Boss Mick McCarthy says he'd "love to be competitive in the league playing wonderful, free-flowing football" but believes that may take more than the sort of money he has had to spend at Town.

Despite the Blues having maintained a play-off challenge for a second season, Town’s direct style of football has been condemned by some supporters.

Quizzed on the criticism, McCarthy said: “I’d like to keep winning games, me. I’d like to finish in the play-offs. I can see teams who play some lovely football and we’ve played against them and beaten them.

“I want to be competitive in this league. I’d love to be competitive in the league playing wonderful, free-flowing football. Maybe that takes [spending] more than £500,000 over four years. Does it? It does.

“I can see a team who have spent £25 million and we’re six points behind them, I think it’s six.

“I admire my lads and my team and respect them for what they do and how they do it.

"And we constantly try to improve on how we play and if we can be a bit more subtle, great. But not at the expense of getting beat.”

Reflecting on this year’s home form, which has been poorer than last year’s, the joint-best in the division and the platform on which the sixth-place finish was built, he added: “It was great last season, it was a really hostile place to come and play. If you could call Portman Road a hostile place, it was because of the way we played, the results that we had, the crowds, the support that we got.

“But they all come on the back of us playing well and winning games, and we haven’t done enough of that this season.”

With season ticket renewals set to go out next week, the Town boss admits home fans haven’t had the same value for money that they did last season, although he points out that the Blues have done better than in the campaigns prior to that.

“Not as much as last season, no,” he said. “More than the season before? Yes. More than the season before that. Yes. More than the season before that. Yes. More than the season before that. Yes. Season before that. Yes.

“If I’m saying we haven’t had the same entertainment value I’m sort of having a dig at my team, and I’m not in that sort of mood to be having a dig at my own team.

“I don’t like being hard on myself and my team because plenty of others do it far more often and far better than I can.

“I think we have tried to entertain, we’ve not done it overall, but we’ve still got a chance of getting in the play-offs.

“And I wonder what entertaining is, actually. I think entertaining is winning games, if you’re a supporter, and we haven’t won enough here.”

Looking back over his four campaigns since taking over at Portman Road in November 2012, he added: “All the four seasons I’ve been here have been different. They’ve all had a modicum of success, up until this one which won’t be as successful as last season unless we finish sixth or above. But they’re all different, that’s just the way it is.

“I would think that Derby and Burnley and Middlesbrough, they’ve all been fairly different. I can’t guarantee the same sort of effect that we had last season.

“And we have had mini-periods in the season when it’s been up and down. And generally it’s been down when we’ve lost players and we’ve not had the full squad to pick from, which does make it difficult. But as has been pointed out, Nottingham Forest have had similar.”

Forest were booed off following their 2-1 home loss to Bristol City last week, their third successive defeat, having been on a 13-game unbeaten run in the Championship prior to that.

But McCarthy says fans would react similarly anywhere: “Is it any different from here, in terms of having to win games? Or anywhere else, Manchester City, where I played, or Millwall, where I played and managed, or Sunderland or Wolves.

“There’s no difference. Fans want to see their team play well. They want to see them win first and foremost, then they love to see them playing well and winning.

“And I go back to entertainment. I know a few teams which really entertain and they’re not getting anything at all, so I don’t get that.

“Is it a good time to play Forest? I’m sure Huddersfield thought it was a good time to play us last week.

“There’s a different side to every single story. Our side, we came back we feel a lot better than we did last week.

“We’ve not had great home form, although apart from the Hull game we’d had good results prior to that.

“Forest, I don’t know how they’re feeling, I’ve no idea. They’ll be coming to us saying things like ‘Not been great at home this season, it’s not been a fortress, if we can keep them quiet, if we can nick a goal early on’. All that will be said in the Forest dressing room.

“All we can do is be us. I said that to the lads today, just be us, just play like we play and play well at how we play and if we do it we’re capable of beating anybody here.”

Regarding fans and renewals, he hopes there will be a similar uptake to last year with the club currently having just over 14,000 season ticket holders.

“The supporters have been brilliant this season,” he said. “I know we had a great take-up of season tickets last year. I think that was very positive, that was on the back of how well we played and that we looked like being in the play-offs.

“All I can do is make it worthwhile for them to do it and I’ll continue to do that, as will the players. And I hope they do take them up because I think our supporters are terrific.”

Photo: Action Images

1RWR added 11:09 - Mar 5 To those who are thinking of jacking in their season ticket (that includes me) because the football is dire, Sunday league at best, but................think on............you & I will still be here when MM decides the time is right to move on or even 'moved on'. Stick with it, it's like a boil on your ar$e, it's part of you!
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grubbyoik added 11:25 - Mar 5 This is how I see it.. Because of all the injuries to ALL our flair players this season MM has decided to scrap this season.. No more spend.. Grind out results.. Hover in and and around the play offs.. If we get in play offs that's a bonus. I think the spend will come next season with hopefully a fully fit squad and some extra players brought in... And maybe the ball will kiss the turf ever ones in a while..

