Town boss Mick McCarthy says he has no intention of walking away from his Blues contract and is looking ahead to next season when he plans to rebuild, believing there need to be changes in the squad. The 58-year-old, who has a year left on his deal, with Town having an option for a further two seasons, also reacted angrily to terrace chants claiming he’s “ruined” the club during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Fulham.

Asked whether he he ever considered walking away from Portman Road during this season’s struggles having spent the larger part of it under fire from fans, he said: “No, because I enjoy my job and as for some of the stuff about ‘Mick McCarthy, you’ve ruined our club’, what the biggest load of cobblers that I’ve ever heard in my life that is.

“I saved the club from relegation and I’ve had three top 10 finishes and the one time I have a bad season then people have turned their backs on me, which is a bit of a surprise and it’s disappointing.

“But hey ho, I’m not walking away from here, I have a year’s contract to run and unless something else is done then no, I’m not walking away from it. I’ll be here and I’ll be planning for next season and I’m looking forward to it.

“I’m looking forward to my holiday actually. I’m looking forward to getting enough points to make sure that we stay in this league, I can go away and have a break and I’ll come back full of vim and vigour again.”

In January McCarthy said he would make a decision on his future in the summer, has he already made up his mind?

“I’m not walking away from my contract, not a chance,” he reiterated. “I’m not walking away from a job, which I see it as, and it’s a good job.

“I’ve no intention because I’d like to build it again. I don’t want to walk away, I’m not walking away, no way.

“I’d like to have it again as we had it two years ago, even last season. Saved them from relegation is what I did, then we had three top 10 finishes, and this year it’s been bad.

“I don’t think it’s justified what’s gone on, to be honest with you. My intention is to stay here and build another team, and hopefully it’s as successful as it was when we finished sixth. And if that pisses off a lot of people, so be it.”

Put to him that he has said he wouldn’t be happy if he turned up on the opening day of 2017/18 and season ticket sales were down to 10,000 - as it seems likely they will be - and that was down to him he wouldn’t be happy, he added: “Marcus might not be happy with that either. That might be the case, but I seem to remember there were 20-odd thousand in here most weeks when we finished sixth and guess who that was down to.

“My objective is to get it back to that. And you know what, if it’s only on a one-year contract, so be it, it’s a one-year contract. Not a chance would I be drive out of anywhere. No way.”

Regarding the ongoing criticism from fans and in the media, he said: “I don’t read the media, that’s for sure, any of it. I don’t listen to the radio station, I certainly not locally. I talk to them but don’t listen to them. You might think that that’s nonsense but I don’t.

“Unless I put ear plugs in I can’t do anything about the crowd on a Saturday or a Monday or whenever we’re playing.

“I guess I have to be a bit brass-necked about that and just understand but, as I just said, apart from ‘ruining the club’, that’s the biggest load of nonsense I’ve ever heard in my whole life.

“It’s been tough this year, it has. We’ve not been good. And it’s sad that a lot of people have turned on me and turned on the players but they’re going to have stick me out for another five games anyway.”

He continued: “If Arsene Wenger can get stick, Alex Ferguson got stick at one stage, he was getting vilified by his own punters and Sir Bobby could and everybody else, it’s part of the gig.

“You [the media] keep asking me about it and I talk about it but I’m not whinging about it or talking about it every day. I come in and I do my job.”

He says not all fans have been on his back this season: “I’ve had some nice comments, nice letters and nice support from people. And, of course, the ones who come [and] were at it from very early on in the game on Saturday, I can’t do anything about that. As I keep telling you, win games and that stops.

“There’s not a lot [you can do], play well and win games. We’ve not done enough of that this season. But I don’t think it constitutes some of the vitriol which is going about, but hey ho.”

Looking ahead to the summer and next season, he says the playing staff will need refreshing whoever the manager is.

“The squad’s going to have to change,” he admitted. “You said ‘Whoever’s charge’, at this moment in time it’s me that will be in charge.

“If that’s the case, things have to change, of course. It can be that you’re with players too long and eventually maybe they need to change and the manager needs to change.

“If for some unknown reason it’s somebody else, then it will change because they’ll want different players.”

He added: “Players under contract, there’s not a great deal that they can do. They can ask to move, they can make noises towards that, they can stamp their feet and pull their hair out and tell their agent what to do.

“But if they’re under contract there’s not really anything they can do if a club wants to keep them.

“There may well be some that want to move on, there will be some will move on. There will be some I want to move on, and some I don’t want to change. That’s going to be a natural process that in the summer, I think.”

Are there players who are out of contract who he is yet to make a decision on? “They’re all my thoughts and I’ll keep them to myself for now.”

McCarthy feels he and his squad have done well in previous seasons having worked with a budget which is among the lowest in the division. Will he have to ask owner Marcus Evans for more money as he looks to rebuild?

“I’ve performed particularly well, and the players have, with what we’ve got and sometimes you have to deal with it,” he insisted.

“And I’ve never complained about that. My conversations with Marcus will be exactly that, with Marcus.”

