Town boss Mick McCarthy reflected on the progress made during his three years in charge at tonight’s Supporters Club AGM at Legends in the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand on Thursday evening.

McCarthy celebrates his third anniversary at Portman Road on Sunday. The Blues manager took part in a not overly critical question and answer session with fans chaired by Simon Milton with his assistant Terry Connor joining him on the top table.

Quizzed on how he feels his first three years have gone and where he foresees things in another three years’ time, he said: “From three years ago when we had seven points and we were rock bottom, I don’t think morale was particularly good on the pitch, off the pitch, in the club.

“Certainly results hadn’t been good. I don’t think the standing of the club was what it used to be either. I think people had started looking at it differently and not with the same respect.

“I would like to think in that three years [we’ve been here] when we went 14th, ninth, sixth, progress year on year has been made.

“The squad is certainly better, stronger than when I walked in here when we had seven loan players.

“And then the question will be ‘Why aren’t we doing as well as everybody thinks we should be?’, and I think we should be as well. That’s what we’re trying to fathom out between ourselves and the players.”

He says the players now have a deeper affection for the club than was the case before he took over: “What I would say is that what you have got now and didn’t have when I walked in the door is a squad of players that care about the club, care about the fans, they care about the area, they live in the area, they work here.

“Some of them are on loan, of course, but the reality is that there’s a much stronger feeling for the club.

“Anybody who works within the club, socially, commercially will tell you that they go out, do the visits, are very proud of the fact they do that, all the work in the community.

“And they put a shift in on the pitch and they care about the club, they care about you guys.

“And they care at the moment that the results aren’t going well and we’re all trying our best to get back.

“I’d still love to be here in three years’ time and we’d like to be in the Premier League, and that’s what we’re aspiring to, and we’ll try and start that off on Saturday against Cardiff.”

What areas of the squad will McCarthy look to strengthen in January? “I wouldn’t tell you, even if I was!

“I’m saying we’ve got a better squad, so I wonder what we could get, in terms of the budget we have, that would be better than what we’ve already got.

“My view is that we’ve got a good squad and that we will continue to work and to try and get the best out of them and ensure we start winning and move up the league.

“I’m not looking for new players and I’m not going to stand here and tell you which ones we’ve been looking for and positions we’re looking for because I never do that anyway.”

Does he have a budget for January? “I haven’t broached that subject, to be honest with you. We’re constantly looking at players home and abroad.

“And if those fall into a budget I would go and ask [owner Marcus Evans] the question, if we could sign them, and if we could we’ll do so. And if we can’t we won’t, which has been my way all the time, I’ve never changed.”

McCarthy, who reiterated that he thinks the Championship has got stronger, says he won’t discuss private conversations he might have about players with Evans, who he praised for being a very supportive owner.

“I wouldn’t disclose my discussions,” he said. “I don’t know what you do for a living, whether you’re in business, but if you’re conducting your business - and I know it’s a very public business ours - but there has to be a private side to it as well, how we deal with it and I wouldn’t give away a confidence about how I deal with TC, with Ian Milne, with Milts if that’s my business, and certainly not with Marcus Evans.

“I’ve said before I’ve had all the support from Marcus I’ve ever been promised. And what he does give in support is a real, personal, emotional sort of support.

“When we’re having a tough time like we are at the minute then he’s there to support me and make sure I can still be here, TC can be still here and we can take the club forward, as we’ve done for the last three years.”

The 100 or so fans present applauded the Blues boss. He was subsequently asked about the team he fielded for the Capital One Cup tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford when he made 11 changes to the side which had played in the previous league game.

“My apologies for that,” he said. “I did it with the best intentions that we would be in the best shape to beat [Bristol City on the Saturday], because we [didn’t beat Bristol City].

“So yes, I do regret it, I wish I’d best team out, we’d have got slapped, you’d have paid £40, we’d have come back, we’d have been knackered and we might still have lost.

“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, which I don’t have. But I have to say, I think Manchester United may just have beaten us whatever team I’d put out. It was the result on the Saturday that disappointed me more than anything.”

