Boss Mick McCarthy felt his side took conceding soft goals to a “whole new level” during their 3-1 defeat at Cardiff City. The Town manager was particularly frustrated by the Bluebirds’ second goal 35 seconds after half-time, which he believed was the game's pivotal moment.

“I thought the first half was fairly even, I thought we played well,” McCarthy said when asked his assessment of the match. “There were chances at both ends.

“They made it very difficult for us with throw-ins, freekicks and corners. They’re big, it was hard to defend. We didn’t see out the first goal.

“I thought we had our chances to get back in it and I think I’ve dreamt the half-time team-talk about having a good start and not conceding and giving us a foothold in the game. We did exactly the opposite.

“They’ll see it as a good goal, and it is from their point of view. But it’s an appalling goal for us to give away, but that skewed the whole game.

“For 20 minutes after that, I could forgive our fans for thinking that we don’t care, we didn’t try, we didn’t run around because they were all over us.

“But I can look them all in the eye and I know they do care and they have run around and they’ve worked their nuts off, they’ve had to work even harder because they had a 20-minute spell there where they could have punished us really.

“Then, having got back a goal, I can’t believe the naivety of the third one then. I’m going to bitch, it should have been a freekick at the edge of the box just prior to that, I don’t know why he didn’t give it. That’s my assessment.”

Having been less than impressed with some of the goals his side conceded in earlier games, McCarthy felt this evening’s were even worse.

“A whole new level,” he said. “To be fair we defended the freekicks and the throw-ins, it was the second phase. To be free at the far post is not right.

“And the others are ridiculous, the second goal in particular. The second goal has just completely changed the game. It gave them a massive impetus, what was it, 30 seconds into the second half?”

Was it particularly frustrating as it was so soon after his half-time team-talk? “Of course, and the players know, they don’t want to do that. They want to start well and it’s important that we do.

“If the kick-off is kicked out for a throw-in and it goes right out there, and the second one that bounces and we put it in behind them. Everybody might say, ‘That’s a bit negative’, but it isn’t, it doesn’t end up in your net, it gives you a chance to start the game on the front foot, in their half and most teams do it. It was just a bad start.”

McCarthy, whose time at Town reaches the five-year mark tomorrow, made six changes from the team which beat Burton at the weekend but didn’t feel it had an impact on the performance.

“I don’t think that’s got anything to do with it at all,” he continued. “One of them was Kevin Bru and he was probably the pick of the bunch in the first half, he played really well but ran out of steam.

“Dominic’s been playing, Tommy Smith’s come back in, he’s an old head, he’s an experienced player.

“Tristan had run his race on Saturday, to be fair, so Flynn had to come in, there’s not a lot of choices with all the midfielders injured.

“Santie scored his goal, got another one, and Wardy’s been a regular, so it’s not like they’re subs that have gone and played in the first team tonight.”

He added: “The last time we had three games in eight days, we’d played well up until then and we just looked like it was a game too far for some of us.

“There are one or two players, more than that, who have had long injuries. I’m not having to take care of them, but I’d like to get the best out of them in every game we play.”

Town, who have won seven and lost seven of their first 14 Championship games, have continued their record of beating the division’s poorer sides but falling short against those towards the top of the league, something McCarthy knows they have to remedy.

“That’s what we try every day when we train,” he said. “We’re trying to address that problem.

“Neil will be waxing lyrical about his goals and he’d be right to because they finished them. But the other side of it, the other manager is always complaining that they gave goals away, and we did. They were really poor goals for us to concede.”

Asked his thoughts on Simon Grayson’s sacking this evening by his old club Sunderland and how he felt the former Leeds boss did at the Stadium of Light, he responded: “Very sad. But I don’t think it’s my role to discuss the job he’s done there, in particular.”

Quizzed further on the Championship being an unforgiving league, he added: “It is an unforgiving league, they’ve been pretty unforgiving tonight, haven’t they? We’ve been slapped, I’ve got my own problems.”

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock thought his side were worthy of the three points.

“We played some good stuff at times tonight," he said. "Sol Bamba helped us out in midfield again. We deserved it tonight. Some of the goals were very good and we could have had more.

"It’s just disappointing to concede as we’d done so well at the back, but I suppose you can’t be too picky.”

Warnock had praise for Omar Bogle, who was making his first start for the Bluebirds following his £700,000 summer switch from Wigan.

Bogle scored the Bluebirds' key second goal and Warnock also felt he might have got a touch on the first.

“Wardy [Danny Ward] picked up a bit of an injury to his calf on Saturday and we thought he would miss tonight," he said.

