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McCarthy: I Won't Be Driven Out By a Small Section of Fans Friday, 23rd Feb 2018 11:15
Town boss Mick McCarthy has revealed he expects to speak to owner Marcus Evans regarding his future over the next three or four weeks and says he won’t be “driven out” of the club by “a small section of fans”. He says he believes it's more likely that Evans will ask him to stay on rather than end his five-and-a-half-year spell in charge at Portman Road.
The Blues manager is out of contract at the end of the season but with Town having an option to keep him and his assistant Terry Connor for a further two years.
Despite celebrating his 26th anniversary as a boss next month, McCarthy says he still has the same burning desire he had earlier on in his career.
“I have,” he said. “And I look at my club, this club at the moment and I think about the players that are here and will be here next year if, please God for them as much as anybody, that they are injury free, and think that we’d have a good squad.
“I’ve still got to discuss that with Marcus but if Marcus wants me to stay then I’ll certainly consider that, and that’s where it’s at. Marcus has got to want me to stay, not anybody else, it’s got to be the club.”
McCarthy wouldn’t discuss what factors would come into his consideration if Evans were to offer him the chance to stay at Town.
“That’s for me and Marcus to discuss, not for public airing at the moment,” he said. “I’m due to speak to him. I speak to him on a regular basis but not about that.
“I spoke to him the other night about the game and how it went, but we’ll be sitting down to talk about that shortly.”
Although having been under-fire from fans for much of the last two seasons, McCarthy believes the club is in good shape going forwards: “Despite everything that goes on, I think it is and it’s managed well, this place is, the club is.
“I can’t always guarantee results or performances, nobody can no matter how much [money] you’ve got but it’s a good club and I’m particularly happy here as well.
“I’m not wanting to leave but - and I was asked about Luke Hyam, that’s the same, David McGoldrick as well, their contracts are up as well - there’s nothing you can do unless somebody wants you to stay.
“It’s interesting, I’m just reading Carlo Ancelotti’s book and it’s great, he talks about cycles and says that while ever you’re there you make sure you do the best you possibly can.
“But he also says it’s always nice to be loved and wanted and I thought, ‘Yes, well, it is’. Until we find out that’s the case I won’t know, will I?”
Speaking further about criticism from supporters, he added: “Listen, fans fluctuate on performances and results. And, by the way, it’s not all the fans, it’s a small section of them, I believe, that have decided that it’s me they don’t want, they want somebody else. I’ve had great support from the fans here. I’m not worried about that.”
Asked whether it would be good to get his future sorted before the club announces season ticket prices for 2018/19 at the end of March, he said: “That might affect how many are sold or are not sold! We might just keep that one in the balance, I don’t know.
“I’d hate to think me saying I was staying affected the season ticket sales. I’d like to think they went up. We’ll see.”
He added: “I’m due to speak to Marcus, I’ll be speaking to him over the next three or four weeks I’m certain. But I’ve said before, I’m cool with it.
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“For all the reasons I’ve just said, the players who are here, I like living here, I like doing the job and I’m certainly not going to be driven out by a small section of fans who are going to make my decision on that, let me tell you that. That’s not going to happen.
“I’m too long in the tooth and a bit too up to the fight for that to happen. If everybody else wants me around the place, then that would be the big decision for me.”
Whose opinions matter to him? “Marcus owns the club, his is the biggest one and I think you’ve got to have the support of him, you’ve got to have a relationship with the people above you, and I’ve got a great relationship with him.”
McCarthy reiterated that he is currently treating the situation as if he is going to be in charge next season with pre-season having been discussed.
“Yes, and talking about players for next season,” he continued. “I’m going ahead, as I said to you before, with the job of planning for it.
“I would never just down tools and stop anyway, even if Marcus came to say to me - and I doubt very much he’s going to - ‘That’s enough, we need to go’. I think it’s more likely it would be quite the opposite, ‘Mick, I’d like you to stay’, I think that would be the more likely scenario.
“But whatever one, I’ll continue doing the job until the end of the season as the good professional as I am.”
McCarthy goes through the full range of emotions on the touchline on a matchday - “I’m only 42 you know, look at me, I’ve weathered well, haven’t I?” - but says he still enjoys life as a manager.
“I still get the buzz from it, of course I do. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t,” he said. “The disappointments are horrible but the good times are great.
“I still get the buzz from coming in here though, coming in here and doing my job and going out on the training ground and managing the club and being part of it every day.
“And then the games, that’s the highs and lows, that’s the real stuff. But I get a buzz from it every day.”
He says he’s still got the addiction for football and for winning: “I have. It’s not just the games, you can’t have just the games, of course, you can’t just turn up and have the games on a Tuesday night and a Saturday or a Wednesday night whenever.
“You’ve got to go through all this, all the daily routine, but I don’t find that routine as such, I find that really enjoyable, I love that part of it.
“All it is is the build-up to the games and that’s what everybody else cares about and I’m still lucky enough to be stood on that touchline getting happy, getting sad, getting angry, getting emotional and fired up for it every time we play.”
