Town boss Mick McCarthy says former Blues striker Jack Marriott, now with Peterborough and the top scorer in League One, was “disgraceful” and unfit when he came back for pre-season in 2014, the summer prior to his final season at Portman Road.

Marriott, now 23, came through the Town academy having been signed as a schoolboy from Kettering.

He had hugely successful spells on loan at Woking in the Vanarama National League but was unable to replicate that success when out at clubs in the EFL or in his handful of appearances with the Blues.

After one League Cup start and two Championship games from the bench for Town without finding the net, the Beverley-born frontman was let go at the end of the 2014/15 campaign.

He immediately joined Luton with whom he scored 28 goals in two seasons before moving on to Posh last summer and having scored 32 times during 2017/18 (26 in League One) has been linked with Championship sides including Leeds, Hull, Cardiff and Aston Villa.

Asked whether he regretted letting Marriott move on, McCarthy said: “I wish the lad well and that decision was made by pretty much everybody.

“I take responsibility for it, but it was made by everybody. There was nobody saying we should keep him.

“I think he’s lost about a stone and a half since he was here. He came back that pre-season before we let him go and he was getting pretty much lapped by people.

“So I’d have to say he was disgraceful that pre-season, he wasn’t fit in any shape or form and I said to him when played them in pre-season when I knew he’d score, I said we’d have to score two because Jack would score, and he did.

“And I said to him after the game, I said, ‘So where’s that other fella that used to train with us, that little fat one?’. And he laughed at me and said, ‘All right gaffer, yeah, yeah, yeah’.

“I said, “Fair play to you, I’m delighted for you’. It doesn’t matter to me when they finally cop on, so however he’s done it, he has and he’s done brilliantly.

“He wasn’t going to do it here, he just wasn’t. He had to move, he’s had to grow up and congratulations to him, I’m thrilled for him.

“I say to them all when they leave here, ‘Go and play and have 200, 300, 400 or 500 games and come back and you can shake my hand and you’re my equal’. I love it for him, I’m delighted and good luck to him.”

Photo: TWTD

Northstandveteran added 21:37 - Apr 9 As a staunch Mick outer, some of the above comments are making me shake my head ( but with a smile ) Give the man a break for God's sake. Only 5 games to go. So he made a mistake. Everyone does sometimes. That's why they put rubbers on the of pencils. Didn't a certain Bobby Robson overlook Paul Gascoigne as a youngster? I think some of you have had a bad Monday.....😁

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SheptonMalletBlue added 22:05 - Apr 9 I'm glad for his sake that he left, otherwise he would have been ruined by the Irish/Yorkshire tw@t, just like he's ruined Freddie!!!!!!!!
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blueheartXT added 22:09 - Apr 9 Judging on some of the comments he unfortunately hasnt been able to get rid of some of the numpty's or was it numbskulls
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Blandford added 22:31 - Apr 9 Congratulations to Jack for the great season he has had. I for one wish him a long and successful career. The fact is MM didn't think his famous man management skills would have an impact on Marriott at the time and he was probably correct. I just hope that the next manager realises that the academy is a vital part of this club and as money talks louder than ever the players our youth system produces are more and more likely to become the future for us.

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bluesi added 22:50 - Apr 9 He's just another Bowditch, he's found his level!!
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bobble added 23:31 - Apr 9 something is seriously wrong at town when we cannot find good strikers but sell of loads of them cheaply....
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cat added 05:02 - Apr 10 Come on Guys, its understandable having agendas with MM, but to slate him on every occasion in circumstances like this simply beggars believe. As a player trying to make it as a pro, you have an obligation to look after yourself, more so in the summer months. This ain't Sunday league pub football we're talking about here, this is top level with thousands of young hopefuls competing for a handful of places, so FFS get things in perspective.

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blackcat added 05:58 - Apr 10 Lucky for him getting out and away from career destroying MM he would be worth nothing now playing out of position in a hoof ball team! You only need to notice the one player we have that every one wants is the goal keeper,can't play him anywhere else ðŸ˜
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H1960 added 07:20 - Apr 10 @northstandveteran you beat me to it! pretty much exactly what I was going to post
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Currie10 added 07:27 - Apr 10 We'll never know what the original plans for Marriott were the season he came back 1.5 stone overweight. If, and I'm probably off here - however IF Mick thought ' right Jack I lika you're in my plans this season ' and he turns up in that condition - that goes straight out the window I'm afraid. Josh Carson pre season the second. End of the day, him dropping down and thinking ' errr gotta do something here ' + game time has sorted him out nicely. We've no idea if he's capable past league 1 yet!