“He then felt a lot better but we thought, ‘Why risk it?’ because we’d already worked on Omar coming in.

“We left it as it was and Omar did well. He’s been busting a gut to play and really worked for his chance.

"He’s done extra sessions to make sure he was ready to make the most of his opportunity because he’s not played much.

“He’s a bit of a project and when I signed him I told his agent I’d only agree to the deal if he was prepared to be third choice here.

"He had to realise he had to fight his way into the side and show me what he can do. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Photo: TWTD

TimmyH added 08:22 - Nov 1 Your the manager so do something about it...when you first came here you really tightened up the defense now 5 years later on it's much worse!...maybe one or two of the defenders aren't good enough - Iorfa (very average) Chambers (probably now past it) but your not going to drop him are you!
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Bildestoned added 08:31 - Nov 1 Why is a punnet of plums like Town's season? PLUMMET! Poor ol' Mick can't do wrong for right it seems. He picks a logical line-up to which most fans would give a thumbs-up but then the players cock it up. Sadly I suspect it may now be Time For a Change for no other reason than it's time for a change.
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dukey44 added 08:54 - Nov 1 He makes 6 changes but leaves Chambers and Skuse in the team? We need to score goals so he plays 1 striker instead of 4 .... There are no words really left for how bad our manager is really
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dirtydingusmagee added 08:55 - Nov 1 and you [MM],have take your bad management to another level, and as long as Evans dosnt give a s##t ,you will both take ITFC to another level, Basement !.
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Bluespeed added 09:10 - Nov 1 Agent phones MM “Sunderland job coming up “ you fancy it ? Yep but I'm not just going to leave town I will get Mr Invisible to sack me & get the compo ! Phase one started last week me thinks !
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oldelsworthyfan added 10:25 - Nov 1 Chambers, our Captain and supposed organiser (on the pitch) of our defence had yet another poor game - following a run of poor games. Our bad defending will not improve while Chambers is at the heart of it. He is slow and even slow thinking. MM is being over loyal to him. I'm sorry, Chambers (a once fine player and great servant to the club) is past it and has to be dropped Come on MM - bite the bullet!!!.

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oldegold added 10:26 - Nov 1 Attempt at trying to score instead..... took 84 minutes for us to have a shot on target last night...sums up the McCarthy era. This guy has invented the art of trying to win matches without firing on goal..pathetic state of affairs. Oh what I would do to bring back Sir Bobby, George Burley or Joe Royle with their attacking instincts ..sad state of affairs with this dreadful "football"...counting the days when he will have the gumption to resign

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fents71 added 10:28 - Nov 1 Carlo88 I do admire you're optimism but our game in hand is against Derby and they're not in the bottom 6! ;)
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Lightningboy added 10:30 - Nov 1 Surely,surely he's just taking the pi55 out of the supporters and club now?..he must be??? How do you leave your 2 top goalscorers on the bench? I'm just glad Celina scored cos you can guarantee the only reason McCarthy started him and left him on for the full 90 was to try and prove a point - so that backfired on him big time. Sunderland - please come to our rescue.

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dukey44 added 10:41 - Nov 1 Biggest problem is if Mick knows we don't like Skuse or Chambers in the team hearing that guarantees they play!! Surely the man that owns us realises bows time for change?
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Rensham added 11:08 - Nov 1 WE won't get anywhere playing Skusey every week. Simple fact. Stick Webster in midfield. Onwards upwards you miserable sods.
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cantona11 added 11:48 - Nov 1 Prebbs007 spoke the truth Chambers is at fault for every goal we concede watch all three goals yesterday several times and chambers leaving his marker for the second goal completely left the man in the middle of the pitch to go on and score the guy is a liability F*^k your fist pump do it in the game with the passion you show at the end of the game when we win cos that is obviously down to you that we won !!!!!!!! And he has the cheek after a game last season after many rants at him during the game he gets my attention and comes up to me and apologizes for shouting back at me (which i said was fine as i have played football before so can take it) ans says to me stick with us as they will get there in the end i replied with I've been a season ticket holder for 38 yrs and I have followed them before and stuck with the team and when he is long gone I'll still be going supporting my team IPSWICH TOWN FC I see it at them just picking up a wage and they don't care who they play for as long as they get paid when I spend my hard earned money watching them have no passion and can't even kick the ball where they want it !!Any other job you would be in if you make a mistake too many times and you're out but football seems to be different and they practice during the week doing what most boys and men have the pay a fee to do for their choose football clubs !!!!Enough said see you all Saturday to cheer them all on again.............

