McCarthy Pleased to Finish on a High
Saturday, 7th May 2016 15:36 Town boss Mick McCarthy was pleased with the Blues’ performance as they ended their 2015/16 campaign with a 1-0 win at Derby.
“It was a good away performance,” he said. “They had some half-chances, a lot of shots from distance and crosses in the box, a lot of possession but Bart’s not been diving all over making saves, although he made a couple of good ‘uns. A good performance by us, I thought.”
The game was won when Teddy Bishop was fouled and David McGoldrick netted from the spot, both players who have spent much of the season on the sidelines injured.
“We’ve missed them,” he said. “I haven’t bemoaned that but it’s highlighted it even more when they’re coming back in fit what good quality players they are anyone would miss them.”
Regarding Bishop, he added: “When he came on the scene we all knew he was a good player and last season he had some brilliant games and we have missed him. He’s barely played for a year, you know.
“Let’s hope he gets through the close season, he comes back and has a good pre-season and we get to see the best of him next year.
“Didz is a quality player, he again has missed two huge parts of two seasons and I’m delighted for him now he’s on top form because if anyone’s watching today from Ireland they must have been very, very pleased with him. I hope he gets to play because he’s got the quality to play at that level.”
McCarthy had praise for Myles Kenlock at left-back, and also midfielder Adam McDonnell, who was making his league debut: “I thought he was excellent.”
Asked whether he would have liked a few more games to continue looking at the club’s promising young players, he admitted: “I’m delighted it’s finished, I’m going on holiday, we’ve finished on a high.
“We’ve been out of the play-offs, there’s nothing we can do, you play 46 games, that’s it. There’s no point in wishing, hoping, it’s just daft. I’m not like that, that’s not me. I don't live in fairyland. The reality is we weren’t good enough to get in the play-offs.”
Derby head coach Darren Wassall was disappointed with Jonathan Douglas’s challenge which led to George Thorne suffering a suspected fracture of the right shin.
“If you see the tackle, I think it was a little bit of a naughty tackle,”he insisted. “I’m not very pleased with the tackle.”
Regarding the game, he added: “We didn’t really get going, in the first five minutes I thought we started brightly, Craig Bryson got in a shot.
“But we didn’t quite hit the heights that we have over the last few weeks. The penalty knocked the stuffing out of us.
“In the second half I thought we were a bit better, we came out of the blocks quite sharply, we created a few opportunities but nothing really clinical.”
He said he had no complaints about the penalty which won the game: “I don’t think so, the referee gave it. From what I’ve been told it was a penalty. We take it on the chin, it’s a penalty.”
Blues goalscorer David McGoldrick said he felt Town continued to take the right attitude even when it became clear they weren't going to make the top six, winning two and drawing three of their last five games.
“Since we found out we won’t be in the play-offs I think we have done all of the right things,” he told Ipswich Player HD.
“We’ve gone out and still competed like we normally do. We’ve come to Derby who have been on a good unbeaten run and won 1-0 so it’s a good way to end the season.
“Over the past month or so, our home form should have been better, but we’ve come away to some tough games: Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and now Derby and picked up some points so I think we can be pleased with that.
“It was nice to get a goal last week, again this week, and with them both being wins that makes it even better, so hopefully I can carry that on to next season.
“I’m not 100% yet but I’m getting there slowly. I don’t know when the Ireland squad gets picked but I’m going to try and stay fit until I find out so hopefully I’ll be in it.
“The fans were shouting and screaming my name today so I’m thankful for them because they could have not come with there being nothing to play for, so fair play to them for coming and we’ve given them a victory to send off with.”
Photo: Action Images
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muccletonjoe added 15:54 - May 7
Most true town fans will take those two victories and look forward to next season with a bit more optimism |  | |
jas0999 added 15:54 - May 7
Completely agree with Mick. We simply haven't been good enough and don't deserve to be in the play offs. There are some positives and a few players to build next years team around, but investment will be required to really push on. Will need better than the players signed in the summer but who are already moving on. |  | |
yungblue added 16:00 - May 7
Need to make Portman Road, 'Fortman Road' again next season, a real stomping ground, with the fans really getting behind the team and make some noise for the tractor boys, really make it a feared place to come to. And in terms of away performances anything will do, the odd vintage 1-0 MM away performance, just with 5 million invested into the right areas ( RB, LM , RM cover ) then we really want be too fair away from promotion. | | |
grumpyoldman added 16:16 - May 7
Muccletonjoe all town fans would take the two victories whether they are true supporters in your eyes or not, as for looking forward to next season that is all that is left to all of us now! | | |
brian_a_mul added 17:22 - May 7
It's obvious the difference that didz and bish make to our team, they are match winners and proved it today. |  | |
sidtheswan added 17:22 - May 7
Good to finish on a high but threw play off spot away at home really poor this year . Got to improve next season and need to add some quality not quantity to squad . | | |
muccletonjoe added 17:28 - May 7
Have a nice rest grumps. You sound like you need it son | | |
carsey added 17:50 - May 7
Not sure how you define a true supporter muccletonjoe but if it includes someone who's had a season ticket for over 30 years that means I qualify.
As far as I am concerned the last 2 games have been meaningless against opposition who had nothing to play for. Yes it was nice to win and good to see some of the youngsters start but vs MK Dons it was not great against a poor team.
A glance at the final table will show what our problem is too few goals scored and too many conceded giving us a miserable +2 goal difference.
