Blues boss Mick McCarthy isn’t surprised that some fans are calling for his head following Town’s recent run of poor form, but says the subject didn’t even come up when he spoke to owner Marcus Evans on Wednesday.

“That’s the first I’ve heard!” McCarthy said when quizzed about the minority calling for a change at the top. “It doesn’t surprise me at all because that’s what football fans do.

“It doesn’t disappoint me, it doesn’t surprise me and it doesn’t worry me because that’s just the way it is.

“I guess at some stage I will leave the club, who knows when. But if there’s somebody who can do it on what I’ve done it and do what I’ve done then good luck to them, those that want that.

“I think the majority of them wouldn’t. I’ve never heard that and I’ve never given it any concern that that would be the case.

“But it doesn’t surprise me, it happens everywhere. Look at the number of managers that get changed.

“It’s usually down to bonkers owners and chairmen rather than football fans that get you out. Fortunately I’ve got a very sensible one.

“I spoke to him yesterday, I had a good conversation with him, he’d watched the game. That subject never came up, that’s for sure, we were just talking about the game and Saturday’s game.”

He says fan frustration doesn’t impact upon his approach: “It doesn’t affect me in terms of how I do things. Of course it bothers me because I prefer my team to be playing well and winning games and fans to be happy.

“Fans only become grumpy when you’re losing games and not playing well. So, from that point of view that bothers me.

“But if you’re asking whether it bothers me in terms of upsetting me, no it doesn’t, because that’s just the way football is. They love you if you’re winning and they hate you if you’re losing.”

McCarthy is confident that the Blues will be able to arrest their current slump and says the way he deals with adversity has changed since he was a young manager at Millwall in the early 1990s.

“Absolutely, yes,” he added. “I’m certainly more understanding of the way football works. I’m 24 years older than I was. Do you act differently to when you were younger? We all do.

“I’ve gained a helluva lot of experience, knowledge and, you might not think it sometimes, but a little bit more calm and a bit more perspective in my life than I had when I was 32 or 33 getting the Millwall job.”

Despite having admitted that he’s currently in his toughest spell with the Blues, he says he doesn’t let it get to him.

“I’d have been in trouble throughout my career if every time that something went [wrong], even as a player when you’re having a tough time you get twitchy and you let it affect you,” he continued.

“Of course it affects us, it affects me like it affects everybody else and if somebody is going to sit here and say it doesn’t affect you then they’d be lying. It’s how it affects you.

“I work harder, am more diligent, if I could be, trying to find a reason and a solution to it. But I don’t go home and have sleepless nights and I don’t go home and kick the dog and treat people badly because we’re getting beat.

“It doesn’t affect my personality that way. I might be a little bit quieter in the car going home when we’ve lost.”

He says turning Town’s season around isn’t a case of finding one underlying cause to the downturn: “We analyse every game after we’ve played them and there have been a whole number of reasons, I guess, but far too long-winded to be getting into them here.

“And it would be a bit too simplistic to say we’ve been unlucky because we haven’t been unlucky in every game.

“There have been times when we’ve given goals away, there have been times when teams have had a stroke of luck, Bristol City, we’d just scored and they had a deflection which no one could have done anything about.

“What was disappointing was they we let one in almost immediately afterwards. There are a load of reasons but not individual ones, if I could do that then I would have stopped it a long time before now, wouldn’t I?”

He says there’s no easy remedy when clubs are in bad runs: “Quite clearly it’s not easy to come up with a fix. When Norwich were getting relegated two years ago, if they had said to the manager, to Chrissy Hughton then ‘By the way, there’s a fix here for us, are you going to find it?’

“When I was at Wolves and we were going down and I got the sack, if there was a fix I’d have got it, I’d have found it. There’s not an easy fix for any of us.

“And there are a lot of other teams in our league looking for a fix at the minute. I’ll tell you what it is, it’s a tough league, a very close league, a relentless league, games come thick and fast and I think it’s a stronger league than it was last year.”

