Town boss Mick McCarthy accepted “a big part of the responsibility” for the Blues' 1-0 home defeat to Rotherham United, Leon Best having scored the winning goal for the Millers a minute before the break.

Unusually, McCarthy made his way straight down the tunnel after the final whistle signalled boos and chants of ‘What a load of rubbish’ from the home support.

“We deserved to get booed but I don’t have to listen to it,” he said. “We’re going for the EPPP in the academy, well that summed it up because it was a ‘piss poor performance’.

“I take a big part of the responsibility because I left the team as it was from Tuesday night having played.

“Whether we hadn’t got the legs or the energy in them for some reason. I watched the game back on Thursday and I thought we played well enough in the game.

“And in hindsight, which is 20:20 vision, maybe I should have changed it. Liam Feeney livened it up. I take a large part of the responsibility.

“In hindsight I wish I’d played a different team, we’d played better and we’d won. Hindsight is 20:20 vision.

“I left the team as it was because we won the game, consistency, leave it as it is. And you know what, if I change it and we play badly and we get beat, it’s the other way around. I have to take responsibility for my actions, which quite clearly I have.”

Regarding the boos and ironic cheers earlier in the game, McCarthy added: “I said the other day, I think people are maybe getting tired of me. Happens, doesn’t it?

“We all want to win, don’t we? And when fans have paid good money to see us play well and win, which we haven’t done, of course I accept them.

“I’m not claiming to be a victim of my own success at all. I just think that it starts, I think people are a bit more tolerant, then you have a couple of bad performances and it doesn’t start going right and they just get tired of seeing us play that way, which I would if we played like that, but we haven’t played that way all the time.

“And I just think people start to get a bit more intolerant of results and performances, but I get being intolerant of that today, because I’ve already said it was ‘EPPP’.”

He says he picked the side he did because of the way he anticipated the game going: “I could see what was coming. As it turned out, we were one down from our own freekick, which we shouldn’t be.

“I sensed the way it was going to be. It wasn’t going to be thrilling or pretty or wide open and expansive and I didn’t want to be in that position where we’ve conceded because we’ve had to defend against long throws, freekicks, corner kicks and we’ve done all of that. And then we’ve conceded a really poor goal.

“A very good goal on their part, I might add, because [it is] if they catch you on the break and do you.

“What I didn’t want to do was be 1-0 down with a nice, pretty team on the field. You can always add and try and create something later in the game, but it’s just not worked out. I’ve had the plaudits in the past, I’m now getting the brickbats, so be it.”

Do fans’ reactions like the one on the final whistle put him off doing the job? “No, not at all.”

What disappointed him most about the performance? “I’m going out for a bite to eat about half-past eight, I might still be here then if I start telling you that.

“All-round, I don’t think any of us, and that stems from me picking the team and how we played and how we’ve set up, to the players, I think none of us have really come out with any glory.”

He added: “[I’ve seen the highs and the lows] and I’m sure I’ve got loads more to come, both of them. Let’s hope more highs than lows.”

Millers' boss Neil Warnock was delighted with the win which took his side out of the bottom three and up to 20th.

“They’ve done ever-so well," he said. "We are limited. The Championship is my cup of tea really. We’re getting out of the lads probably what they didn’t think they could do, and it’s lovely to see them.

“I said to them that I’m going to come in for 14 games and I’m going to enjoy all my time here. There’s no pressure on me because we’re enjoying it.

“I asked them to give me their best and their all and you saw today that you can’t ask any more than that, can you? The tackles and headers, trying to keep the goal intact.

“And really the goalkeeper, Lee Camp, didn’t really have a shot to save, aside from one or two difficult balls into his body.”

Photo: Action Images

delias_cheesy_flaps added 18:17 - Mar 19 What a crock of s-hit!
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iaintaylorx added 18:17 - Mar 19 Just leave please, Mick. Playing 3 defensive midfielders against a team of that quality just showed that he set off to grab a point! WHY when we could possibly make the play offs. Horrendous management and tactics and please tell me why they were rewarded new contracts! Get MM out ASAP, I'm sorry to you MM fans, but Bru and Pringle infront of Skuse and DougLOST! What does he even offer! A total joke, boring and hoof the ball! DISGRACE!! No plan B, nothing but embarrassment.

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TractorCam added 18:18 - Mar 19 Should accept it for majority of games. "We won't go up if we play like that every week". Well we do play like that every week, today wasn't even our worst performance. All hope is definitely lost now
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BlueKush added 18:18 - Mar 19 Brickbats?
0

Mark added 18:19 - Mar 19 “I sensed the way it was going to be. It wasn't going to be thrilling or pretty or wide open and expansive" But we are the home team, so surely if we play wingers, pass the ball and attack them we can make the game exciting. We are getting tired of watching long ball football of such poor quality. Why oh why start with THREE defensive central midfielders home to a team who were in the relegation zone and who we beat 5-2 away?! I think this was Mick McCarthy's worse afternoon at the club. He is rightly defended a lot of the time due to lack of financial support, but Marcus Evans funded the loan signings of Pringle and Feeney yet both started on the bench, as did Bru. Why? Then at half-time Feeney game on and did brilliantly on the right wing. We were looking good and Pitman was finally getting into the match, but then Mick took off Pitman and Feeney moved - after which he was far less effective and the game went back to being poor. Today was a big crowd due to the £10 ticket promotion and a great chance to win new support, but we blew it with the team selection. Pringle had been playing well and scoring goals, and Feeney tore into us at Bolton, so how did Douglas get into the team ahead of those two? That's not hindsight, but 99% of fans would have asked that before the game. Like most fans, I am not worried if we don't make the play-offs but I do like to be entertained at Portman Road and to enjoy the game. Two children sat near me - one shouted to the team to "keep it on the floor" and the other said he was "bored". That's so sad to hear.

