At least we shouldn't go any lower.

Unless the manager gets his act together that is where we'll stay!...forget the 4pts against Watford and Bournemouth when you lose against a team win less in 7 it puts things into perspective.

This year: W:6 D:3 L:8 - simply not good enough.

To think where we were coming into 2015. If we don't make the play offs, the club should answer some very tough questions. Such as why didn't you invest in January? Sick of loans and frees. Cresswell money should have been spent. Every penny. It will be a disgrace if we miss out. But form is abysmal.

TimmyH - I hadn't realised our record was that bad! Still, Micks mates would have started all of those games no doubt!

No need for panic stations, Cardiff and Blackpool at home, those 6pts make things very different. Not where we would like to be after such a tremendous season but not over yet. Let's save the moaning until we've fallen short!

.... predicted we'd finish between 8th-10th - absolutely gutted that we will though after having it all within our grasp earlier, tactics / team selection totally responsible. Squad of players at the Club have had more to offer than this, without big money investment. Never been allowed to play to their full potential, realistically too late now.

Tuesday 30th December- Ipswich 2nd place on 47 points. Norwich and Wolves in 7th and 8th place on 37 points. The Premier League looks like a possibility!!

2015 (Played 17- Won 6; Drawn 3; Lost 8- Points Tally: 21 points out of possible 51): -
Derby- Lost 1-0; Millwall- Won 3-1; Brighton- Lost 3-2; Wigan- Drew 0-0; Rotherham- Lost 2-0; Sheffield Wednesday- Won 2-1; Fulham- Won 2-1; Reading- Lost 1-0; Birmingham- Won 4-2; Norwich- Lost 2-0; Leeds- Lost 2-1; Brentford- Drew 1-1; Middlesbrough- Lost 4-1; Bolton- Won 1-0; Watford- Won 1-0; Bournemouth- Drew 1-1; Huddersfield- Lost 2-1.

Current position- 8th place (68 points) while Wolves sit in 6th place on 71 points and Norwich sit in 2nd place on 76 points. Where did it go so wrong!!

This new year form has been nothing short of a shambles and a significant degree of stubbornness from our manager. Ever since Tommy Smith messed up against Derby in our first match of the year, we just haven't seemed to recover at any point. I have watched the likes of Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich and Brentford this season, and their composure on the ball puts our team to shame. I would say the two Bournemouth centre backs are more accomplished with the ball at their feet than most of our attacking players. The two Bournemouth full backs attack like true attacking full backs unlike our cumbersome Mings and Chambers double act. The other 7 teams who are now deservedly above us in the league table build calmly from the back and are able to create chances and score bundles of goals. All Ipswich seem capable of doing is hoofing the ball to Daryl Murphy and praying that he knocks the ball down to someone else or carries the team as he has all season.

Our midfielders need to hang their heads in shame with their goal return record. I see no sign of a Bradley Johnson from Norwich or a Harry Arter from Bournemouth in the Ipswich team, and this is a problem we have suffered from for years. I recall the good early 2000 days of Tommy Miller poaching 10 goals a season, Matt Holland notching key goals, but I've got more chance of scoring from the North Stand lower than Cole Skuse has on the football pitch. I know he is more defensive minded, but at the same time, he needs to at least contribute with some assists. Teddy Bishop is a young lad who has so much potential. Why is he too tired to play 2 games in 4 days???? I played 2 school games in 2 days and if I had told my PE teacher I was too tired for the 2nd game, he would of launched chalk in my direction. Blimey, Mick is quick to take Sears and Bishop out of the starting 11 (our two key players for next season) yet continues with Tommy "No Right Foot" Smith week in week out. Where is the pace in our team? Why has he continued to ignore Paul Anderson, Cameron Stewart, Alex Henshall etc? I'm pretty certain Elliott Hewitt wasn't all that bad as a right back. Certainly more composed than Chambers, who only remains in the team for 2 reasons- his passion and his captaincy. All I have learnt in the 2nd half of the season is that Mick McCarthy has his favourites at Ipswich- Tommy Smith, Luke Chambers, Jay Tabb, Cole Skuse.

It may well be in 10 days time that Ipswich have secured 6 points out of 6 against Blackpool and Cardiff, however with Wolves our next away game on Sky, I can only see us crumbling under pressure again. Unless McCarthy's mind-set and game-plan adapts, we will finish in 7th or 8th place which I would have taken at the start of the season. Unfortunately, it will only fill me with disappointment come May.

My team for next season: new goalkeeper; new right back; new centre back; Berra; Mings; Bishop; 2 new centre midfielders; McGoldrick; Murphy; Sears.

I don't think mick could care-less whether we get in play-offs or not

Gino88 your post is absolutely fantastic ,is totally spot on and so so true.Well done .

I feel posting comments on TWTD will help get us promoted and give valuable insight to MM when he logs on and reads our posts.
Using words like 'disgrace' and 'hang their heads in shame' will send out a message.

Gino88, a beautiful post to sum up the entire season. our current 8th , well, at least it cant get any worse. who here can honestly say that Blackpool is a nailed on 3pts????

Where was McGoldrick?

Waiting for his summer move to Championship Leicester?

MG is ill so the rumours go , some kind of breakdown , if true that is very sad ,but the constant thigh issue is a complete cover up ,has to be , MMs words he broke down on Saturday morning and that could be his season over. well where are the discussions re scans ,medics etc ,in fact where is mcgoldrick ,no twitter ,no interviews ,no program notes , no visiting local schools with team mates ,no club related matters at all or supporters club events. He's the clubs star man and nowhere to be seen. Its a cover up...

