Town boss Mick McCarthy felt his side deserved to win their 0-0 draw at Blackburn and was pleased with their performance, despite the Blues now having gone five games without a goal or a win. The Blues manager admits that Town are going through “a tough time” in front of goal, while his backline has picked up their fourth clean sheet in six.

“The way we’ve been at Blackburn for the last four visits, we’ve been awful so I would have taken anything from Blackburn,” admitted McCarthy, who is still to win a game in October as Town boss.

“We needed a performance. I thought I got that, I thought our fans got that performance.

“I’m disappointed, I thought we should have won the game, to be honest with you. Jason Steele got the man of the match and probably deserved it.

“Could we have been better, more clinical? I don’t know. But I don’t know what they’ve really contributed in the second half, certainly.

“I thought we were the better team and if any team was going to win it, it was going to be us.”

Are some of his players disappointed not to have taken their opportunities? “I think players always feel like that. I always say to them, I never think I’m more disappointed than them. I have a collective disappointment for them, for the team, for the club, for fans and players - I was a player - are quite insular, you’re disappointed for yourself and your team-mates.

“Of course they’ll be disappointed, but that’s the hardest thing in the game, putting the ball in the back of the net, but if we play like that more often than not we’ll win games.”

Despite the improved performance, fans who weren’t at the game might judge the match on the continued lack of goals.

“I can’t do anything about that,” he added. “I would really love to get our fans back on side with me and with the team and be excited by us.

“That was a start today. We’ve had more shots, more crosses, more attempts at goal than we’ve had in the last two or three games probably.

“And I’ll hear everybody screaming, ‘He should play 4-4-2 all the time’. Yeah, I know, good one.

“Maybe I’ll be the judge on what tactics we should use because we’ve had chances whatever we’ve played in the past.

“I can’t do anything about people who haven’t been here. I would hope that the ones that were will go back and say, ‘They played well today, we enjoyed it, should have won, but didn’t’.”

He says switching to 4-4-2, Freddie Sears joined Leon Best - who McCarthy believes is getting better with every game - up front, made the game more open: “They were two up as well, so it did leave it pretty wide open.

“I thought, except for the first 10 minutes when I thought they started well, we were equally as good as them and better than them in the second half.

“But every game’s different and I haven’t had two strikers to put up front anyway. You can pick the bones out of it, I’ve had one striker and one striker who has come in and not had a pre-season, and he’s done particularly well, Besty.

“So, to put two up and get one injured, then I’d be knackered and I couldn’t do it again. That’s really the first time I’ve had two fit strikers for a while.”

Regarding the five-game goalless run, he added: “I think there have been plenty of others that have gone through that, teams. I think the problem is the more you make it a problem the bigger it becomes.

“I remember David McGoldrick going 11 games without scoring and I didn’t drop him, I didn’t worry about him because I knew he’d get them. Maybe others were scoring. We’re just having a bit of a tough time, but we believe we’ll get out of it.”

At the other end of the field, the Blues’ defence has now kept four clean sheets in their last six matches.

“And then I’ll get that that is maybe how I operate and I don’t at all," McCarthy reflected. "Predominantly through my career I’ve been 4-4-2 with two flying wingers.

“When I was at Sunderland, when I was at Wolves, when I was with Ireland, whether it was Duffer [Damien Duff] and Kev Kilbane, that’s the way I’ve played. And I’d like to do that on a regular basis, but it has changed a bit, the game.

“Nevertheless, and I said what we’ve got to try and do is create chances, which we did, but still maintain that solidity because if you lose that it doesn’t matter. If you concede and you’re playing catch-up it’s very difficult.”

Blackburn boss Owen Coyle believed a draw was a fair result: “I thought it was a very hard fought Championship game, as we expected.

"I thought we started the first 15 minutes well, looked to get our passing game going, looked to get wide and create them a number of problems in the first 15 minutes."

He added: “I don’t think there were many clear-cut chances in the game. Did we create clear-cut chances? No. That was my disappointment.

