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

shakytown added 03:30 - Apr 13 Oh dear. Anther season of boring talentless rubbish then.
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Sam added 06:07 - Apr 13 I have no clue what Mick will say in the next interview!!!! Come on Mick. I'm behind you even though I wanted you to go. At the end of the day Mcarthy is our Manager and we have to get used to it. Come on fans get behind the team.
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battyblue added 06:13 - Apr 13 I am sick of this and sick of arrogant McCarthy and sick of Evans doing nothing positively am sick of reading the same things over and over again on here despite the dissent in the club nothing happens to change it, i just want something to look forward to next season and at the moment looks like more of the same sh!t.so until southing positive happens i just give up.

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GiveusaWave added 07:05 - Apr 13 Looking forward to seeing Mickszzztactics views on this one.....
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Dissboyitfc added 07:07 - Apr 13 The Problem is the crap football and that is your fault nobody else's. GET OUT!!!!!
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davidsc1971 added 07:53 - Apr 13 Well for me the odds shown on the TWTD homepage for the Burton match sum up where this once great club now is - Burton are at 2.15 and Town at 3.4. So the bookies don't think we can beat Burton fricking Albion, surely the team with the least pedigree to grace the Championship since Yeovil? (although fair play to them for not getting battered every week). We should be battering teams like this

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Jonnosdreadlocks added 08:02 - Apr 13 Wenger, Fergie and Robson all achieved something in Management, whats MM achieved, getting Ireland to the knockout phase of the WC, certainly nothing club wise. His arrogance holds no boundaries. His style of football, his blatant favouritism (Skuse, Chambers, Berra) wrecking young players confidence Sears, Bishop, Emmanuel. Some blame Evans and yes he's not showing enough but its MM who picks the Team and we have been backwards for two seasons. Just go!

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big_gaz67 added 08:26 - Apr 13 Phil - did you not challenge him on his misquote - the fans are not saying he ruined the club they are saying that his football is *&%*? - did you not challenge him on comparing himself with Sir Bobby? - did you not challenge him about the proud footballing history of this club? This site was born on the coat tails of an excellent fanzine but if it allows the manager a voice frequently criticising the views of the fans without challenge I am afraid it is just sycophant.

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MadDog added 08:36 - Apr 13 No surprise there! He was never going to give up his contract & walk away. He's now daring Evans to be a man & sack him. So sad when such arrogance is spoiling our great club. We can look forward now to average attendances of about 12,000 & perhaps one decent performance all season! We have some good young players but they'll never start under Mick-he has his favourites & as it now seems he's bigger than the club they've got no chance of playing & will leave. To all the Mick supporters saying how great a manager he is I would just ask one question. Pretty much every Championship club has replaced their manager this season & how many have made a serious effort to get Mick? I think that says it all about how great he is! The phrase 'a legend is in his own mind' has never been more apt! Evans stand up & be counted!

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brian_a_mul added 09:36 - Apr 13 Mick McCarthy is the one of the best football managers around. There are very few that could have kept us competitive in a tough league environment and on a shoe string budget. With the limited squad he has available, financial constraints and considering the injuries to key players for most of the season I think he has done a bloody decent job this season. He has brought younsters in to the squad and first team (Kenlock, Emanuell, Dozzell, Bish, Grant, Webster) and has tried to make the best use of the players when available. Benyu is next in line to be given a chance, really looking forward to that. MM is not perfect and his default position (considering limitations) is to fight for every point possible. No shame in that. With less constraints and better quality players available (regularly) MM has shown he can be more attack minded. MM is still the right man for us. The players know it, other clubs know it, many of the ITFC fans know it, Marcus Evan knows it.

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Ferguson added 09:43 - Apr 13 I'm not surprised that he's sticking to his contract. I'd love to know what his relationship with Evans really is, because it also looks like MM is inviting ME to pay him off. When he was sacked from Wolves he went on record to say that he'd loved every minute of it - he hasn't had that experience here has he ? The end came for him after a bad run, and a 1-5 home defeat to WBA that was largely put down to the players performance. I wonder if we'll get a message from the club if we're beat by Burton on Saturday and wiped out by Newcastle on Monday ?