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Surco72 added 12:03 - Nov 1 MM's record since 22/10/2016 roughly a year Played 52 games in all competitions won 17 , teams beaten Burton x 2 , Wigan x2 , Blackburn , Brentford , Bolton , Bristol City , Brum , Barnsley, Millwall , Qpr , Luton , Sunderland , Sheff Weds , Villa and Newcastle 3 relegated teams and teams currently in bottom 8 of league a few results apart , anyone seeing this as progression with the best squad MM has assembled at Town !! are deluding themselves .

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sereneblue added 12:18 - Nov 1 The only thing being taken to a new level McCarthy,is the bull5hit you come out.
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jas0999 added 12:21 - Nov 1 So, why didn't the club sign a replacement for Berra then? Four months to sort not long enough. As the manager of the football Club Mick is responsible for tactics, training and ensuring these same mistakes aren't made week in week out.
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baxter7 added 15:03 - Nov 1 This is a plea to the chairman of sunderland please approach the dino for your vacancy so he can bore your fans with the football and the bullsh^^t he comes out with we will love you forever mr chairman
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dirtydingusmagee added 15:04 - Nov 1 McCarthy is here for three reasons, He will sit out his contract, Evans wont sack him , and McCarthy just wants to p#ss fans off, [the latest team selection made that clear , apart from anything else,.........that is about all he is good at .
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blueboy1981 added 15:06 - Nov 1 ......... well sort it then McCarthy - after all you've only had 5 years to do so.
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SheptonMalletBlue added 16:17 - Nov 1 dirtyding, when I started reading your post I thought it said "McCarthy is here for 3 seasons"! 3 matches lets hope!
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therein61 added 16:32 - Nov 1 While Chambers has been at fault for goals conceded along with other back four players mistakes I wonder how much better they would perform if they had a holding midfielder who bites in the tackle can distribute the ball in a forward direction and can get back fast if he crosses the half way line instead of the powder puff tackling slow motion negative and inept premiership class number 8 who plays week in week out I would imagine the back four would be delighted in some pressure taken off them instead of it being piled on for 90 mins.

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RobTheMonk added 16:41 - Nov 1 “If the kick-off is kicked out for a throw-in and it goes right out there, and the second one that bounces and we put it in behind them. Everybody might say, ‘That's a bit negative', but it isn't, it doesn't end up in your net, it gives you a chance to start the game on the front foot, in their half and most teams do it. It was just a bad start.” This is why I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with our approach. Why the fudge are we hoofing from kickoff?! It won't end up in our net? Oh ffs, comon Mick. Try and hold on to the ball and make the other team work for it. Don't just hoof it and 'pick up the second ball'. Hold on to it so you don't even have to pick up the second ball. This has nothing to do with budget, just a genuinely frustrating approach. I do feel a bit for Mick with regards to funding but that's another story, but he is not doing himself any favours with me by making comments like this. Our of curiosity do our Under 23, 21 etc teams do this?

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happybeingblue added 17:22 - Nov 1 i always dread chambers and smith together at centre half... have seen them ripped to shreds and make costly errors way too many times, they are both too slow at this level and we should have bought 2 new centre halves in the summer , berra replacement and another as webster is not proven at this level and has fitness issues
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Cloddyseedbed added 18:06 - Nov 1 I always thought coaches told fullbacks when defending to stop crosses into the box at all costs. Our fullbacks just coast and Knudsen most certainly does not defend to stop crosses into the box. Our central pair are just not good enough, slow and do not dominate the middle. We are being picked off at the back with pacey attacks, opposition have sussed us. Hardly surprising as it's been happening since last season and before. When Berra was here he just tried to wrestle them to the ground, wrapping his arms round them. Most teams in this division have 2 large centre half bully's who don't usually give much away and can run. We haven't got that and haven't had for years. After 5 years has MM built anything? He has not. Just a reputation for poor defensive football based on a frail defence and absolutely no midfield that can control the game and link up defence with attack. It's not about the money, it's the type of player you bring in and what you ask them to do. In MM's case it is don't concede at all cost and hope to nick a goal in the last 10 minutes. I just hope the next foreign coach of our club is on the radar and being sounded out because this manager and his outdated coaching, tactics and self praise is not working and hasn't for some time, despite what MM keeps telling Evans.

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warktheline added 19:42 - Nov 1 Once upon a time "milky that"...."won't tolerate milky performance, me". A long long time ago that McCarthy! Was Chambers and co marking greyhounds in Wales last night, or wor it lead in boots!
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cranky_old_tractor added 20:21 - Nov 1 OK MM is not always to blame but FFS get rid of him. We need a wind of change and a move back to football that is a joy to watch just like the Robson era. Guess I can only dream.
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