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nthstd added 11:33 - Mar 5 So many words for him to say " shut up I've spent nuffing and we're just behind the pack. Ain't I great?" Really Mick the entertainment value is zero a big fat zero, but maybe you like zero because it's free!
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karls_dad added 11:35 - Mar 5 So Mick finally admits it! we are a crap team, playing crap football, not entertaing the fans, boring, predictable, hoof and hope, not my words just my take on his! I seem to recall other teams that have spent little, played football against us and shown us up, a certain little club on the South Coast comes to mind! I,m just lost for words where this famous lovely club of ours is heading? another year in the second tier for sure, and many more beyond that with the present criteria of invest little, old fashioned tactics, and what would seem to be little desire to move forward!

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TimmyH added 11:56 - Mar 5 I think Mick is trying to cover up his 'management style' here with the over exaggerated aspect of other clubs having spent millions, yes true we are only a handful of points behind them. Unfortunately Micks competitive hardworking ethos has compromised any style we see on the pitch, take the first few games of the season when we were generally playing somewhat more deck football but the Reading debacle only served for Mick to go back into his shell and revert to defensive type tactics (from midfield) - I actually cringed at that game even when we weren't behind, midfield and our sluggish defense (caught on the break so many times) looked not in tandom with each other. I believe now MM was trying to get the team to play differently but was soon found out. Mick has no other tactics - ask Wolves fans, don't blame the money factor.

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Mark added 12:26 - Mar 5 I suppose fans would sacrifice good football for results, but when we are short of the play-offs anyway and throw in the towel for cup matches then what is the point? We end up with the worst of both worlds - poor football, no promotion and no cup runs. I think Evans should INVEST in young players. That is not throwing away money on big signings, but investing sensible on fees for young players who could be sold on for a profit later. I think the management team needs to work on improving the quality of football - passing, movement, holding possession...give the fans something to enjoy. Most other teams seem to do that, even lower down the table. That said we cannot critisise Mick and Terry too much as they saved us from relegation and have done well. We played brilliantly at the start of the season, so more of that please.

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rugbytomc added 12:37 - Mar 5 Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I understand a lot of them. I'm really happy we have Mick and it's a case of evolution not revolution. How long did the Bournemouth promotion side take to build? Fact-years. Fact-Eddie Howe left and came back having not been able to crack it at burnley and yet here he is lauded for his teams playing style. So if we wanted a manager to come in and get this team playing on the floor passing like under burley, it would take another good few years to make it happen and even then you need some investment-Bournemouth would not have gone up without the goals of Callum Wilson for example. So I say stick with Mick and let him do his thing-I only see the team getting stronger year on year and with the right luck along the way (in terms pelf results and signings) he will get us as far as we can realistically get-I believe anyway

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Dissboyitfc added 12:59 - Mar 5 Rugbytonic.. my opinion is i do not see us stronger than at this point last year, I dont see us making the play-offs. He will get us as far as HE realistically can, and i think thats the point we are at with him. I would however love to be wrong and eat huge amounts of humble pie if wrong. Here's a thought, will all the MM fans dive into the humble pie if come judgement day( end of season, when some have said to judge him) and we are not in play-offs? Somehow i doubt it, goal posts will be moved to the end of the following season and so on to the season after that.

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tractorshark added 13:22 - Mar 5 I back McCarthy but I think injuries and a lack of depth in the squad caused by a lack of investment will see us miss out on the playoffs. I do think we are witnessing a sea change in McCarthy's attitude towards the transfer budget though. Recent comments suggest he knows he needs more money to make that next step. Last year's over-achievement flattered us. I think Mick supporters and critics would acknowledge that. But I was confident our best XI this year looked better than last season. Then came the injuries. I'm not sure I need to eat humble pie, however. Give me a summer with a bigger transfer budget and we'll see if you're right or not

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birdie82 added 13:23 - Mar 5 The football is awful and if MM wanted to create a passing team he could. I'm sure it would benefit Bru and Hyam. Boring football. Manger who is so arrogant he thinks the fans are stupid. An owner who appears to have lost interest and a half empty stadium for next season
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yorksblue added 14:11 - Mar 5 Insult to all the decent football-playing Sunday league teams that I've witnessed this season, playing on boggy pitches instead of billiard tables. MM, you absolute a*se.
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Keaneish added 15:06 - Mar 5 I can't take another 2-years of McCarthy here. The man eeks the passion of football out of me with every statement and performance. Its the most dreary, uninspiring, unimaginative chapter of my time supporting Town over the last 30 years and its hit rock bottom when i read these statements, "There's no difference. Fans want to see their team play well. They want to see them win first and foremost, then they love to see them playing well and winning. And I go back to entertainment. I know a few teams which really entertain and they're not getting anything at all, so I don't get that." Its contrary to everything i've ever learnt, known or loved about the game.

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Bluetone added 15:14 - Mar 5 “I want to be competitive in this league. I'd love to be competitive in the league playing wonderful, free-flowing football. Maybe that takes more than £500,000 over four years. Does it? It does. You do talk some right old fanny McCarthy.
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MicksZzzTactics added 15:40 - Mar 5 1 WORD SUFFICE HERE TO DINOSAUR MICK'S LATEST '100% PROOF' PR-STUNT: "BUUUULLLLSHIIIITTTT"
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Popeye added 15:59 - Mar 5 Mark Hughes has turned Stoke City from a group of long ball merchants into a decent playing side and has only started adding some flair players this season like Shaqiri. Even if we had some better players I cant see MM changing his tactics/playing style. McCarthy, Allardice and Pulis only put out teams to play a certain way and they will never change their philosophy no matter who they have in their teams.

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