McCarthy was quizzed on his goalkeepers and whether he should have remained loyal to Bartosz Bialkowski and put him back in the side after he had returned from Poland following the death of his father having previously been the man in possession of the shirt.

“I could have said that about Gerks when his wife had just given birth and he was carried off the pitch at Middlesbrough,” McCarthy reminded the questioner.

“Would I say to Bart at that time ‘That that was a little bit unfair on Gerks that, I really think he should have the shirt back’? I don’t think so.

“And Gerks has got in and if there’s one person I feel sorry for [it’s him], he’s been pulling saves off all over the place.

“I guess that whoever was at Forest on Saturday will all be blaming him no doubt for his punch. Not a chance in my mind. He came and punched it and it’s one of those things. It should never have got there.

“He’s been outstanding and balls keep flying in the net but I don’t think many have been down to him. He’s got us points.

“But in terms of being loyal to them, I don’t think that was the way I was ever going to be with Bart.”

As the half an hour session drew to a close, he again reflected on his time at Town and what he believes support is all about.

“I’ve stood here on two or three other occasions and everything’s been going swimmingly,” he added.

“Now things have been going the other way. It’s interesting, I think the definition of support is trying to hold something up, so while I’m just having a bit of a wobble, that’s when I could do with a bit of support.

“People say to me, ‘Who supports you?’. Here’s one [TC], he’d get the keys to my house, that lad, and my car. No problem.

“Right behind him, Dave Bowman, my director of football, there’s support. It’s difficult when it’s going wrong, it’s difficult to say anything, to smile, speak to people, to be as normal as you usually are.

“But that is the definition of support - sticking with somebody sometimes through thick and thin.

“And you know what it is, it’s sticking with them when you know they are the best solution. And maybe that’s me stood here as well.”

Fans again applauded the Town boss and after a couple more questions McCarthy and Connor were replaced at the top table by MD Ian Milne, supporters liaison officer and club secretary Sally Webb, finance director Mark Andrews, director of sales Rosie Richardson, media manager Steve Pearce and operations director from new outside caterers Centerplate, Matt Nicholson.

Milne started by giving some figures, attendances were 15 per cent up last season compared with season before, season tickets are up by 10 per cent this season, corporate hospitality is up by 13 per cent and retail sales up by 51 per cent, which he said was no surprise given the deal with adidas.

“We’re doing very well, a lot of this is to do with how we’re doing on the pitch and we had a great season last season,” he said.

“I’m not going to go into football, that’s very much Mick’s territory. We’re having a blip at the moment but I’m sure we will get through it.

“We are doing well, my team are working very hard to improve the enjoyment off the field. I personally enjoy what Mick and the boys do on the field having been to nearly all their matches this season.

“I’m sure I’ll be asked in a minute, ‘Why doesn’t Marcus give Mick £10 million to go and buy who he wants to go and buy?’.

“It’s now eight years ago that my boss Marcus Evans took over the club and in those first four or five years he spent a lot of money with Roy [Keane] and with Paul [Jewell] who tried their damnedest to improve the club.

“But it really wasn’t until Mick came on the scene with his team, he talked about Dave Bowman and Terry Connor, who really dragged us up by the bootstraps to get us where we are today.

“And hence this is why we’ve been getting the success that we have. Having been there at Nottingham Forest on Saturday it was a horrible last few minutes, but we’ve now got to look to the next match on Saturday.

“So I think you've got to take it as a whole and where we’ve come from and certainly when I was listening to Mick, I’m going to say I’m going to stick with Mick.”

Milne was asked why Town seem to be the only club adhering to the Financial Fair Play rules with QPR seemingly having got away with breaking them when on the way to promotion from the Championship in 2013/14 and still spending money.

“There are other clubs who play by the [FFP] rules and a lot of teams are embargoed trying to get their squads right down,” Milne said.

“Having played them recently, there are two teams below us that are paying out in salaries about 40 per cent more than we are. So it doesn’t necessarily mean that if you pay more you’re going to have a good team. It doesn’t work like that.

“It really is down to the manager and getting the right squad of players. Why don’t we want to [break FFP limits]? You get stuck with an embargo.”

