Town boss Mick McCarthy felt Jonathan Douglas’s tackle which led to his red card was harsh and changed the game as the Blues lost 3-0 at Birmingham City.

Douglas, who will be banned for three games, was dismissed in first-half injury time for a studs-high challenge on Will Buckley, who earlier had fouled Jonas Knudsen in a challenge McCarthy felt was comparable to the Blues’ midfielder’s.

“I thought Birmingham played well,” McCarthy said. “I thought the game was fairly even up until the sending off which changes the course of it, of course. I think the tackle looked worse than it was. I don’t think it’s a sending off.

The Town boss says he’s not ruling out an appeal: “We’ll see. He [the referee] said he jumped in with two feet, he didn’t. He went in with his foot high but I thought he almost pulled out of it. I don’t think he made any contact. It looked worse than it was.

“I think it was harsh. And I don’t want the other fella punished either, Will Buckley had a tackle on our left-back in the first half, they’re clearing it up the line and he goes in.

“I don’t want him sent off but I just can’t see the justice in the two of them and Ryan Fraser got kicked in the head at the edge of the six-yard box [towards the end]. It’s not a penalty but, wow, it’s a freekick.

“So, that’s not going to affect the game because we were 3-0 down but the sending off [did].

“I thought before half-time ‘All right, so they’ve scored, we could have scored, it was 1-0, we’ll change it around at half-time and we’ll get something’, but 10 men just [changed it].

“At half-time I wasn’t going in unhappy, at 1-0 I was thinking ‘That’s OK, somebody’s going to score in the game, maybe’ and they got their goal. But it changes it completely.

“I thought we were great in the second half, I thought our lads were brilliant and we had some great chances, but we were outdone by two complete and utter bombshells, which were fabulous strikes.

“There wasn’t a lot we could do about the shots. They hit those two and they come not very often in a season but unfortunately they came against us.”

He added: “It’s an even game and the sending off’s changed it. The scoreline of 3-0 looks like we’ve been slapped and we haven’t really been slapped at all. Even with 10 men we haven’t been slapped.”

McCarthy singled out man of the match Ryan Fraser for praise: “Fraser’s brilliant, he’s a really top class player.”

Winger Tommy Oar left the club yesterday having failed to settle following his move from FC Utrecht in Holland in the summer, but the Town boss says that’s not made a difference to his plans between now and the transfer window closing a week on Monday.

“Not really,” he continued. “Larsen’s back and is fit and Tabby’s here and he’s played on the left.

“I have to say, Tabby’s not Tommy Oar in terms of what he can do, but in fairness Tabby’s been more successful on the left than Tommy Oar was while he was here.

“He didn’t rip it up. I’m disappointed that he didn’t see it out but, you know what, if somebody’s unhappy, is finding it hard to play and wants to leave in my book, what’s the point in me trying to keep him? Unless we’d paid a million for him, but there are none of them in the team.”

Birmingham manager Gary Rowett says he plans to add to his team from a position of strength and McCarthy didn’t completely rule out making additions himself.

“If we could, it all depends on who is available,” he said. “I don’t know whether Gary got lucky with Jacques Maghoma being injured and he could put him straight in the team. Sod’s law, we’ve had a few of them who have made their debut and scored against us.

“But it does help when you can play them because you bring Will Buckley in and you otherwise keep the same team and you win. If they’d have won again and they don’t get in the team. That’s the dilemma [with loan players].”

The Town boss was delighted to have extended his contract until 2018 with an option for a further two years, and paid tribute to the Blues’ support at St Andrew’s.

“That’s nice, it’s great,” he added. “And we had great support today, it was fabulous and I’m appreciative of that. We’ve had a bad result today but things are going well for us, we’re OK.

“There are 18 games to play and we’ve all had ups and downs. It’s Birmingham’s day today, it’ll be our day another day.

"I’m not coming away from here thinking we were dreadful and we weren’t competitive, in fact quite the opposite. Circumstances have tarnished the result but not the performance, I think.”

Birmingham boss Gary Rowett felt it was a tough match, despite the scoreline: “It was a difficult game, one or two moments, one or two decisions can change the course of it.

“Fortunately they went for us and we got the win. It’s another really, really encouraging performance.

He added: “I felt we probably just shaded the first half in terms of chances and shots and play.

“In the second half, of course, we’d had the fortune with the sending off. Probably fortune is the wrong choice of word, but I wasn’t sure whether it was a sending off.