Photo: TWTD
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The man's totally deluded! How can you call the numbers that have stopped going and the ones that won't renew next season a small minority! Incredible. Arrogance at its worst !
Great, that's cheered everyone up. A small section of fans? The mans completely deluded or a total wind up merchant. Either way, what a nasty piece of work! the club is in decline until he goes, such a shame for those who love the club and its heritage.
A small selection of fans? A 31,000 capacity stadium with 13,000 fans is 41% full. 59% empty. This is almost 60% of fans. On what plane is this a small section of fans? The numbers speak far louder than any post on this site.
well if this forum is any indication,that small number of fans who wants him gone is ONLY 75%.! He still digs in , voting with feet is the ONLY option ,if only the people who want him gone would stay away. The season is ''over'' nothing to win by way of silverwear, not likely to go down not going up. Just same mundane ,pointless, rubbish each week. Save your money , let Marcus Evans SEE the damage being done .
Attendances have fallen year-on-year with every passing season (apart from after Mick took us into the play-offs on a shoestring). What the vocal football genius keyboard warriors don't get is that they are a small section of the fanbase. The silent majority, who may or may not still go to games, are just as frustrated by the club's malaise but can see that it is Evans gradually running it into the ground, not McCarthy. All the evidence points to Mick being well capable of creating successful, entertaining enough promotion sides. He did it at Wolves. He almost did it with us and we were top six winning games 5-2 and 4-2 before Adeyemi and Huws were crocked (as well as Dozzell and Bishop). But he needs to be backed like Warnock, who has taken Cardiff from bottom two to top two in the space of a season on the back of a net transfer spend of £9 million plus whatever the growth in their wage bill is. That is now the minimum required when others like Wolves, Derby, Villa are spending nearer £50 million. Evans is making a net gain on transfers thanks to Mick and his scouts and has still not spent more than the £1 million on Huws. McCarthy is over-achieving on the 19th highest budget in the division but is too often reliant on pragmatic 'needs must' football to negate better opposition sides with his bargain bin players. If Evans backed him, he would almost certainly buy better players, the football would improve and we would finish higher. The silent majority, most of whom do not take part in Twtd polls, can see that
What planet are you on you stupid deluded old dinosaur. Small section of fans ????????
Stupid stupid man. We're on track for our lowest average attendance since 1998 and easily the lowest since this idiot took over.
Season ticket sales are falling faster than Donald Trump's popularity index and this BERK says it's a small section of fans. It may well be a small section of the fans that actually attend but you forget the 6k plus who now don't turn up because of your dire football. You treat the fans with contempt with your comments and criticism and now in clear public view at our biggest rivals ground you tell us to F&£k OFF.
A loss of around 10,000 fans per game compared to a few years ago, at an average price of £25 per seat equals £250,000 per game. Add on profits from unsold pies and pints etc and the club is looking at lost revenue of almost £1,000,000 every three home games. How can this be sustainable in the longer term? If only half of that was reinvested in transfers we could look forward to some really exciting signings and overall improvement in every aspect of the club - but first we have to recover the missing thousands. I cannot believe that an allegedly successful businessman like ME can allow this to continue. If the rest of his empire was run like this it would have gone under years ago, so why does he not get rid of MM while he can and give someone else the chance to remind us what proper football is and bring the crowds back.
So, 2000 for the last 2 seasons who have voted with their feet with another 2000+ likely to follow suit if MM is given a new contract. I have been a ST holder for 20+ years and have supported the club since the 70s. I really do not want to give up my ST, but cannot stomach any more of Mick attitude towards the club or the fans and poor tactics which do not encourage entertaining football. I love my Saturdays, meeting up with friends and having a great day (except for the 90 minutes in the middle. There is no atmosphere, no togetherness, no entertainment (well very little). I will never stop being a Town fan, but this cannot continue. £500 just to be frustrated all the time watching my once prod club be ripped apart. I cannot remember the last time we actually set up to win a game. Every player has defensive duties, but only 3 or 4 seem to have offensive duties. Form or ability is no reason for selection. These are sad times indeed, which need changing and need changing NOW. You may not get relegated with Mick as you manager, but Norwich fans will be clapping on 17 mins next season, 18th minute the season after and the 19th minute the season after...and so on... Change it and change it NOW before it really is too late....PLEASE !!!
tpsontour... the real silent majority is the several thousand supporters that have voted with their feet.You are not wrong to point a finger at Evans but you are wrong to give any credit to McCarthy.
He's gonna tell Evans that the reason this season has been sooooo poor is because of all the injuries.. and that next season will be totally different with everyone fit.. and Evans is gonna buy this bull.. It's all about him.. not the club.. he's terrified that any new manager will do better with his players and the supporters will start supporting again. If Evans allows this to happen next season then us supporters need to hit Evans where it hurts.. his greedy pocket and boycott PR till he is gone.
He thinks it's a small section of fans because the others already don't go to games to lend more voice to the protests. Maybe it's time for those that stay away to go to a game and let themselves be heard.
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