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Town7579 added 08:11 - Apr 10 Bit of a myth about Gascoigne, he didn't want to join us cause we were to far from his home for a young lad.
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Radlett_blue added 08:25 - Apr 10 So, why did Honest Mick say the exact opposite in August 2014? http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town/ipswich-town-striker-jack-marriott-is-le
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naa added 09:21 - Apr 10 Hey, I heard there was a chemical attack in Syria. Maybe that was Mick's fault too. Look, we wanted him gone and he's going but this idea of blaming him for everything is pathetic. Bobby Robson turned away an overweight Paul Gascoigne and also took Mitch D'Avray rather than his mate Richard Gough (Premier league and International defender for those too young). Should we write loads of ranting posts about how hopeless he was for not spotting the talent.? Mick has generally done a great job given his resources but he's done it with dour football and he has a rather belligerent attitude which can be grating. But that's it. He isn't the devil. He's going in a few games, just let it go.

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naa added 09:45 - Apr 10 Can I also put this into context? Jack had a great loan spell at a club several divisions below us. He then had another, less impressive spell at the same club. He then had a less impressive spell at a league two club. Then he went away for the summer and didn't bother following his diet and training plan and turned up out of shape. What kind of attitude is that? There are always people knocking on the first team door yet he obviously felt he was locked in for it without having to bother, just because he scored a bunch of goals at the start of the season several divisions below. He clearly had an attitude problem. Why should Mick invest any more time than necessary on him? He'd hardly proven his worth to us. I suspect he got a kick up the bum being let go and sorted his attitude out, and well done to him. But this isn't a mistake by Mick, it's just something that happens in football.

6

Surco72 added 10:21 - Apr 10 If he had stayed here under MM & TC tuition he probably wouldn't be half the player he is now as every one of our strikers seems to get worse the longer they are coached by our current regime
2

Bluetone added 10:55 - Apr 10 @ radlett blue quote "So, why did Honest Mick say the exact opposite in August 2014? http://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town/ipswich-town-striker-jack-marriott-is-le 'cos McCarthy had to come up with an excuse for letting Jack go and hoped we wouldn't remember in other words he made it up rather than admit he was wrong.- tut tut the ego that is McCarthy can never be wrong.

5

Ipswichbusiness added 12:42 - Apr 10 The test of a manager, either in football or elsewhere, is not how he/she handles the easy characters, but the difficult ones.
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blueboy1981 added 12:52 - Apr 10 After six years Mick you've been totally sussed by anyone with a brain cell, and you know it - however, I'm saying nothing about the rest.
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brendanh added 13:23 - Apr 10 Whether Marriott was overweight or not is irrelevant. By virtue of his scoring record at Ipswich and his various loans, he should not have been sold. The key point here is that ITFC have only ever had one competitive advantage, and one alone: our academy. Selling the likes of Rhodes and Marriott for pittance, and giving ageing loanee Gleeson pitch time while ostracising Downes: these actions are toxic to the well-being of the club. After the high-spending Keane and Jewell debacles, Evans started making the right noises (long-term plans, using the academy more). Then he sanctioned selling high-scoring Marriott. It's expected from MM, since youngsters, especially short ones, tend not to be "proper blokes". But I still don't think Evans "gets" ITFC.

2

tractorintheloft added 13:25 - Apr 10 This story was always going to get this reaction. All clubs make these decisions they later regret and someone might pay £5m that they later regret. I wish MM could just put his hands up and say yep got it wrong on this one. He's made more right than wrong in my mind re players he's let go. What has always worried me is the disconnect between the youngsters being developed and the players that MM likes. Footballers not warriors. Hopefully new management will be more aligned to the academy. I fear our owner has the wrong counsel and will appoint based on reputation rather than what's the right fit for our club.

3

Gcon added 13:43 - Apr 10 Oh Hi, this must be Numbskull HQ?.... Comments are getting more and more pathetic. Are people particularly disgruntled because the decision to leave involved MM's input, rather than him being fired? Love him or hate him, he's leaving - It's really not that hard to be a little more dignified towards him, is it? As a fellow ITFC supporter I am embarrassed by a lot of the vitriol being churned out by the same handful of posters hiding behind their keyboards.

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blueboy1981 added 14:40 - Apr 10 Gcon - you again. Ever crossed your mind who the real NUMBSKULLS are ? ....... of course not, that would be expecting far too much.
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blueboy1981 added 14:43 - Apr 10 ......... you being the proverbial 'keyboard' hider ... !!! - ever heard the phrase 'don't throw stones if you live in a Greenhouse' - I doubt it, but you have NOW.
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blue75 added 16:12 - Apr 10 Funny I read a interview with McCarthy in 2014 saying different just trying to stir the fans up again!!
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naa added 18:55 - Apr 10 Brenda NHS, you constantly refer to him as high scoring. But he wasn't really was he? He scored a decent amount in a 3 month loan way, way down the leagues then did very little in his next two loans. Hardly the kind of form that let's you not bother to be fit for the season and expect to get played. Rhodes was a different story, but that was Keanes fault.
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