“It didn’t look a great challenge but I couldn’t quite tell from where I was the real ferocity or danger of it. But we got a little bit of fortune with that.”

Photo: Action Images

Shrimpynator added 18:24 - Jan 23 The red card:
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jert16 added 18:26 - Jan 23 Onto the next one.. COYB
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Ipswichlove added 18:27 - Jan 23 Harsh? Defo Red for me
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MicksZzzTactics added 18:29 - Jan 23 Dinosaur Mick's not surprisingly fittingly outdated "lets-rest-all-11-regular-starters" hapless football ideology -- which primary victim obviously was the (once) heralded FA Cup, alongside it's accompanying extra income. An extra income not only fueled by for the fans pov EXCITING possible progression in the tournament but also by simply drawing PL opponents ... which includes even the likes of Bournemouth! -- failed miserably!!! And in likelihood would have today even with if all 11 of Micks's super- rested Hoof Town regulars had managed to stay on the field! So Dinosaur "I don't give a flying F..." Mick will you please NOW refund all the super great and-not-in-anyway-foolhearted ITFC fans who bravely traveled to Portsmouth in midweek .... with your own money, preferably!!! Thank you in advance, matey!!! And as for all the proud members of "In-The-Tactical-Inept-Pizz-Poor-Entertaining-Ultra-stubborn-Ultra-Arrogant-Fan-Disrespecting-Football-Dinosaur-We-Trust" Brigade who mainly controls the TWTD Forum I say: STICK THIS IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT! ... AND GO SUCK A LOLIPOP INSTEAD!!! YOU PITYFUL 'SIMPLETONS 'CALLING YOURSELVES"REAL" IPSWICH FANS!!! Cause not only to you just continuously luv to hatemonger on the "other" fans of this football club, but you also had the audacity to fully support this laaaaaaaaame Rest-Them-All ideology and disrespect for The Cup, Sportsmanship and Fans (just as they support pretty much anything Mick does ... by default!) with several of them presumed 'armchaired' ones also stigmatizing the brave fans who traveled to Portsmouth as -- yep good loyal and supporting folks -- but above all: Anything from "immensely naive" to flat out "idiotic" folks too! All shameful to say the least ... and here we are, on a Saturday evening January 23 now not only having "forfeited'' ourselves out of the FA Cup but also once again out of the top 6 and having been frogleaped by Birmingham in the standings! Great week's job Dinosaur Mick (and his 'trustworthy' blind faithed Brigade) ... and this directly following the hyper poor "football" predominantly displayed against Preston! We might still SOMEHOW finish on a play-off spot after game 46 in May ... and then with some good luck "Anything can happen" right? :-) ..... but the arrogant Irish "I don't give a flying f..." Football Dinosaur once again have shown all objective fans, in THIS month alone and on several occasions, that he is NOT the one to take ITFC "forward" in any other sense of the word, whatsoever! Period.

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blueherts added 18:29 - Jan 23 Hmm been a supporter of MM but two things baffle me , why insist we need no one else when we all can see we blatantly do plus all our rivals are and secondly , no other business would extend contracts like football does - what motivation is there for him to strive to improve
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unstableblue added 18:31 - Jan 23 Sorry Mick from the refs position he's probably not being that harsh. Please get back to the training ground and think about the best way to get the best out of Sears and Fraser, and how best to use hyam, skuse and bru, with the emphasis on bru. February looks tough.
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Mark added 18:31 - Jan 23 What an awful week, sacrificing our place in the FA Cup for the Birmingham match which we then lose 3-0 (and now we have a 10 day break). Oar leaving too. We could do with a couple of signings to freshen us up I think. They were saying on Radio 5 lunchtime how the January transfer business may be the deciding factor regarding who goes up from the Championship and I hope Digby on loan and Foley on a short term deal are not the limit of our ambition!