Photo: Action Images

Dissboyitfc added 07:12 - Oct 23 Fans frustration doesnt bother him, really? it certainly does because the more we call for change the less likely he is to change. His words post match last week prove that. Change your stubborn ways Mick and people will back you again, but do it before this winless run goes too far. Heres a question for everyone, i think douglas is the worst town central midfielder to be given a guaranteed starting spot, i see nothing in him at all, flat footed with zero pace. Anyone agree? or am i being harsh? Skuse is streets ahead. Cant see anything other than a loss tomorrow i am afraid. coyb

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jdtractor96 added 07:20 - Oct 23 I'm fed up of reading negative comments on every post. If we were in the playoffs right now all you guys would be praising McCarthy calling him a miracle worker again. Just get behind the team and accept his decisions. He has done so much for this club and deserves our support when things aren't going to plan. COYB!
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carsey added 07:38 - Oct 23 Jdtractor96 - I can assure you I wouldn't be praising McCarthy and never will for his football style or his arrogance and obstinate attitude where ever we were in the league. Other than galvanizing the club when he arrived it has been a drudge watching the town. We scraped into the playoffs last season because Derby imploded and in spite of his insistence at playing hoofball. He is out of date and town are destined for another 14 years in the 2nd division.

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jert16 added 07:53 - Oct 23 I think some of our fans need a reality check if they want our best manager in years to leave. I think he is becoming a victim of his own success. In terms of quality of squad and resources I really can't see how fans expect us to be above teams such as; derby, boro, Hull, burnley and the list goes on and on. Mick will turn this slump around but to expect us to be challenging the top places in the league is very naive. Football has moved on, maybe the problems lie deeper than Mcarthey?

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battyblue added 08:12 - Oct 23 If you dont know the problem Mick try looking at the defense and goalkeeper for starters how long will it take for you to accept it the problem has been there for almost a year and still you persist without changing it. And you think the minority of fans want a change of manager HaHa right.
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BlueySwede added 08:21 - Oct 23 jert16 Well, I agree with fans having some what unrealistic expectations. But surely Mick is available for the squad isn´t he? As for resources..Surely Brighton, Birmingham & Reading are not THAT much better off than we are? I think Mick did a brilliant job last season and I disagree that it was all hoofball (remember Mbrough at home for instance). But expectations have rised and we need to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

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Penguinblue added 08:26 - Oct 23 Don't be so smug about being safe MM. More fool ME. Guess ITFC no more than a tax break for his business,
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Keaneish added 08:34 - Oct 23 I want a change of starting personnel and a change of tactics not a change in management. A change in manager is a nonsense shout. We've got the squad to compete so lets start doing it with some simple and obvious changes to the starting 11.
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theipswichman added 08:41 - Oct 23 It's a shame that this question was asked to Mick to be honest, because it is a very small minority who actually want him sacked.
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DurhamTownFan added 08:45 - Oct 23 For me it speaks volumes about his style that all he goes home and thinks about is how to direct defensive errors. We're making them because we can't keep the ball for spells and kill the game off by playing on the front foot. It's not all about having a solid back 4 and hoofing it clear
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Bluejake added 09:11 - Oct 23 Interesting line from the manager's statement above, "but if there'somebody who can do it on what I've done it............". That suggests perhaps that he's been told that there is no money to pay transfer fees despite the sale of Mings,so it' loans or freebies only and ME is the reason our squad lacks quality in certain areas.
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nhabo added 09:16 - Oct 23 jert16 - you're spot on. We have finished in a higher league position every season under MM so far so I think it's only fair to at least give him until the end of this season. And to those calling for a change, who are you realistically expecting to come in at this stage of the season and do any better with the same resources? I've not seen anyone back their calls with a name so far.

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babyblueboy added 09:21 - Oct 23 Who else would take on a bunch of free transfers, loanees and journey men ? and very average championship players Mick has done ok but that is all he will do without serious investment if given the funds I am sure he would recruit the right personnel. If investment does not come I can not see anything better than a mid to lower table finish dwindling gates and the constant verbal Sh**e from the Narwich lot. Finding it difficult to get some positivity at the moment "like the majority of town followers" A WIN WOULD HELP !!!!!