He added: “To be fair, over the eight years Marcus has put millions and millions and millions in. He’s still putting in five or six million-plus [a year], he fills that loss gap.

“As you’ve heard from Mick, Mick and Marcus talk regularly about players, what is the right deal to do.

“You won’t find Mick or Dave Bowman wanting to pay above what is the market salary. We’ve got beyond those days."

Milne says he shared the questioner's concern regarding the situation with QPR and the FFP fine they are challenging.

“We are told by the Football League that that is still in mediation but they won’t tell us where that mediation is,” Milne continued.

“There are a number of us CEOs who are putting pressure on the Football League - [club secretary] Sally Webb has also been involved with this - to try and find out what is going to happen to QPR.

“The real issue with this is that if the Football League can’t enforce the rules what’s the point in having the rules? It’s going to be anarchy out there, so I’m on your side on that one, we all are. We need to get to the bottom of it to make sure the rules are enforced.”

You can find live updates from the AGM covering all the questions asked here.

Photo: Action Images

Warkys_Tash added 00:35 - Oct 30 Don't want to see Mick go as he has done a great job so farm- We should definitely support him but he must not continue to be stubborn. I think a few of us could help him 'Fathom' out exactly what is wrong, his blind faith in two 2nd rate goalkeepers is the first issue! Shall I go on?...
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planetblue_2011 added 04:35 - Oct 30 Come on boys let's get these much needed 3 points on sat!! Some positives from Mick he has turned the club round just hope he can work his magic again on sat & so on. The goal keeping situation still needs looked at, he still loves Gerks, but sorry Mick we need better I'm afraid. Gonna go for a 2.1 town win on sat, COYB👍.
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battyblue added 05:26 - Oct 30 MM would make a better politician says one thing and does something completely different also evades the question asked.
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muccletonjoe added 05:37 - Oct 30 An interesting read, even of it tells supporters absolutely nothing. We have progressed from where we were when he took over. But if you look back, as I have this week, to games when Joe royle took over it puts our current position and team in a very poor light indeed
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prebbs007 added 06:10 - Oct 30 No one questions the fact you have moved the club forward Mick but that doesn't mean you are on a pedestal and immune from criticism. You continue to stubbornly pick out or position and out of form players and that beyond anything else is why we ate struggling. You can't pick players based in historical performances. You need to pick in form players in their correct positions. To tell supporters that you can't find better on the budget jousts tries to shift all the blame to ME who has to shoulder some of it but we can improve on what we have beyond doubt. Look at the free or loan transfers picked up by other championship teams Ben Amos Liam Rosenior Ben Hamer Matt Lowton Marvin Sordell Adam Le Fondre Sami Aneobi Chris Baird Tom Ince Bradley Johnson Jason Shackell Andreas Weismann Will Buckley Matt Mills Danny Collins Paul Gallagher Will Keane Jamie Mackie James Perch Al Havsi Matty Vydra Lee Camp Barry Bannan We got Laarson Toure ( the surname is not an indication of ability) Knudsen (fee God knows how) Malyrszk (£8.5k for a reason) Coke (rhymes with what he is) Douglas (slower than my nan) and we retain Tabb amongst others. Please Mick don't try to tell us you can't get better than what you have. Everyone else did. Our squad is stronger on paper but unfortunately football is played on grass (or in the air where your teams are concerned) and the stronger squad is not performing. Arguably Gerken Chambers Smith Berra Knudsen Skuse Douglas & Murphy (some more than others) don't warrant their places but you pick them week in week out no matter how they perform. This is a results business and ours are nowhere near good enough. The squad is not good enough and unless it changes soon Mick you will be under increasing pressure!!!!!!

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jas0999 added 06:30 - Oct 30 So basically with no one but us adhering to FFP, the club can't really hide behind it anymore, the excuse is that Roy and Paul spent lots of money. Try of course, but mick is a better manager and deserves more backing. We can't complete I'm afraid unless money is forthcoming, but despite the Mings money,savings on player wages and increased revenue it seems like Marcus has no intention of spending. Bitterly disappointing.