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titanicclown added 18:21 - Mar 19 So much to like about Mick but what he did today was unforgiveable. Simply terrible management.
20

essexboy added 18:24 - Mar 19 MM,you should take notice of what the fans say.!! We cannot all be wrong,can we.!
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essextractorboy93 added 18:24 - Mar 19 That was really disappointing today given the ticket promotion and hoping to get more fans along. Just was a poor performance from start to finish. Feeney livened it up a bit and we had most of the ball in the second half but just couldn't create anything really. Very frustrating. I'm sure we will start with Feeney and Pringle in the next game, give us some width which we lacked in the first half. Everyone of our starting elevn today had a way below par performance unfortunately.

8

floridaboy added 18:25 - Mar 19 He won't resign nor be sacked so let's get on with it Hopefully he will see what a cr@p starting 11 he chose today and go for it next week But please I don't want to see Skuse, Hyam and Douglas in the same team or it might be time to go and watch Leiston on a Saturday afternoon
10

bluefeast added 18:25 - Mar 19 Mick is a solid bloke ,but he is not a creative and imaginative bloke ,theams play in the style of their manager. We lack belief , we lack creativity ,we also lack rotation. which is why we look dog tired ,he beasts them in training and we run further than any other team ,hence the kick it long , lose concentration etc. I say leave it until summer and then change approach wholesale

5

TractorCam added 18:25 - Mar 19 Spot on Mark, with everything
5

delias_cheesy_flaps added 18:25 - Mar 19 LOL.."a couple of bad performances" are you on drugs?
1

surgery added 18:25 - Mar 19 So have your contract terminated "by mutual" consent like we've seen so many times before!
0

pointofblue added 18:25 - Mar 19 Sorry Mick but that's a load of rubbish - you've changed winning teams before without blinking. Tuesday's performance was abysmal so how can you sit there and say it was good??? We got a break with the penalty and managed to hold on. If we hadn't got that penalty... You are allowed to drop one of Skuse, Hyam and Douglas you know??? Even Skuse and Hyam playing alongside Bru would have been an improvement, with Feeney playing up front in the place of Pitman, who can only do it from the bench.

8

Suffolk_n_Good added 18:27 - Mar 19 That's the biggest load of self centred, arrogant, disrespectful CARP I've ever heard. #mccarthyout
6

muccletonjoe added 18:27 - Mar 19 A lot of rubbish written on here about mick. But today is a turning point. Play off aspirations over today.
-3

jcITFC added 18:28 - Mar 19 ''Hindsight is 20:20 vision'' - yet still plays his 'favourites' after the rightful players are sat on the bench after good performances in the previous weeks?
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OldClactonBlue added 18:29 - Mar 19 No plan b, there's no plan a!
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WestSussexBlue added 18:30 - Mar 19 Mark, What is also worrying is that as you say" Today was a big crowd", Now for a team at home pushing for the play offs and without a home game for 3 Weeks is it, we surely should be easily attracting far more than 20k
2

Smithy added 18:33 - Mar 19 Pick a side to win the game, not nullify the opposition. Let them worry about us. Don't think I have ever seen such a negative line up against a relegation side at home, even Mick McGiven wold have struggled to better that. Wolves should be interesting, lots of interesting conversations between fans there.
14

MGNottsBlue added 18:34 - Mar 19 Have to say I am getting fed up with MM now, delighted with what he has done for us but today was pathetic! He sets the team up because of how he thinks the game will go! Why not set it up so that we decide how the game will go, don't pander to the opposition, take the damn game to them and force them to worry about us!!!
14

MicksZzzTactics added 18:37 - Mar 19 What's really to say???.... after a performance like THAT .... and a post game analysis like THAT??? (Pause) (Pause) Mick "The Dinosaur" McCarthy for .... for .... for President!!! It's not exactly a secret that I personally don't much fancy the ultra stubborn "I don't give a flying f***" Irish fossil much .... as neither a modern day football manager nor a football tactician!!!, but I'm positive that he's a real nice guy deep inside .... and especially over a pint of lager (or several!).... But above all I'm absolutely 100% confident he would a better job as 'The President' of the super power numero uno, than that hyper racist, hyper sexist etc. etc. buffoon known as Donald "IT'S MY DARN OWN HAIR!!!" Trump. :-)

2

PSGBlue added 18:38 - Mar 19 I believe Mick's attending the "End of Season" Party at the Holiday Inn at Copdock at half past eight for his bite to eat... I did not go today due to work commitments but went on Tuesday, despite winning, that performance was bad enough. I feel for anyone who went today! The fustrating thing is that MM has the ability to search out good signings for next to nothing, i.e Fraser but more recently Pringle, Foley and Feeny but then refuses to play them. Anyone out there who needs a scout, we have just the man...

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delias_cheesy_flaps added 18:39 - Mar 19 At the end of the day Ipswich fans are a very optomistic bunch, but this total lack of entertainment is now well beyond a joke!
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wherescounago added 18:42 - Mar 19 Same starting XI as Tuesday night, let's face it, it didn't work then and it didn't work today. It wasn't until he changed it Tuesday that we got the result against Blackburn. Surely MM could see that we were better once he changed it and surely he should have realised that starting with one or two natural wide players is a far better option. Scuse, Hyam and Douglas in the same team just doesn't work! Neither does Sears, Pittman and Murphy on the pitch at the start work!

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