"I think we got to the final third in wide areas many times and normally we’ve got players that can produce a little bit of a spark, a little bit of creativity in that respect, and we didn’t do that.

“On the other side of that, that’s our first clean sheet of the season, which we’ve been craving for a long time and they showed a real character and a real resilience to stand up and deal with a lot of aerial balls.

“You want to win every game you’re at home and we all understand that.

“The important thing I think that we showed is that we’ve learned a number of lessons. There was a real resilience, a real mentality to get that clean sheet.

"Could we do better in terms of being more aggressive in terms of our early passing and then quicker and sharper? Absolutely.

“But how they stood up to a real test I think in terms of defending your box, I think they stood up to that well.

"I think if we can continue, as always it’s stating the obvious, but clean sheets have so much importance because we do believe there’s goals in the team.

"If we can get that platform with the clean sheets, it’ll result in instead of one point being three points because we know we have that, so that’s something we have to continue to aim."

Photo: TWTD

prebsa added 18:34 - Oct 15 Boring boring Mick same rubbish after every game. He set up for a point and he got exactly that. Not going to get any good football or any enjoyment whatsoever while he is here!
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alfromcol added 18:35 - Oct 15 Oh dear. It all went wrong when he picked the team again. Enough said. As long as he picks D&S in midfield he isn't going for the win. Goals come form openings made by midfielders, we don't have that. Clean sheets mean nothing, when they are achieved by keeping 8/9 players behind the ball Same team Tuesday then, as they did so well. Should be a high scoring game. Burton have scored 16 and let in 16!!

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weevil added 18:36 - Oct 15 The performance has nothing to do with it. If you set up a team to draw you'll get a draw or worse. Set the team up to win for God sake MM. Please.
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suffolkref added 18:36 - Oct 15 Mick, they are second bottom of the league, I would expect us to create chances. As for the striker situation, you sold Murphy, why didn't you have a replacement lined up. As for Chambers at right back and dropping a proper right back, incredible. And for a creative centre midfield pairing, words just fail me... Seems Dougie is not the answer to our goal scoring problems then! sorry but I won't attend another game whilst this stubborn man is in charge. We surely cannot all be wrong can we??

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suffolkref added 18:38 - Oct 15 And as for "we've had chances whatever we played in the past, presumably you mean 2014???
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Michael11 added 18:41 - Oct 15 “And I'll hear everybody screaming, ‘He should pay 4-4-2 all the time'. Yeah, I know, good one." What an arrogant idiot. Maybe you should leave the tactics to someone more competent.
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runaround added 18:41 - Oct 15 Until you play someone creative in the centre of midfield instead of 2 holding midfielders & play players on form rather than reputation & experience, things won't improve. The excuse that they're all injured can no longer be used as they're fit now. You have the attacking & creative players to change it now Mick, but I fear you won't. If you are that stubborn then please for the sake of the club go now

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surgery added 18:42 - Oct 15 HERE WE GO HERE WE GO Toss!r
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surgery added 18:43 - Oct 15 HERE WE GO HERE WE GO Toss!r
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Carberry added 18:46 - Oct 15 He's become deluded with failure. 'Could we have been better, more clinical. I don't know', well Mick we all do. And this ridiculous arrogance about tactics - the you know better than me do you attitude? I don't know any other manager who tells his fans they don't know what they are talking about. What do you expect when you patronise your own supporters, they hate you, want you gone and then you get the sack. You are writing your resignation letter Mick.

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Mark added 18:50 - Oct 15 The only way we can be satisfied with today is if we accept we are in a relegation fight rather than going for promotion, and sadly that now seems to be the case. We're now 11 points from the top two and 6 points from the play-offs, yet only 4 points from the relegation zone. We're not only failing to score, we're failing to create decent chances. The manager and players can keep on defending the midfield selections, but it is just not working is it? I suspect even with the £10 ticket promotion the ground will be half empty Tuesday night. Depressing times at Portman Road. If we fail to win Tuesday, which feels very likely, it'll be hard to lift ourselves.

