Blues caretaker-boss Bryan Klug says manager Mick McCarthy needing to be escorted to the team coach, as happened at Brentford following the game last Saturday, was “totally wrong” and is “not the club I know”. Klug, who is in charge of the Blues for the final four games of the season, hopes the rift between fans and club which he says has even impacted on academy recruitment begins to be healed during his short spell at the helm.

McCarthy, who departed on Tuesday after the 1-0 victory over Barnsley, was subjected to greater levels of abuse than at previous games by sections of the away support at Griffin Park, leading to widespread criticism from other supporters, even among some of those similarly happy to see him departing.

A number of the former boss's detractors waited for him at the end to continue to make their thoughts known as the squad and staff prepared to return to Suffolk and he was escorted to the coach by Bees staff.

Speaking at his lunchtime press conference, Klug wasn’t keen to talk in too much depth about the schism between the former boss and the club’s support but was evidently disappointed by the treatment meted out to McCarthy.

“I’m really not make any comment on that,” he said. “I can’t do anything about that. I want everybody thinking about being positive really.

“There are certain things that have happened, it’s totally wrong that a manager of Ipswich Town has to be escorted [out of the ground].

“Whatever’s gone on that’s prompted me having to be here today. That should never, ever happen, that’s not the club I know, it’s not the people I know. That’s all I really want to say about it.

“The only other thing to say is, ‘Can we be positive now? Can we please be positive?’. I can’t stress that enough.

“I was speaking to the lads and said Portman Road has become a very difficult place to win and credit to you all for getting a victory on Tuesday, so really I don’t want to dwell on it.”

Reflecting further on the gulf between club and fans which has opened up this season, he added: “It’s really sad, it’s really concerning. I’m not going to go into any detail, but that’s the past, hopefully we can put all that behind us and all enjoy what is a great football club.

“I live in the town, I’ve lived in the town for 40 years now, since I came down here in 1977, so I know what the club means to everybody and it breaks your heart to hear people... even at academy level it’s started to affect our recruitment and that’s never happened before.

“But that’s the past, I just hope people come down and enjoy, which is what it’s about, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be enjoyed.

“If nothing else, if we lose all four games you guys will be all over me, I know that, but if at the end of this month I can see that something’s started to knit back together then that will be a success for me.”

Klug says contrary to some claims McCarthy was very good with the club’s academy players and on occasion gave them their chance earlier than he anticipated.

“I actually came back from Tottenham a few months before Mick came in and I can remember the first meeting with him, talking about the young players and six years ago we didn’t really have a lot that were going to be able to help him,” the 57-year-old recalled.

“But over a number of years I’ve toiled with the rest of my staff trying to improve that situation, and that’s ongoing obviously, and he’s been absolutely brilliant with the players. I think the record of actually giving players opportunities is second to none.

“I think we’re right up there in the Championship with minutes for U23 players, sometimes obviously through circumstances.

“From my point of view I only want them to go in when they’re good enough and they’re going to stay in there and improve the team.

“He’s helped me develop those players and has been very supportive of the programme that we’re putting together to try and ensure we get very good young players.”

Photo: TWTD

grinch added 09:16 - Apr 13 Quite correct in his statement shameful by all who participated. No one deserves the treatment shown to MM during this season and those so called fans then call him out for swearing shameful he can only take so much the Cobbolds would wonder what has happened to their once great club. We seem to have a minority of fans who bring the club down lets hope non of them get season tickets they are not worthy of calling themselves town fans and some of them are users of this site too.

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Juggsy added 10:36 - Apr 13 As BK said, its in the past and time to repair it. 4 pages of comments on here of everyone having a go at each other is not leaving it in the past! Irregardless of what happened before and the rights and wrongs of what happened this is now the time to pull together. Let's all get behind the team as a united fromt, after all we're all Ipswich Town supporters right?
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warktheline added 10:59 - Apr 13 Wow isn't Gcon ever so bitter! Hitting out big time ! How pathetic 'mickite' Gcon thinks more of McCarthy than the club he 'supports' ( in his own way ) .....sometimes it's better to leave the 'boring party early' , I did offer you 'minibusgate'!!!
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TractorRoyNo1 added 11:21 - Apr 13 As Basil Fawlty said "well you started it"
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Monkey_Blue added 11:49 - Apr 13 Having looked into his record in Finland Shefki seems to have put a very positive spin on his career in management. Of the two bigger clubs he managed they both finished 11th out of 12 teams having finished 2nd & 4th the seasons prior to him arriving. The other team in the lower division did finish 2nd and were promoted, but it's a poor record. Three jobs and two were utter failures and this is at a very low level of domestic competition. I think if Evans appointed Kuqi he'd need his head examining.

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TimmyH added 12:30 - Apr 13 @grinch - what a pathetic statement!...how do you know they use this site?
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Skip73 added 20:06 - Apr 13 Absolutely disgusting behaviour from some of the fans. These are the same fans who were demanding respect from MM. Well you have to earn respect, some of whom don't deserve an ounce. I feel sorry for whoever takes over.
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Skip73 added 20:15 - Apr 13 These idiots useing the happyclapper term need to grow up or get off this site. It is you who are the biggest problem, dividing the club. We need to be together, we don't need trolls here. Downvote me all you like it is true.
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cat added 20:24 - Apr 13 Come on Gcon, lighten up, let's not get to serious here. Things happen in the moment, I would imagine most supporters have had a bad experiences at a game, more so away. But fret not, I'm pushing on the nifty fifty so them days of doing stupid things are long gone. It's certainly safer being McCarthy that say a Man City team bus. Sh1te happens, this is football.
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warktheline added 21:46 - Apr 13 Skip! So on the subject of 'divide' how do you stand in relation to the term 'numbskull' continually being used especially more so since McCarthy jogged on?
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Esseeja added 22:05 - Apr 13 Gcon, you are seriously acting like a person who is worse than a numbskull, to anyone who is still using that stupid phrase to call your OWN FANS "Numbskulls", shame on you, he's gone and your STILL using that term, this is what we call on the internet as a whole "a dead trend". Also, MM referred to the ones who weren't being numbskulls, he hated us all and only the minority still liked him, its ridiculous.

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sotd78 added 22:08 - Apr 13 It was probably three seasons ago that McCarthy turned around to the family enclosure and told us all to Eff off. That was after a few called for a substitution that he didn't want to make. My brother and I wrote to the club suggesting that either the dugouts move to the Cobbold Terrace or the manager should be held to the same standards of behaviour as the family enclosure. Neither happened.

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Dissboyitfc added 11:57 - Apr 14 Not condoning the behavior in any shape or form, its disgusting! I never hurled abuse at players or anyone. But there is no smoke without fire! And i will say this again, there is no justification for that level of abuse! But i also want to say this, MM didnt help things and ME should have put MM on gardening leave. Bryan Klug has asked for everyone to pull together and be positive, and that is only the way forward. There are still supporters who seem to want to keep the divide going! There will be some supporters and they know who they are who will want the new manager to fail so they can say, " told you, be careful what you wish for!" Its no longer about MM or the division between the fans! Can we all just support the team!

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