Town boss Mick McCarthy felt that there was no way back for his side once they had conceded two goals he thought were preventable shortly before half-time during their 3-0 defeat at Hull City.

McCarthy's game plan went well for the first 36 minutes until ex-Blue Alex Bruce headed the opening goal and then Chuba Akpom added the second seven minutes later.

“Very much it did,” he said. “And then we let our guard down. They got in behind us, put in a great cross and it was a great header, but he shouldn’t have been able to get into that position for the cross if we’d have done our jobs properly, and I think we should have done better at the far post then.

“But even having conceded that, for the second goal we were in possession of the ball and we lost it very, very softly.

“I’m thinking it’s a great goal if it’s us but we lost it softly, they got in behind us and I still don’t think it should have ended up in our net, to be quite honest with you. We should have defended it better.

“So that changed the dynamic of my mood, my team-talk, my decisions at half-time because at half-time we were still in the game at 1-0, 2-0 it’s killed us all off a little bit.

“For 35 minutes up until they scored I don’t think they’d been any great threat, maybe we hadn’t been but we’d had a number of freekicks and corners and we had them to running towards their own goal and having to pull us down.

“We didn’t make the most of those, but if you concede goals the way we did it’s going to be hard to win games.”

He added: “It was never going to be easy, of course, they’re a good side, and I think that showed in the second half.

“And the third goal [David Meyler’s volley] puts the cherry on the cake for them because it was a fabulous strike, and we were never in it then, it’s a matter of making sure it doesn’t end up more.”

Cole Skuse and David McGoldrick both missed the game due to injuries and McCarthy hopes the duo will be fit for Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest.

“I didn’t tell the whole truth yesterday when I was asked if everyone was fit but I didn’t want to be giving my hand away coming here," he added.

“Skusey had a sore ankle, Didzy’s got a sore groin, so that ruled those two out, those two would have been playing.

“We’ll have to wait and see, we’ll see them tomorrow morning, we’ll see how they are and how they both respond to treatment and fingers crossed they’ll be OK.

“Tabby’s got a hamstring problem. It’s been a tough old month by performances, results and injuries. But I suppose that does happen. We’ve got to get back at it.”

The Town boss says he could look at the loan market given the injury situation and current form: “Possibly, but I’m not sure there’ll be loads of them around at moment to be taken on loan and we’ll see anyway. Didzy and Skusey might be fit, let’s have a look at them first tomorrow morning.”

McCarthy says the current spell is his toughest since taking over at Town in November 2012, tougher even than his first season when the Blues were battling against the drop.

“It’s worse for me this, because at that time, it was a tough time, we were scrapping to get out of the relegation zone, which we did, but we were sort of upwardly mobile all the time,” he said.

“This season we started well, I’ve supposedly got a better squad of players, more players, better quality players, we had a really good start, hopes were high and we’ve just had a really bad time for four or five weeks. It’s not pleasant at the moment.”

Tigers boss Steve Bruce, whose son Alex scored his first goal in four years, was delighted with his side's display.

“It was arguably our best performance [this season]. We ran out comfortable winners in the end, but it’s never easy against a Mick McCarthy team, that’s for sure.

“We had good energy, good pace in wide areas and I thought that we had to play two strikers, maybe I should have played that at the weekend.

"It was an all-round good performance and the players that were brought in all did their jobs.”