18

groovyASH added 18:54 - Oct 15 We play reasonably- neither poor nor good- but it is concerning because Blackburn were dreadful. MM seems to be judging our result against his history of results as Blackburn across 4 years, rather than the pi$$ poor Blackburn side that was on display today. We are woefully short up-front; Best is looking alright but playing him as a lone front-man does not work, he'd be much better suited to having a man alongside him. But who? Sears needs dropping. He's jaded and has no confidence; his body-language is all out, his head drops, he is never looking towards goal, he runs looking at his feet. Pitman would be a good call but obviously not when he's injured, and, well, McGoldrick and Varney are never going to be players capable of playing 90 minutes. For all the will in the world, if you do not have the personnel to put the ball in the net you are going to be fighting at the wrong end of the table. Our short-sightedness at letting Murphy go without having a contingency plan to replace him (Best wasn't a contingency, he was a desperation) and more importantly, to adapt without him, is not just looking like costing us this season, but actually sending us into the wrong kind of fight. 5 games without a goal is unacceptable, regardless of how you play. This is the spear-head of a longer-term concern around our goal threat which has been a concern for the better part of a year now. Better teams (the entirety of the league, bar Best's releasing club Rotherham) will punish us. And we do not look like we are capable of hitting back. We need serious changes in some respect.

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mrg25 added 18:55 - Oct 15 I think mm needs to go to hospital as must have alziemers if he thinks we always create chances not happened hardly this calender year so must have short term memory loss
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mrg25 added 18:55 - Oct 15 I think mm needs to go to hospital as must have alziemers if he thinks we always create chances not happened hardly this calender year so must have short term memory loss
1

iaintaylorx added 18:55 - Oct 15 MICK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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cartman1972 added 18:57 - Oct 15 Bloke is beyond reproach...... Newcastle will stonk us next week
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Blandford added 18:58 - Oct 15 Wasn't there so I won't comment on the match or the result. What worries me most is the message that today's team selection sent to our fringe players, in particular Josh Emmanuel. Apparently it does not matter how well you play or how comfortable you look in your specialist position you will be dropped for Mad Mick's favourites at the first opportunity. We have a number of good young players who seem to have no chance of ever becoming first team regulars.

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jas0999 added 19:00 - Oct 15 Mick can try to paint some positive spin, but very few now believe it. Five games without a goal, just four scored in twelve. It's not good enough. The trouble is we have an owner who doesn't seem to bother. Mick will continue. His ego will remain. The club will win a few games, but on the whole it will be boring and will ultimately isolate even more fans who continue to turn their backs on this once proud football club. The reality is, for what Evans charges, the football and quality of footballer on offer isn't good enough. Poor result against poor opposition, yet the manager thinks it's acceptable. Remarkable.

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Surco72 added 19:05 - Oct 15 Well done MM you are the only manager whose side couldn't score against Blackburn . Moan about not having creative players fit and then you give to central midfielders 20 minutes between them in wide positions to keep Skuse and Douglas on pitch !! MM has now backed himself into such a corner with S & D as if he drops one and we win he will be proved wrong again like the Bart / Gerks situation so he won't drop them

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Jimbo75 added 19:08 - Oct 15 And on and on and on and on and on and on we go!!! Bored.com
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Bluetone added 19:11 - Oct 15 McCarthy quote "Performance Deserved Win" No McCarthy your recent performance deserves sacking.
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DurhamTownFan added 19:15 - Oct 15 Disturbing tone of defiance in micks comments with regard to the opinions of the fans. That's not going to do you any favours when we're 0-0 against Burton or 3-0 down at Newcastle and you need the fans behind you! At the moment it looks like that's what we're gonna get and the reaction is going to be interesting...
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ArnieM added 19:52 - Oct 15 EVAS PLEASE SELL 🆙. If you can't be arsed to fund the manager. LEAVE
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H1960 added 19:53 - Oct 15 Jas0999 Excellent post sums up the whole situation perfectly
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GFH added 20:01 - Oct 15 Same s**t different game.
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