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DurhamTownFan added 18:33 - Jan 23 On another note, are we ever going to wear that stupid farce of an away kit? The whole idea of a second kit with blue on it baffles me. People who bought it should get a refund!
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jonbull88 added 18:34 - Jan 23 Shocking decision!! Doesn't touch him. Appeal has to be lodged. Tom ince on Fraser in December was much worse than this and he escaped with a booking
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Knightsy added 18:36 - Jan 23 Definitely a sending off. If you show your studs when going into a tackle, you've got to go simple as that, so it's not harsh Mick.
1

DurhamTownFan added 18:37 - Jan 23 I agree with mark. Couple Of new faces would lift everyone and give us more confidene to try and play a bit. Obviously we have good forwards and MM loves his 4 defenders so maybe a new goalkeeper or a couple of midfielders who can demand it off the back 4 and play some neat football? £1 instead we get another centre back or a huge lad who can't control it striker in on a free

2

truckerblue added 18:38 - Jan 23 To the two clowns that down voted me. Obviously not at the game today then.
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Seasider added 18:43 - Jan 23 "We've had a few of them who have made their debut and scored against us"(Buckley),.Dont know about Sods Law Mick;but looks like other teams are finding players who their Managers consider to be good enough to put in their teams and score against us. Oh sorry you don't think there are any,then I wonder why we are not top of the league? Hope after a draw and two defeats in the last three matches,you will change your mind as it will be too late by the time your'rested players'play their next game next month.

4

hinchers1066 added 18:44 - Jan 23 Good call by the ref. If it had happened to one of our own we would be bl***y furious. Move on, end of.
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phillo added 18:47 - Jan 23 hmmmmmmm we don't need to replace a creative winger like Oar as "we've've got Tabby" who's been "more successful .... than (Oar) whilst he's been here"... really Mick, really ..... never heard so much s**t in my life man !!!!!! Don't take us for fools mate ...... your in change of the club we all love - most of us for longer than you've been here so show us some respect. I respect your knowledge & experience as a football manager ...... please start showing some respect to the fans & stop treating us as imbecile by spouting PR carp like this .....

13

WhoisJimmyJuan added 18:49 - Jan 23 I just wish we had a clearer idea of the finances and so called fair play in finances. Which ever side of the MM fence you are on it seems highly unlikely anything is going to change much soon. We will not make great signings, there are no next great ones coming through the ranks so to have any chance of promotion we will be grinding out results through hard work alone. That may be enough for many but as the post Jewll/Keane relief wears off I suspect it will be enough for a dwindling number of our fans. Step forward Andre Dozzell! Please emulate your father.......

2

therein61 added 18:49 - Jan 23 For a senior pro to make a tackle like that(how many games has he played in his career)is not on it was awful! and it has made a hard game an impossible one the only good thing to come out of this is that with his ban we have to freshen up the midfield and get away from the carthorse hoof ball combo that(include back four in that) Douglas and Scuse are.
5

bluefeast added 18:50 - Jan 23 Terrible by Mick , we were 1.0 down , they play good football ,could it really be worse ,we lose 3/0 our goals conceded is same as sides who are bottom half of table. Get real mick if you don't keep the ball your in trouble
3

muccletonjoe added 18:55 - Jan 23 A win against reading and this will be forgotten, mm real ba//s up was last Tues.
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cartman1972 added 18:59 - Jan 23 Laursen Toure and Tabb to call upon...give me hope they are both crap and hardly game changers.... Mr Evans please spend some bloody money as we need 2 players plus buy Fraser as the lad is class....as for McCarthy sadly you can't Polish a turd.
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hancockingoal added 19:01 - Jan 23 Can anybody remember a time when the game was refereed by a man in black actually on the pitch and who was allowed to exercise his own judgment and common sense? 50/50 tackles were an accepted part of the game and yes sometimes you got hurt! Players were 'sportsman' and would never think about getting an opponent sent off and those clubs not owned by dodgy billionaires still stood a chance of success! Well those that can will be dismayed but not surprised by the sending off of Douglas today, yes it was a foul but would it have even been a booking in the 'good old days'? Apart from that we lost today, playing 45 minutes away from home with 10 men, it happens! Of course Mr Evans must now make millions of pounds immediately available to recruit these premier class players! Would someone tell me who is available? Face facts we may we may not make the playoffs but January is not the time to drastically change things!

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Bob7881 added 19:01 - Jan 23 In Mick we trust Ha ha ha ha hha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
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RedWhiteAndBLUE added 19:02 - Jan 23 He's different class is Tabby.
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grumpyoldman added 19:03 - Jan 23 I was not at the game can somebody who was there answer a question was the pass that was returned by the Birmingham player to his colleague who got clattered by Douglas a well struck through ball by our creative midfield or a hopeful punt up the field?
1

essex57 added 19:10 - Jan 23 How did portsmouth get on today?
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