Photo: Action Images

Pettitt10 added 07:58 - Oct 21 If people are serious about wanting Mick out after 3 progressively successful years, answer me this; who would you want at the helm to replace him?.. IMO there is nobody that we could realistically get that is anywhere close to him.
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yorksblue added 08:11 - Oct 21 Hopefully, Ancellotti Will take over at Arsenal, then Wenger can take on a new project here. Otherwise, get Hoddle. It's a no brainer. A rich Arab owner would be nice too. Oh well, I can but dream.
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blueherts added 08:15 - Oct 21 12 away games lost in 2015 out of 19 and 40 goals against - Defence is a shambles and we are toothless in the final third - Our record since Jan is woeful - check it out
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DurhamTownFan added 08:18 - Oct 21 I find it really interesting that people on here are tending to blame the manager and not the players. It's almost as if we've already said all we can about Smith on the right and chambers at RB and Douglas etc.
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Orraman added 09:20 - Oct 21 MM would recover some credibility from fans if he would just change the back 5. Two or three of the current five might feel miffed but they have all had plenty of chances to ensure they keep the shirt and they have not taken them. We need to play out from the back rather than continuous hoofing. With Bru fit again and Bishop almost there our midfield could then collect balls and supply our proven strikers with proper service instead of them having to continually fight for scraps. I am sure that with a reformed back five things would drastically improve. We appear to have some good young defenders coming through. Give them a chance by mixing youth with experience. Look how Teddy Bishop grabbed his chance, so when Emmanuel, Yorwerth, Clarke and Kenlock are available give them some game time, They can't do worse as our trip to Old Trafford showed....and there's also Malarczek waiting for his chance. Although I've never been a great MM fan I don't see any point in changing the manager, just change the back five and let's see where we go.

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oldbri added 09:33 - Oct 21 Hi yoHirksblue
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brittaniaman added 09:33 - Oct 21 The Man Management of MM is excellent BUT HIS team selection and Tactical Know how is Useless at the moment. Our Reserve team went to Old Trafford and lost 3-0 (most of the Man.u. side were 1st. team) Our first team go to Hull and lost 3-0 Does that speak volumes ????????
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BrettenhamBlue added 10:12 - Oct 21 Would agree completely with jas0999 and prebsa. Love Toure's work ethic, but Championship footballer he is not. As for Joke he seems like a poor mans Amir Karic (and this was the best I have ever seen him play). Douglas looks nowhere near the player he was (the guys got talent, we know that from previous seasons). Knudsen is a Championship player (unlike Mings and Cresswell who were both potential Premiership). Gerken looks like he's in a pickle whenever the ball goes into the area. Chambers isn't a right back. Murphy seems to be having a confidence issue. Promotion chasing side we are not.

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BrettenhamBlue added 10:20 - Oct 21 Team for Forest Bart Parr, Chambers, Berra, Knudsen AMN, Skuse, Bru, Sears (behind front 2) Mcgoldrick, Pittman MM's team Gerken Chambers, Berra, Smith, Knudsen Toure, Douglas, Skuse, Joke Sears, Murphy
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runningout added 10:20 - Oct 21 I am better than most of our squad, and obviously a suffering fan..... and I'm cr*p...
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Len_Brennan added 10:32 - Oct 21 It's hard to have any sympathy for Mick when the areas that are causing us the most problems are those which the fans have been pointing out as problems for months/years now. Obviously he's an experienced manager & has to trust in himself over some loud mouths who have never managed at any serious level, but surely the consistency of the calls, the qualified reasoning behind them and the evidence on the pitch should have at least led him to question some of his decisions? The Chambo at right back thing is not even debeaten on here anymore, it's that clear cut to all ....

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Len_Brennan added 10:35 - Oct 21 "debated" that should read. I guess I'm so used to the word "beaten" at this stage it didn't even register with me.
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liam88 added 10:46 - Oct 21 Dunno why people moaning about this result! "Last season last season" that's all I read, last season was a fluke!! We are where we should be with the squad which is fit at this time! Hyam and Bishop needed big time! If I hear anyone boo hyam again I'll give them a slap. He's got the passion and the legs to get in the faces of the opposition. Which is lacking with the aging legs in the middle of the park we have atm

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J_btown added 10:52 - Oct 21 Can we all just take a set back. Mick has had near enough no money to spend, which in this division seems to be a must to compete these days, and that's not been just this summer it's been ever since he came in and we were in a relagation battle! Yes we're not playing good enough and not getting the right results at the moment but it was only a couple of months ago that we were top of the league and thinking about the premier league. Personally I know it's not to the same level as them but I see our situation very much the same as Chelsea's, there going through a terrible time of it at the moment, but I know for a fact that Jose will be the right man to stay there, and in my eyes it's the same with mick, I can't see another manager out there that would even compare to him right now and be able to get us to where we are now on the budget we have. Now is the time to get behind the team and get them out of this run were on, cause all it will take is a good 5-6 games and we will be right back up there, and we are capable of it cause we done it as early as the start of the season. COYB