The finances of the Championship have changed significantly in the two years since the Blues finished sixth, does McCarthy believe it’s now tougher for Town to hit those heights?

“It is,” he agreed. “I’m glad I didn’t say that because it might seem like an excuse. I’m glad you said it. [But that is the reality], absolutely it is.”

Managers at all the established Championship clubs without parachute payments or owners investing around £20 million a year are working in much the same situation as he has been, aren’t they? “They are and trying to get results and some, with their budgets, are doing well.

“I’d say Cloughy’s doing well [at Burton], Barnsley have done brilliantly, they’ve come up with momentum from League One.

“Huddersfield are doing great. David Wagner’s got some good players, some good loan players, he used the German market, he knew it and he’s done really well with it. Fantastic, as I did in my second season, to be honest.”

So, it can still be done? “I’d say so, but as you said, it’s a lot harder now.”

Photo: TWTD

Lathers added 18:00 - Apr 12 Well if that's the case Mick, your summer signings need to be very decent, Marcus needs to give you funds, and we HAVE to get off to a fast start next season, otherwise you will face one heck of a horrible backlash.
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HackneyBlue added 18:00 - Apr 12 Ok so thats us 3 not renewing then-well to be honest we were not going to anyway,club has distanced itself too far from fans
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runningout added 18:06 - Apr 12 should MM stay I hope he proves many wrong.. He says stating the obvious
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smellmycheese added 18:09 - Apr 12 Sometimes you have to recognise when it's time and Mick it's time.
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tractorboybig added 18:09 - Apr 12 pointless moaning on here or anti chants at home games, use your feet if you feel that strongly. However most of you are leemings, a couple of wins and this site will be filled with in mm we trust (again)
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BlueandTruesince82 added 18:12 - Apr 12 I think he makes plenty of fair points. I don't think he's ruined the club. He did save us from the drop, he has had us thereabouts fir the other seasons but.... Still time for a change.
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walberblue added 18:13 - Apr 12 oh god he thinks he's arsene wenger and we can't live without him....deluded. what happens when he doesn't win another game.... still he deserves to manager the mess he's created... if anyone desrves to be relegated its bottom six mick
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warktheline added 18:14 - Apr 12 McCarthy was paid very good money to starve off relegation, and that he did. Thereafter, I remember him sounding out stabilisation, that he did. What's more, thereafter, he promised fans entertaining football , that he didn't! Blowing your own trumpet isn't a good idea unless you've really got something good worth airing, and for two years and more, McCarthy you've had nowt to crow about! Alienation is something McCarthy specialises in, a god damn PR catastrophe! Do yourself and us fans a favour, don't mention Sir Bobby in your rhetoric waffling...you ain't getting any sympathy from most corners, apart from the odd 'be careful what you wish for' and rightly so!!!

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FromIpswichToPhoenix added 18:16 - Apr 12 The frustrating thing is the facts are accurate on paper. Since Mick came on it's : 2012 - 2013 14th 2013 - 2014 9th 2014 - 2015 6th 2015 - 2016 7th 2016 -2017 17th ish The issue is, only one of those results counts. What's the difference between finishing 7th or 21st? Nothing. Neither earns promotion or relegation. The only positions that matter are 1 - 6 and 22- 24. The rest are inconsequential and stagnant. Finishing seventh is not brag worthy. We are losing games we should be putting to bed. Our strikers are not delivering. We should not be hearing stats that say Sears has not scored in 38 games. If strikers can't score, they either are out of position, not worth keeping or your midfield is not doing its job. Either way, it's a management issue, not a fan issue. Football is not a cheap game anymore. If you paid £50 to see a concert and the band was terrible, you wouldn't go see them again. Mick has to see that fans are getting milked paying for sub-par performances. You don't continue to pay for average games. If he was playing players in position and we were losing just because other teams are better, I can take a loss if we're giving it our all and we're just not good enough, rather than seeing poor tactics and players our of position. Losing because of skill is one thing. Losing because of bad tactics is a problem. And his constant jabs at the fan base needs to stop if he has any hope of getting them back on his side. He makes sh*tty comments when we win, he makes sh*tty comments when we lose. We can win on a united front and lose on one. If the team and fans aren't one unit, victories and losses drive a massive wedge and the air just becomes hostile. The stats this year are just average. Second worst on the road goal tally, only behind 24th place Rotherham. Second worst home victory tally. Only behind 23rd and 24th place. 1st in home draws. Only four teams have scored less goals. 18th, 20th, 23rd and 24th. This is not a team worthy of play off position. If Mick stays, there needs to be a major rethink after this wreck of a season ends. Bart is about the only player worthy of his place and played in the right position. There's a lot of players who need to be either shuffled around or moved on over the summer. If we come back in August having only spend £50,000 on players, you can write off the season before it's even begun as nothing has changed. We've now been in this league longer than any other team. If that doesn't point to average, I don't know what does.

