Town boss Mick McCarthy is looking for his side to improve their home form with too many games at Portman Road having ended in draws so far this season. Middlesbrough visit Suffolk this evening having failed to win on their trips to Suffolk since 1993.

The Blues have already drawn five games, as many as in the entire 2014/15 campaign in which they won 15 of their 23 home matches.

McCarthy is clear why his side has failed to turn those draws into victories: “Being unable to keep a clean sheet, we can’t score three goals when we’ve conceded two goals.

“For all Reading are having a great season and Sheffield Wednesday are having a great season, we’re sat above them in the league. Birmingham are having a wonderful season and we’re level on points with them and they’re above us on goal difference.

“Considering we’ve had five home draws we’re still in a good position, and I still go back to my mantra of every season I’ve been here - it’s what you end up with in May that counts, not what you drop or win in September and October.”

He believes the Blues perhaps suffered from Daryl Murphy going through his lean period in front of goal and David McGoldrick having been out with a groin problem.

“When you’ve got Murph, who has scored 27 goals, and Didz, who was prolific in the two seasons prior to this one, early on, if you lose that, it’s very hard to replace,” he said.

“But then if you’re managing to keep clean sheets and you can nick a goal, that’s what we weren’t doing. We might score two but we concede two.

“I think we’re the second-highest goalscorers with 28. Fulham, strangely enough, have 30. But we’ve conceded quite a high number, more than most, which is unusual.

“I was sitting here two or three weeks ago and I said there were times when we’ve drawn games when in the past Murph would have scored, Didz would have scored and we would have won.

“And now Murph’s back scoring that might be the case and if we get Didzy back it could be better still for us.”

Even during the disappointing spell during September and October, McCarthy says the Blues were still not getting beaten too often.

“One of the reporters asked me after the match last week, ‘When you were losing games…’ so I asked when that was.

“It was as if we’d been losing them week after week after week, but we’ve only lost four, which is equal-third in terms of defeats in the division, only two or three have lost fewer and then there are three other teams the same.

“It was our inability to win those games. Some of them we should have won. I think Cardiff deserved a draw here. We should have beaten Wolves, we let them off the hook twice. I think we should have beaten Bristol City. They’d all argue different, of course.

“I think we should have beaten Huddersfield with the chances we had, both keepers made a good save near the end, Gerks made one and their keeper saved one with his toe end, it was remarkable.

“So, it was just the inability to finish those games off and they’ve ended up as draws. But we’re seventh in the league at this stage, we’ve just had a good run and we’re doing OK.”

At Wednesday’s PLC AGM Blues MD Ian Milne said the club is “in a good place” and McCarthy echoed those words.

“People should be enthusiastic and good about the club,” he continued. “Part of my job definitely is trying to get fans to be proud of their club, whether it’s retaining that pride or getting that pride back.

“I think at the minute that’s where people are, the way they’re playing, the way the lads conduct themselves, there’s a broader thing.

“I know I’ve got to win games, don’t get me wrong because if we’re bottom of the league nobody’s proud of their club. We’re OK at the minute, we’ll find out after Friday whether we’re any better.”

Meanwhile, he says his players have so far resisted the temptation to give his 1991 Irish hit single, Did You Ever?, which was recorded with Eurovision Song Contest winner Linda Martin, an airing since it was rediscovered by the Irish media earlier this week.

“None of the boys, we had it on in the analysis area the other day,” he laughed. “Alan Brazil rang me this morning and I wondered whether it was because I was a singing sensation or a football manager, I wasn’t quite sure.

“I don’t think it’ll be going viral this Christmas. A bit like flushing toilet, it sounds better when the lid’s gone down and it’s gone away!”

Photo: Action Images

Dissboyitfc added 07:36 - Dec 4 "we've conceded quite a high number, more than most, which is unusual" Actually, its probably not that unusual, when opposing managers see our unbalanced defence and its weaknesses. We certainly have managed to convert Wins into draws on too many occasions. Some will read this post and think i am moaning, others will see and read frustration. But the goals conceded column speaks for itself and cannot be argued with! Tough game tonight, COYB'S

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prebsa added 07:39 - Dec 4 “I think we're the second-highest goalscorers with 28. Fulham, strangely enough, have 30. But we've conceded quite a high number, more than most, which is unusual." Yet you continue to demand that that what you pick is our best back 5? Strange!
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ArnieM added 09:34 - Dec 4 Whilst I agree the defence is unbalanced. Which players currently at the Club do people feel should make up the back four. For me the GK issue has been done to death and I personally don't think there is any difference between the two GK. Both are average. But the back four? ?.........Berra.......Chambo.........Parr
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Portman51 added 11:26 - Dec 4 "...it's what you end up with in May that counts, not what you drop or win in September and October.” Sorry Mick, the two are very much related. Points gained on the first day are worth just as much as those gained on the last, which is why injury time at Brentford may well come back to haunt us!
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