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McCarthy Delighted to Have Turned Down Chopra Loan Bids
Saturday, 16th Feb 2013 18:22

Mick McCarthy revealed that he had turned down loan requests both for scorer Michael Chopra and midfielder Jay Emmanuel-Thomas after Town’s 1-0 home victory over Blackpool.

The Blues boss confirmed that a number of clubs — one we understand to have been Hull City — have made approaches for the frontman, who has started only twice since McCarthy took over as manager, one of those the FA Cup tie at Aston Villa when he scored his last goal.

“They did,” the Town manager said. “But I made the decision that I thought we’d need him and we’d need his goals. With our five loan players, this week we’ve only had 14 players that are contracted to us training.

“There was never any chance, the same with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, he’s not going anywhere. It was a good decision obviously, an even better decision to put him on I suppose!”

McCarthy felt the finish showed Chopra’s class: “It was the one real bit of quality in the whole game. It was a horrible, scrappy, scruffy, nasty, magnificent 1-0 win.

“I said yesterday, I’m not bothered how we get them, as long as we get the points to keep us in this league. That’s a massive three points for us.

“The one bit of quality was Chops, from the timing of his run, to getting across the defender, to holding him off, to finishing it with his weaker foot with the defender all over him and the keeper having narrowed the angle. It was a real bit of quality.


“He’s got something. I might be being a bit unfair to him, actually. He scores his goals, but it’s the way he went about his job as well, he worked hard today and stopped them playing from the back as best he could and I thought he was excellent.”

Guirane N’Daw provided the pass for the winning goal but McCarthy thought it was Chopra’s contribution which was decisive: “It was, but Chops is savvy enough. He’s on the shoulder of the defender and he read it, which shows that bit of class. Give him credit for making the run in when he did and how he did it, it was very good.”

He says he and Chopra have talked about his lack of games, other than the FA Cup tie his only other start since the change of manager came against Peterborough in November, but not for a while: “We’ve spoken, of course, but that was a while ago. He’s just got his head down, he’s trained well and he’s been a good member of the squad.”

The one negative from Town’s perspective was the injury to full debutant Anthony Wordsworth, who was substituted in the first half.

McCarthy says he’s on his way to hospital to have the problem assessed: “He’s on gas and air in the physio’s room.

“He’s obviously in pain but he doesn’t look that way at the moment. He’ll be going off to hospital, he’s got a bang in around the kidney area in the back.

“I think he’ll be a really good player for us, Woody, and it’s a shame if the injury is going to keep him out for any length of time. But we don’t know yet. He’s going to be taken to hospital as a precaution.”

Daryl Murphy is also a doubt for Tuesday’s home game against Watford, his manager revealed: “Murph got a bang there near the end. He was struggling. Thankfully there was only three or four minutes left.

“We’ll just see how they are because they’ve all had to work exceptionally hard. It’ll be a tough game on Tuesday, Watford are a good team.”

Blackpool caretaker-boss Steve Thompson was disappointed his team again conceded first: “We always said that the first goal was going to be massive. The stats don’t lie, we’re conceding too many. I think it’s 70-something per cent that we’ve conceded first in a game now.

“I think the Tiago Gomes one was a great chance for us. Although he’s hit the post, if he pulls it back Matt Derbyshire’s got an open goal.

“So, they do turn games, although I’m not saying it makes or breaks the game, but especially in these games where it’s a little bit flat, the first goal is always going to be important.”

Thompson, who confirmed there will be a press announcement regarding Paul Ince’s appointment as manager on Monday and that he will become a member of the former England skipper’s staff, says he left Ince’s son Tom out after his travelling late this week.

“He left training on Thursday to get to the airport early,” he said. “He travelled through the night on Thursday.

“He was up at 7 o’clock in the morning on Friday for the meeting/trial, whatever you want to call it, and he got back to our hotel last night at 11.30.

“I spoke to him today and the lad was physically and mentally drained. Really, he shouldn’t have been in the squad.”

He added: “I find it absolutely crazy that my top scorer and one of my main players is travelling around Europe two days before a game.”


Photo: Action Images



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Garv added 18:41 - Feb 16
Why hasn't he been playing since Campbell left? Scores against a premier league team and gets dropped. Fantastic goal today. Very happy for him.
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bluesman added 18:41 - Feb 16
Message from chops to the moaners: shshshshsh
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TractorBoy666 added 18:48 - Feb 16
I found it poor of some fans to give him some booing when he came on. Remember, if it wasn't for him scoring in the 90th minutes against Watford and Bolton, we would be much lower. Chopra should be starting more IMO, he's a proven goal scorer and we need goals. Top scorer last season, so don't quite understand why he hasn't been starting. The fans that say 'he scored for once' he can't exactly score sitting on the bench, can he? Scrappy game really, but its 3 points and Tuesday is going to be a tricky game. However, we seem to play better against the higher teams! Good result today.
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Len_Brennan added 18:52 - Feb 16
@Garv: I think you know why.
One of the best finishers in this league, without doubt, when his head is right & there isn't any issues surrounding him. Unfortunately there have been very few weeks when that's been the case since he joined us. To be fair to Mick, he seems to be dealing with him well.
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jas0999 added 18:58 - Feb 16
Garv - why didn't your beloved PJ play Chopra? As Len_Brennan says, I think you know why. I also note that you haven't bothered to congratulate MM and the team on an excellent win? I know you loved PJ, but time to move on. MM is doing an excellent job. God knows where we would have been if PJ remained. Down by now probably.

