'd rather have him in a team working hard and battling than a more gifted player who couldn't get a rats arse... Agreed in the 4-3-3 formation he is probably best suited - but he has saved Mings arse on more than a few occassions recently as a working left mid!

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TennesseeBlue added 12:20 - Mar 19 he's a different class is tabby
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cooper442 added 12:28 - Mar 19 I do praise Tabbs workrate and his dedication , but to get of this division you need quality in the middle of the park which he clearly is not .
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fabian_illness added 12:29 - Mar 19 What would be preferable.... 2 fragile wingers that clearly don't set the world alight in training and may or may not be good enough or a solid, workmanlike professional that will put a shift in? Chambers, mings and/or parr as our full backs need cover, none of them are Roberto Carlos. Playing central midfielders wide provides strength and cover for the full backs. We don't have the strength in depth to afford fancy wingers, we rely on breaking teams down, not playing round them.

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Chicago_Blue added 12:31 - Mar 19 Get a room. What have they done to McGoldrick and Ambrose, when they found out about their affair? ;-)
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Chicago_Blue added 12:32 - Mar 19 Seriously though, Tabby's been impressive again of late.
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Kirbmeister added 12:40 - Mar 19 The role of the winger is so over rated in modern football. Name one winger who constantly skins full backs these days and gets killer crosses in for the big target man to head in. May have been so about 30 years ago but football has moved on. The full backs used to be slow and easy to beat but modern day full backs whatever the league are a different proposition now. Do people really think just by playing Henshall and Stewart we will become a superb attacking team? Doesn't work like that or everyone would do it.

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BlueNomad added 13:00 - Mar 19 What Mick said was that he wanted to change things and give us the winger we all want. Unfortunately that effective winger is not yet at the club (or ready for the first team). I interpret what he was saying is that had he been successful in getting that winger there would have been no place for Tabby. I think some people want to misread what Mick says in order to be negative about him.

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bohslegend added 13:18 - Mar 19 Interesting to see some of the positive comments on here being marked up 20+ in some cases, those being negative get the usual 5 or 6.
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kidsurello added 13:36 - Mar 19 I don't think anyone on here doubts the fact he will give 100% every single week no matter what, I just think he cannot be played at left midfield, lets face it he has no pace or skill. BUT as a central midfielder I don't have problem with tabb playing there because I wont get bullied out the game, I actually believe he has a decent technique, and theres no doubt he will be up and down the pitch for 90 minutes non stop. with tabb playing though I think bru has to play aswell along side him.

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BlueMachines added 13:38 - Mar 19 As per the norm, no comment on actual team affairs yourself Bohslegend? Just picking at other posters who, whether you agree with them or not, have a considered and arguable point in most cases. Something which time again and again you fail to provide.
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bohslegend added 13:52 - Mar 19 I have commented on team performance already bluemachines. I said it was a great result under difficult circumstances. I said i was delighted to see Tabby score, and I said that I felt he was under-rated. My comment in this instance is relevant though. It refers to the unfortunate yet very real reputation that many ITFC fans are fickle and choose a glass half empty approach to their comments. In this case I am happy to note that many genuine and positive comments about Tabby are positive and that these comments have been endorsed by many more TWTD readers than the more negative ones which in my opinion dont represent the majority of fans. I might point out that I don't deny everyone their rights to comment as they see it, and I would hope that I'm entitled to my opinions too without the usual back lash I tend to get for trying to remain positive.

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Hegansheroes added 14:00 - Mar 19 Can I have some of the drugs MM is on because they certainly create fantasy
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Kirbmeister added 14:16 - Mar 19 If it's a fantasy that Mick, having no money to spend, has got a team within sight of the play-offs then I agree I'll have some of it to!
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BrettenhamBlue added 14:20 - Mar 19 Tabb is an undervalued player. He does tonnes of hard work in midfield and the only player who has come close to him in terms of work rate in the last 3 years is Richie Wellens. Go back through the last decade and I think you'll find it hard to find many midfielders better than Tabby. He's consistent and always gives his all. Thoroughly deserved his managers endorsement and I just wish the fans would get behind him too.

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