Some really intelligent posts here..well done to all concerned.

Gino88: never seen you post before but what a post!

really do feel that's our season over. blackpool may well solidify that.

The bright side, we are going to finish higher than ninth ( last years placing ) Am i happy with that ? a resounding no is the answer. I was never a jewell fan, but the biggest problem was too many loanees and playing people out of position, at least MM wouldn't do that, oh wait a minute, chambers at right back, Varney at right midfield and five loanees not all fit atm. And we have Hewitt back in the building the mind boggles. Think we are going to miss out on play offs, hope i am wrong....COYB

If we do get in the prem by the play offs have we got money to build a team or are we going to get hammered every week like last time.

The difference is that all the other teams can score goals we can only ever score one because of our style of football

Would prefer if we stayed in the championship and started to play football and build a team that way

Think the likes of Mings and Bishop and poss McGoldrick will be gone in the summer

I think that we have been in the Championship long enough to build 10 teams to play football and build a team that way ?????

I think Mick's plan is to sneak into the play-offs at the last moment - as we all know the team who didn't really deserve to make the play-offs is usually the one who wins them!!

MM and TC have done a brilliant job this season. We have so many positives to be pleased about:

Emergence of Mings, Bishop, Sears, Varney, Bru, and (next season) McDonnell.
The Form of Murphy, Berra, Parr
We met FFP guidelines.
A top 8 finish.
A "dirty dozen" like team (all freebies or unwanted)

Yes, we have plenty we could moan about too (Chambers at RB, On-off form of Smith, Tabb, Hewitt, that guy from Hungary etc, what's happened to Mcagoldrick?, look how well Norwich are playing, hoof-ball, lack of goals from midfield, lack of width, what happened to Henshall, Stewart,Connolly, more hoofball, why Chaplow and Woods?

We can all find fault in the team. There are obvious problems. But let's thank that we are not Wigan, Portsmouth, Blackpool etc. in football terms those teams are in real trouble. Of course we are all disappointed but this is really starting to look like a top 6 place is out of reach.

Let's all just hope that Norwich don't get in the top 2. Would love to see them lose In the play-offs against Brentford....

By the way, couldn't believe those fans who called for MM's sacking on Radio Suffolk. The only people that would benefit from his sacking are Norwich fans. Most of the squad are playing above and beyond their potential under this Manager.

Be careful what you wish for. I stood by Magilton when many fans were calling for his head. He eventually was removed (April 2009). We went through many years of relegation fears after. Keane and Jewell could barely steady the ship.

The problem is at the turn of the year we were in a great position for automatic promotion let alone play-offs and it looks like we've blown it....
http://www.twtd.co.uk/league-tables/competition:championship/daterange/fromdate:
Looking at the bigger picture things were far worse before Mick arrived and could still be worse (look at the examples Guentchev gave), the truth is Mick has improved us each season - even if it is just by 1 position. I'd give him another full season to see if he can keep that trend going, then if not consider others.

But fingers crossed we can still make it - 2 years ago Palace didn't deserve to make the play-offs and scraped in at the last minute, and things haven't gone too badly for them since have they!

seems to me it went wrong from when we changed a winning team. one defeat in 20, why then get in a bunch of loanees ( not wanted by other teams, wonder why?) and turf out those who had done so well? to use MM's favourite word it was bonkers to expect a new team to magically gel together at such a crucial time as the run-in. on a positive note only bournemouth and town have improved their points per game in the first 5 of the final 10 games but projecting forward the end result will still be the same, 8th barring a miracle.

Good to see some 'reasoned voices' yes yesterday was poor beyond belief - but we are not back in the days of Jewell , keane etc -
Yes it is a 'symptom' of how far we have slipped in 15 years that even a sniff of playoffs and we are happy - Well some are realistic and see where we have come
Of course there are problem areas but the personnel has not changed much since Aug-Dec period
Signings - some good , some ave and some shouldnt be playing
Injuries - Yes we have missed Parr , Bru , Mings - suspension , Hyam ( yes cos he does press and hussle players) - we lack that bite in midfield .
McGoldrick - not sure what is happening but no point theorising - it will come out
So , am I happy - no , am I having to be pragamatic and look at the big picture - Yes
Can we still make play offs - yes - will we win them - it is a lottery
Would I rather be in them than not - yes
Has MM taken us forward in League positionl terms - something that I am sure he was asked by ME -Yes
Is the football pleasing on the eye ? - No
If MM went would Warburton / or another 'Young progessive Manager' come here with our squad and no resources - Of course not -
Eddie Howe and Warburton had some pretty hefty monies thrown at them
HAS ME ever thrown money at Manager - YES
What happened - Roy Keane
So , if we can attract a younger model , playing football with style , it is another 2/3 year building process - so unless we get a unknown Oligarch or Asian/Middle Eastern Billionaire- it aint gonna happen - oh and remember what happened to Cardiff , Forest , Portsmouth , Birmingham , Villa etc etc with their promised billions for success - overseas Owners get bored orcan end up in prison ( be keen to see how Bmouth situation plays out with 'Arry going in a 'role)
But - next few months , I am sure could well see some 'comings and goings ' at PR whatever happens - If we do not go up , and ME has had enough ? with all our history and traditions maybe many on here will get what they want - Just be careful