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Cheshire_Blue added 10:27 - Apr 13 where does the delusion lie?
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Tony88 added 11:14 - Apr 13 Very disappointed he should have gone at end of season. It is obvious that Evans and MM are quite happy to stay mid table in the championship with no intention of putting in the amount required to go up to the premiership. I think there is something going on that no one has thought of. Very suspicious.
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Razor added 11:14 - Apr 13 Playing in front of 8,000 people will not be nice----and once people have new habits it will be difficult to get some supporters back. Seems like MM is squaring up for a fight to me.
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grumpyoldman added 11:44 - Apr 13 Why would he give up a well paid job? It appears whatever he does has no effect on his credibility with those in control, crowds dropping, toxic atmosphere, poor performances and results does not matter to Evans & Milne. He will continue telling those who want to listen that he is the best man for the job, only he knows what to do to turn the club's fortunes around. Milne will come out with a new five month, sorry five year plan, which MM will agree with then continue in his own path. So another season will pass with me not attending PR, but at least it's another day closer to him leaving so it's not all bad.

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sereneblue added 13:01 - Apr 13 Self centre,arrogant,clueless. All I heard throughout that interview was me me me. Still having a pop at the fans who are the backbone of this club. If you were any sort of a man, you should walk away, clutching your millions , and let a fresh face take over and give something for the fans to look forward to next season.
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SW1_Blue added 13:45 - Apr 13 Another year of hoofball. It doesn't matter that you had three top ten finishes. Your football is ugly and is not the Ipswich way. That's what you've destroyed. Go away you dinosaur.
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chripswich added 14:22 - Apr 13 if there was anyone ever telling someone that i'm not going anywhere so you'll have to pay me to get rid..it was that interview. No class.. whatever the reasons, right or wrong..if you are that unpopular you should be a man and go. You should speak to the owner, tell him they should thrash out a compromise agreement so he and the cllub can move on with dignity. He doesnt need the money so this is pure and utter pigheadedness All respect for him gone..and there was little to start with. and quite honestly, the team he inherited? well most of us could have been the 'messia' he clearly thinks he his and saved us from relegation.. Derby did us a favour for the play offs before we were made to silly by the budgies. loads of drivel since then and even the most recent win (wigan) was three defensive errors from them.. its all just a shocking state of affairs.. GO!!!!

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walberblue added 14:33 - Apr 13 "There was 12-odd thousand people here when we lost 3-0 to Derby, and guess who that was down to?"
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IvorFeeling added 14:34 - Apr 13 Expect on this news a massive rush to buy top quality, value for money season tickets for 2017/18 errrr perhaps not!
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H1960 added 14:34 - Apr 13 What annoys me is people banging on making excuses about lack of money etc etc, I agree that more investment would possibly help, but not in all cases (ie Derby) The poor football, team selection, tactics are down to one man THE MANAGER!! McCarthy has to go now the man is totally deluded firmly believing all the crap he keeps coming out with, he has to go now. There are plenty of good managers out there who could do a much better job using the current tools provided by Evans, trouble is I don't trust in Evans, Milne and co to find a better manager given their track record in employing the previous two numpties. If they don't sack MM they will see a very empty Portman Road as fans continue to desert in their droves, I know many who are not prepared to accept any more.

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casper16 added 14:37 - Apr 13 Had already decided to delay purchasing our season tickets till we knew who would be managing our team. Now we know who it is we will not be renewing. Another 3 less sales on top of the thousands of others. Surely Evans must see the light. When he does we will return.
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whosroundisitanyway added 14:51 - Apr 13 Mmmm? That's gone down well!
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RoyalAscotBlue added 15:06 - Apr 13 Re-reading this article makes me wonder if the anger follows a discussion with ME? I'm wondering if ME has asked him if he would like to walk? I'm wondering if ME made him an offer, which he didn't like? Some of the quotes are definitely from an unbalanced, flustered, angry man. Perhaps the end is in sight? Perhaps it is simply a question of arranging the terms? God I hope so.

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scunnyblue added 15:37 - Apr 13 For two and a bit seasons MM did a great job. last season and this we have gone backwards. My fear is we will continue to go backwards and do a Coventry. However when you think about the managers who are available and the kind of manager you would want in a dog fight MM actually fits the bill. With the budget MM has been given since he joined the club who anyone else have done a better job. granted we may have played more entertaining football. ME commitment to developing youth is a long haul project if we do change our manager it has to be a hands on coach who likes to bring on the youngsters .

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