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BrettenhamBlue added 09:28 - Oct 23 Remember so many fans being elated when Magilton left. Be careful what you wish for. personally, I was distraught when he left. Given the money, Magilton would have taken us into the Premiership.
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CambridgeBlue added 09:33 - Oct 23 It's a shame that the default position when backs are against the wall is to play deeply unattractive football, but MM has worked miracles at this club. People forget all too easily how awful we were for a good 4 years, and frankly calling for his head after 8 bad games is ridiculous.
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cats_whiskers added 09:40 - Oct 23 nhabo; There are quite a few ex championship managers out there who have got teams promoted and are out of work i.e. Nigel Pearson, Brian McDermott, Ian Holloway, Paul Lambert, Malky Mackay, Also, Billy Davies, Dave Jones, Stuart Pearce, Nigel Clough etc etc.
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nhabo added 09:46 - Oct 23 cats_whiskers - I see names but I don't see anyone with a better track record than Mick MCarthy. You might as well have said Dave Bassett, Graham Taylor and Neil Warnock if you're basing it purely on promotions. There are also a fair few you've mentioned who I wouldn't want anywhere near our club, for various reasons. Would you back any of those to do a better job?
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thebeat added 09:48 - Oct 23 I think its more than just a minority who want a change. We got into the play offs last year due to the players running through walls for Mick. They arent doing that anymore. Without that his teams are just a very average bunch of hit and hoper's. Maybe after more than 2 years of him playing favourites and playing people out of position to accomodate them has got to the players. The way Johnny Parr has been treated is nothing short of disgraceful. We had our best run last year with him at rightback. We actually played decent football with the fullbacks pushing on. Aa soon as we lost one game he couldnt wait to get him out to bring back one of the "undroppables". And for the rest of the season he was played on the wing whenever picked. Great management. This isnt a knee jerk reaction from some fans. We have a worse win to lose ratio in 2015, but it was always gona happen when u continually pick teams to accomodate favourites. Theres only so long you can compensate for that with lots of effort. Personally i dont think he can turn it around , this is a man who thinks Douglas has had a great season. I think anybody with 2 eyes knows thats just not true in any way shape or form. Id like someone like Nigel Pearson or if going down the younger route id be looking at somebody like Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, done a great job at Burton Albion and they play great football. But who know he might do the right thing and stop picking his mates and by xmas we might be in the top 6, but i cant see it, can you?

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cats_whiskers added 10:00 - Oct 23 nhabo Personally I've tired of McCarthy and his game tactics which involve boring football. That's fine if you have those players who can do that in your squad to sneak a 1-0 win. But McCarthy hasn't that and this is HIS team as he got rid of Jewells buys asap for gis own reasons. The way he sets out is as if he has just out for survival and a win is a bonus. Like a team that has come up from division one and it's their first season in the championship

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GoldieBlue added 10:01 - Oct 23 As much as a disagree with much of MM's tactics and team selection of late. Many of our players are seriously under performing particularly the defence. It's same back 4 minus mings and defensively he wasn't that much better than Knudsen. Performance however always falls on the manager and he really isn't helping himself.
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Bluewelshman added 10:12 - Oct 23 Well Mick I can understand your chest out, head up, optimism, because that's just the way you are, but you must understand where the fans heads are at. I'm not calling for your head, but I can understand the fans who have been. Ipswich is a family club with loyal local fans, and a large number who travel a fair distance to get to Portman Road, not to mention the terrific traveling support that we bring to away matches. The point is following Ipswich is getting very f**king expensive, especially when the tickets are one of the most expensive in the league, it costs a lot in fuel traveling to the games, even more when driving around the country roads if that is your direct route, and after shelling out all this money because your passionate about Ipswich Town FC, the team puts in a sub par performance each match, and you pick the same players who make the same mistakes every time, we fans have the god damn right to complain. So when you come out and say you understand why we moan and complain, do something about it Mick, stop picking the players who have lost their form, and have lost their passion playing for the town I have faith in you, but it is gradually eroding. So please think of the fans who love the club, who will support the team win or lose, it just would be nice to see a team like last season that wanted to fight and work their backsides off until the 90th minute win, lose, or draw, because at the moment we don't see that. The fans make the effort and spend their hard earned money following the town, please show that the fans love for the club is appreciated. COYD

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muccletonjoe added 10:15 - Oct 23 I don't see any turn around coming, no matter how much rhetoric they come out with
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Michael11 added 10:53 - Oct 23 Mick's a very good manager and there's no one available who would come in and do any better. He just gets blinkered by players he likes as a person, when he should be picking his best 11 players instead. For example, when he first came in he said we can't have square pegs in round holes with things like Carlos Edwards playing right back, but now he's happy to play Chambers there who's even worse. Parr playing right wing when he's a left back (And a much better one than Knudsen). It just makes no sense.

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Cheshire_Blue added 10:54 - Oct 23 It is a very very small minority of the 18,000 or so who regularly support the team who are calling for Mick McCarthy's head. The rest have more sense.
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MVBlue added 10:57 - Oct 23 If the standard of football is poor and the team are not winning, theres only so much time you are given, thats football.
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