Like all true supporters I look forward to the new season in hope and pray McCarthy will move away from his hoof ball tactics. |  | |
Seasider added 18:05 - May 7
Cant disagree with anything said by MM and Didsy.
Mick said not good enough to get in the playoffs and David McGoldrick saying it was the home form recently that let us down.I think Ipswich would have got into the playoffs again if more points were taken from the Rotherham,Charlton,Brentford and Fulham games,during which we had to suffer some awful football.
However since the return of Teddy and David plus the youngsters performances results have improved;so lets hope it can be taken through into next season
Finally lets hopeMcCarthy realises that most of his regulars/favorites are over 30 and will not soon be able to go through a whole season;so hopefully we shall see changes both from outside and the youths.Think already that Kenlock and Emmanuel are better g than Chambers or Knudsen | | |
Penguinblue added 18:49 - May 7
if we had not relied on hoofball and the hoofball manager's favorites we would be in the play offs.
In my view any true supporter would want McCarthy out | | |
essex57 added 19:03 - May 7
Penguin blue why don't you toddle off to antarctic on a one way ticket there's a good fella. | | |
Gforce added 19:46 - May 7
How many millions Will it take to make up the 20 points we fell short
by on the top two ???
| | |
geminimustang added 20:28 - May 7
penguinblue reminds me of groundhog day,different day,same spiel. | | |
michaeldownunder added 21:27 - May 7
Had a holiday in Antartic not so long ago, we don't want Penguin blue there, too much hot air would melt even more ice. |  | |
afrodids added 21:42 - May 7
50 points at home last season only 35 this season says it all really!! move on ,good to see the youngsters getting a chance maybe the way forward hey Mick!! onwards and upwards | | |
blueherts added 00:19 - May 8
Meaningless game with Derby focused on play offs
Love to see the young uns get a good to run out
McDonnell is decent
But we need to score goals so go and open yer cheque book and get Taylor from Bristol Rovers Evans
|  | |
GFH added 08:35 - May 8
Let's put this season behind us and hope to have a fully fit squad for next season with the addition of another player or two and who knows what might happen!! I think it's easy to forget that we only scraped into the playoffs last year through other results going our way on the last day, just saying. | | |
essexboy added 10:58 - May 8
Well,it's been a long hard season,and not a very good one at that.At least we finished off the season with two wins even though they were meaningless.Lets just hope we can add some quality to the squad in the summer and move on to better things next season.Have a good summer everybody.ðŸ–🖠|  | |
jpsmith added 11:20 - May 8
Surely we can't be too upset, two years at we were bouncing around the bottom of the table. Two years on the trot we have been in and around the playoffs - I am not in the mick in or out club, bt he saved us from relegation and two near promotions can't all be bad surely | | |
Cheshire_Blue added 13:58 - May 8
Well done Mick McCarthy and the team. A great achievement to finish 6th and 7th in successive seasons on the resources available.
Forget all this 'hoofball' nonsense. You play to your strengths to achieve success and Mick has certainly done that. | | |
BillBlue added 15:57 - May 8
essex57 - while you are wishing one of your fellow supporters away to a very cold place I, for one, wish that you would join him.
GForce - I answered that same question on another board. It won't take any millions of pounds to close that 20 point gap just a new manager who sets up to try to win every match we play!
I am sick to death of reading "real supporters" all the time, for goodness sake we are ALL real supporters, the fact that you hold a different opinion to somebody else means absolutely nothing other than the people who use this expression need to grow up! |  | |
Brownie added 16:51 - May 8
Great comments from jas0999! Disappointed that some fans want to ditch the manager so quickly. Poor season/18 months but he deserves another season. It would help if we found out whether ME will spend money. I think championship is going to be like PL has been before this year - haves & have nots. All PL clubs have money hence Leicester, West Ham & Tottenham in top 8. Without money and looking at the division next year no way will we be top 10 let alone play-offs. Not sure we could blame MM for that.. |  | |
bohslegend added 18:54 - May 8
BillBlue - selective memory. TBF to essex57 he was reacting to the penguin who said "any true supporter would want McCarthy out" - so I'm affording you the benefit of the doubt in your post which clearly doesn't call penguin up for his views (because generally his argument suits yours) and yet you do call essex57 up on his comments. I'm sure it was a typo. |  | |
bohslegend added 19:03 - May 8
While the last two games have been an improvement on the 2nd half of the season's form in general, I'm delighted with that but wouldn't be trying to make out all is good in the hood as a result.
However, those who like to point that out (that two results don't make us great again) should also appreciate the fact that we finished as close to the playoffs as possible without actually making it - better than Fulham, Notts Forest, Blackburn, QPR, Cardiff City etc, etc, etc.
When MM says we weren't good enough, he's right. He has always maintained this attitude. At the start of the season he always says, lets wait till the end and count up the points, if we're good enough we'll know.
But in total over the whole season, whether it suits your argument or not, we have been the 7th best team in the league. That's a fact. You cannot contest that. 46 games played by all, and we've accumulated 69 points. The 7th best total. That's not being lucky or jammy or winging it. That's a fact. And as other realistic (as opposed to "realist") posters have said the 6 teams above us have spent considerably more money than us in getting there, as have the majority of those below us BTW.
We missed out. We had all of our best players out injured (sometimes all at the same time) and we finished 1 place off the playoffs.
Credit where it's due. | | |
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