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Keaneish added 18:16 - Apr 12 Pull the trigger Evans and save some face.
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walberblue added 18:18 - Apr 12 where is the club going when failure, rudeness and bottom six is rewarded with millions and three more years??
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walberblue added 18:19 - Apr 12 why does he want to stay? he hates ipswich, the club and the fans??
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walberblue added 18:21 - Apr 12 he can't flounce out because there isn't another club who would accept abject failure
7

Keaneish added 18:22 - Apr 12 What i also love about this is that MM creates this "we're all together, the lads are magnificent" siege mentality but he's openly saying here that we need a big clear out in order for him to achieve what he needs to. So, its not your fault, its the players? Then there's Freddie coming out saying "we're all behind the boss" - this club really is a complete joke at the moment.

12

neilvanlimbeek added 18:23 - Apr 12 I was brought up in Cumbria and been Midlands based since 1997 - Since 1990 until 2 seasons ago I averaged 5/6 games per season - last year 1 went once, (Nil nil) - this year I have been to ZERO games and I have no intention of going again whilst this clown is here! - I'll buy another share of a greyhound or go and watch a few cricket games instead
9

walberblue added 18:24 - Apr 12 and give douglas a two year contract while your at it........
4

Cakeman added 18:29 - Apr 12 This bloke is really becoming arrogant and selfish. All we hear these days is me me me or I did this I done that! Whilst I don't blame him for not walking away I would like to think our owner will take hold of the situation himself. Then again what hope have we got of our owner making the required changes? Next to nil!
8

Gatehouse added 18:29 - Apr 12 Well mr Evans the balls in your court.us fans are totally bored dissolutioned fed up comatosed now the prospect of another year of mick the stubborn playing crap one dimensional hoofball football in front of 10,000 customers to look forward to Nooooooooooooo please grow a pair sack the stubborn one or sell up and we'll take our chance with someone else
6

Gatehouse added 18:31 - Apr 12 A clear out of playing staff well we can nearly all name the favourites that need to go could you add TC and yourself to the list please
6

PSGBlue added 18:33 - Apr 12 I have no respect for this man any longer, I just want him out. Poor tactics, use of foul language and most of all his disrespect for the fans - those who pay his wages! Yes, he kept us up and was rewarded with a £1M bonus. It works two ways MM, success brings bonuses etc, failure to deliver should mean the sack. Its not a blip, its been bad for 18 months now. The Lincoln fiasco should have seen him go, not to mention the string of poor defeats and grim draws (Wolves 0-0 on a bleak Tuesday night comes to mind). I fear the celebration of Sir (yes Sir) Bobby Robson on Monday will be nothing but a heavy defeat. Whilst we will not go down, poor results against Burton, Newcastle, Sheff Wed and Forest could leave us 4th from the bottom. Whatever happens, its the worst finish in my 40 years of supporting the team. Evans if you have any decency after the season ticket fiasco, sack this fool now and start afresh next season.

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Cheshire_Blue added 18:38 - Apr 12 Having read the comments on here , I suspect Mick McCarthy is not the one who is clueless.
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Gatehouse added 18:39 - Apr 12 Marcus Evans I hope you have read this the stubborn one is living off past mediocrity unfortunately ITFC is your plaything but it's our club give us some pride back give us some hope for next season if not here's an option to save money- close the top tiers of the north,south and brittannia stands cause they'll be nobody in them
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Kuqicoo added 18:43 - Apr 12 Oh I wish he would just shut his mouth now. Jeez. I used to like and respect the guy. Sadly I can't bear his constant snipes and arrogance now. Yeah hey ho eh? Never mind. Potentially lowest finish for years but hey ho. No matter. Let's just plod along with unhappy fans, dreadful hoof ball and no ambition at all. Can't wait....
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therein61 added 18:44 - Apr 12 Reading between the lines his agent has told him to put and take the money because no club in their right minds would touch an out of touch with the modern game manager who alienates the club fans at every turn with comments and continual negative selections, what this man has done and will continue to do at our club is beyond belief(he should be on the stage with the other past it comedians who keep popping up for a few quid) and while it sticks in my guts to say it(I said I would not come again this season but did optimist that I am only to be let down big time!!) I am not putting another penny into this club until he has gone!!!! my comments next year will be as an armchair fan which will please billybaxterwasbest et al but they know as much about football as Mick(perhaps they are Skuse and all the other creeps in disguise!!!)

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bluemike1969 added 18:45 - Apr 12 How dare you mention the great Sir Bobby in the same sentence as yourself. You are not half the manager or man he was. He was passionate about this club and the supporters. He went out of his way to talk to them as did the Cobbolds when they ran this family club. All you ever mention is how good you are, what a great manager you are and everyone should be grateful. It's all about you and that's all you care about. Your ego is writing cheques that your ability can't cash. Ferguson, Wenger etc are in a totally different league to you yet you talk as if you are as talented as them. We the supporters pay your wages by watching the crap you serve up and the merchandise we buy. The club is a collective and it doesn't revolve round just you . . You egotistical tw*t !

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