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floridaboy added 06:45 - Oct 30 Moan moan moan moan moan
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Dissboyitfc added 07:05 - Oct 30 Does that mean (ref man u ggame) he will play to win in the 3rd round of the fa cup? He must know what size, if any budget, he has, otherwise how does he know who to look at? Bit like me searching for a car on autotrader not knowing what i can afford. Then he says he wants support, stop the square pegs in round holes, stop saying and doing stupid things( the more they shout for me to bring a player on the less likely i am to do it) and you will get support its a two way thing MM. A totally pointless evening just a public relations exercise with most questions avoided.

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yorksblue added 07:07 - Oct 30 100 carefully selected fans no doubt. Seems this was just a PR exercise.
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Dwillams57 added 07:10 - Oct 30 I agree with above - pointless evening mm was never going to answer any questions about team selection. Same old same old all the time. Hope Saturday will be different be interesting to see what attendance is
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Keaneish added 07:18 - Oct 30 Opportunity wasted. Story of our season so far!
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christiand added 07:20 - Oct 30 This just confirms to me that MM always preferred Gerken over Bart and was just looking for any opportunity to get him back in the starting XI. I could quite understand if he has fully deserved keeping his place, but his performances have been less than convincing.....the word 'outstanding' seems to get used a lot to describe mediocre at our club. Perhaps this is why we are in the hole we are currently in?

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carlo88 added 08:29 - Oct 30 The one line that sticks out is "I think Man Utd would have beaten us whatever team we would have put out". I find this very disappointing and perhaps a key to ours/MM's ambitions for the future. Look at Middlesborough. I still support Mick though.
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battyblue added 08:35 - Oct 30 One minute MM says he is loyal to his players the next he says he is not staying loyal to Bart that shows as we already knew ..he has favorites and fell sorry for Gerken must be because he is second class keeper.
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TCisMYcatsNAME added 08:41 - Oct 30 Thank you Mick for all you've done for ITFC. I to hope you are still in charge in 3 years time.
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essextractorboy93 added 08:44 - Oct 30 Still remember Mick's first game in charge, a 1-0 win away to Birmingham. Hopefully another 3 years of improvement! The club was in the gutter when he took over and has done a brilliant job! Keane destroyed it, Jewell failed to repair it but Mick sorted it out. Now have players who are proud to play for us!
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Bergholtblue added 08:46 - Oct 30 jas099 read the article. Marcus Evans is spending! he is spending £6million every year just to keep us afloat.
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JimmyJazz added 08:48 - Oct 30 I think it's quite indicative of our supporters mindset - still asking questions about the Man Utd game FFS. To my mind the team still haven't recovered from when that stupid tie was first drawn. How different it might have been had we lost to Stevenage Also, if we don't adhere to FFP we might be lumbered with a transfer embargo? We already have a transfer embargo that is self-administered.

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cats_whiskers added 08:57 - Oct 30 It was always going to be orchestrated to suit McCarthy Like politicians he would never be giving you a direct answer to feed off. Was Terry Connor there just for the free drinks I wonder? FREE Orange juice.. Yum Yum… But where are the cookies?.. He never appears animated whenever I see a picture which includes him, (always has that glazed expression) wanting to be somewhere else perhaps! Not long to wait for the 2nd part and be bored by his usual pre and post-match quotes regarding Cardiff

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IpswichT62OldBoy added 09:15 - Oct 30 MM has brought back the sense that the club is together,and respected for being a decent football club.The results will come off of the back of that.
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essex57 added 09:44 - Oct 30 Meant to down arrow cats whiskers
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essex57 added 09:47 - Oct 30 Agree IpswichT62 also what Mick said about supporters sticking together through thick and thin!!!!!!!!
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Lightningboy added 10:04 - Oct 30 Tip for you Mick..in January we need to bring in a better keeper and a better right back,cos we ain't going up as things are.
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thebeat added 10:05 - Oct 30 He thinks Gerkens been outstanding. I think that just about sums it up doesnt it. God help us....
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cats_whiskers added 10:22 - Oct 30 @ Essex 57 It just goes to show how confused your poor brain is You are obviously short in the grey matter when it comes to making real judgements
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