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bluemikey100 added 11:11 - Oct 21 we need hyam back in the middle to make us hard to beat and bishop to create more |for the forwards
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Europablue added 11:30 - Oct 21 Damn it. We really can't seem to keep it together can we?! Whatever it is it just doesn't seem to be going for us. It might best that I can't make it to the games at the moment, my dad reports back to me and he is getting pretty depressed by us again. I guess that little hope from last season and the beginning of the season has raised expectations and made Mick's job easier. What happened at Leicester and even Norwich? We are a club like they were trapped in the second tier. We really need to have some impetus. I used to think of us as a top tier team, but we are firmly a second tier team. Well done to Chris Hughton and Brighton. It is always great to see the less fancied clubs doing well.

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Europablue added 11:39 - Oct 21 J_btown I have a lot of respect for the opinion that you expressed. The only faults I can see in it is that MM is doing a great job off the field with recruitment, team spirit etc., but not so well with the tactics. On your point on Jose with Chelsea, I'm not sure he is the right man for Chelsea. He needs to learn a little bit of respect and if he really wants to prove himself why not win the title with a "lesser" club like Ipswich? Joking aside I wouldn't want someone like that at the club, so while I don't think MM is doing a great job tactically right now we are still ok. There comes a time even with a boss who brings you (relative) success is no longer the right person for the job. We haven't reached that point yet, but another year or two of these tactics might just about do it.

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essex57 added 11:39 - Oct 21 Couldnt agree more orraman i got slated when i said that i think the team that played at man u were as good as the first team weve tried all combinations of players in first team so why not give the so called seconds or at least the majority of them a run out.
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GiveusaWave added 11:56 - Oct 21 Our Central midfield is the main issue at present. Once Hyam/Bishop are back our results will improve. Too much pressure on the defence every game. Don't know who said it, but agree Chaplow and Anderson should have been re-signed rather than Coke and Toure.Coke had a huge chance here after having had so many bad games for Sheffield, Swindon and Bolton. He probably expected League 2 football and instead was given a chance at ITFC. To give credit where credit is due, MM has stuck by his signings and shown real loyalty to his players. This loyalty needs to be returned by the players. It's time for Coke and Toure to step up and show that they were worth signing

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portmanteau added 12:26 - Oct 21 someone said MM is a good man manager. you can't be serious. should not question players loyalty in public. do it behind closed doors. now he repeats his earlier comment that when we are 2-0 down its all over. has he never watched leicester and brighton lately? talk about demotivating his team. the man is a fool .
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J_btown added 12:50 - Oct 21 Europablue- I'm completely agree, sometimes it is just better to say thank you and move on. I know football is a very quick reaction sport these days and when a team isn't performing then all kinds of questions are asked, but for me personally I think that we were top of the league in August, and like every team gets from time to time, we've had a drop in form, the players are as much to blame as anyone else. But let's all just remember that all it takes is a string of games and we could be right up there again. It can and will change I'm sure. COYB

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JimmyP45 added 12:57 - Oct 21 I could pick 2-3 lineups capable of winning from the players we have at our disposal. But I am just a fan.
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essexboy added 13:25 - Oct 21 If the defence was sorted,ie; Square pegs in round holes things might get a little better,but while MM still defies logic we will NEVER improve.!
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Cheshire_Blue added 13:40 - Oct 21 And to be replaced by who, Penguin Blue?
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Cheshire_Blue added 14:10 - Oct 21 Last season we would have got a 0-0 out of last nights game. Individual players are not performing to last years standards and coupled with a crop of injuries this has resulted in a poor run. Once the players take to the field the performance of the team is in their hands and beyond the manager. Last night our downfall was brought about by speedy wide men who got in behind our defence time and time again. Knudsen and Parr were very poor in the first half and the right side was not much better. If you cut out the crosses you prevent goals. The goal keeper needs to take control of high balls in his six yard box and should have prevented the first goal. Nevertheless, the mid field and strikers never created a worthwhile chance all game, but if you don't concede you don't lose.

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