Great result today. Performance wasn't great, but the win was crucial. Well done to all concerned.
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Mark added 19:06 - Feb 16
McCarthy said he wanted hard-fought 1-0 wins for the rest of this season, and he got just that today. Well done to the lads who all fought for the 3 points.

It was a good goal by Chopra and shows the quality is still there. It's such as shame he had/has so many problems which saw him drop below pretty much every other striker at the club in the pecking order, but today should give him a big boost.
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bluefeast added 19:12 - Feb 16
He is important because he scores ,personalities actions etc outside of the game , who cares ,we want and need pplayers that score ,he is one of them. Do Chelsea moan about John Terry , no they love him because hes a winner. We need to support the individual players , not boo them ,just as well it did not knock his confidence .. COYB and well done Mr Chopra
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itfc1981 added 19:17 - Feb 16
Chopra is no longer horsing around.
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Lightningboy added 19:26 - Feb 16
Said last week that I think Chopra's still our best goal threat out of the strikers we have..

Now if only he could totally focus 100 % on playing football and putting the ball in the net,it'd be like having a new signing...come on Chops,you can do it.

Important win today.
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Walk_the_Wark added 19:27 - Feb 16
Chopra is the best natural goalscorer we have- end of
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Edmunds5 added 19:37 - Feb 16
The people who have been frustrated by Chops are not moaners, neither have I heard many fans say he's a poor player. He has let himself down on occasions and as a result had let the club down, as proud fans your hardly going to be impressed by some of his antics, everyone makes mistakes but it seemed for a while that all news concerning Chops seemed bad news. Nobody has doubted his ability to score goals but it works both ways, if Chops gives 100% then no one can complain but when someone is on £15k a week thats surely the least someone can ask for, and at times I feel thats been in question. At the same time he scored 14 goals in a fairly poor side first season and has got us some valuable poins this. He has probably deserved to play more so fair play to him for getting on with it and hopefully he can get on a bit of a run now. People are not moaners, he's been irresposible but if people think for one moment that fans want him to fail and have given up on him then they are mistaken, we all want him to get going again because he plays for our club and we know he's got it in him to still be a success.
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Edmunds5 added 19:37 - Feb 16
The people who have been frustrated by Chops are not moaners, neither have I heard many fans say he's a poor player. He has let himself down on occasions and as a result had let the club down, as proud fans your hardly going to be impressed by some of his antics, everyone makes mistakes but it seemed for a while that all news concerning Chops seemed bad news. Nobody has doubted his ability to score goals but it works both ways, if Chops gives 100% then no one can complain but when someone is on £15k a week thats surely the least someone can ask for, and at times I feel thats been in question. At the same time he scored 14 goals in a fairly poor side first season and has got us some valuable poins this. He has probably deserved to play more so fair play to him for getting on with it and hopefully he can get on a bit of a run now. People are not moaners, he's been irresposible but if people think for one moment that fans want him to fail and have given up on him then they are mistaken, we all want him to get going again because he plays for our club and we know he's got it in him to still be a success.
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whosroundisitanyway added 19:45 - Feb 16
bluefeast
Couldn't agree more. Chopra was brought here for his undoubted goalscoring ability. While in no way condoning his personal issues off the pitch while he's on it wearing a town shirt he will have my undying support along with the other 10. The total bell ends who boo any player stepping over the white line wearing our uniform should not be in the ground. He won the game today and it would be nice if he had an affinity with the fans that would allow him to enjoy his goal celebration with us. Sadly I feel that while his team mates who know him alot better than we do joined in, his reaction with the fans was justifiably subdued. The crowd need to up their game as much as the players to achieve a similar outcome on Tuesday night.
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JackITFC96 added 20:08 - Feb 16
Was a star today, came on and everything he did was superb, his touches really impressed me everyone was spot on, was horrible football all game, as a town fan it depresses me to hear our fans slate the players rather than get behind them for whatever they have done wrong, well played lads, job well done!
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fussysnake added 20:14 - Feb 16
Chopra's goals against Watford, Huddersfield, Bolton & Blackpool have given Town 10 points this season... without them we would be rock bottom... cheers Chops!!!!
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Garv added 20:16 - Feb 16
Jas like I say he should have replaced Campbell when he left. Fully understand why PJ and Mick played DJ ahead of him while he was here.

This being a Chopra story I just commented on Chopra. I have congratulated th team on the forum.

Personally I don't buy this 'when his head is right' nonsense. I don't think its any coincidence that he has scored in both his last two starts.
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Garv added 20:28 - Feb 16
Funny you still feel the need to bring up PJ. He's my beloved is he?
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Keaneish added 20:35 - Feb 16
Important win today! Last week all results went against us but this week that all changed around. Resolute display if unspectacular. I think we'll get that from now on in until we accumulate 50 points which will do me just fine!~

Pleased for Chopra. I've been saying as have some of us that he should partner McGoldrick. Those two combined should see us over the line this season. I thought Hyam was excellent today and the back 4 continue to look solid.

The 2 negatives for me were Edwards and N'Daw. The best thing that happened to Edwards this season was Taylor getting injured. He's been untroubled in that spot all season and he's been coasting as he did for 80 mins today. I'll be surprised if N'daw gets a contract with us next season too. Although he's offered us much need rigidity and protection at times, his passing is awful and he's pretty weak in a tackle for a big man.

All in all though delighted. I'd be happy with a draw Tuesday night. For me there will be changes as some looked tired today. Martin will come in on the left if Murphy is unfit, Chopra will start and i'd like to see Drury get a run with Hyam in place of N'Daw.

And to the bloke i was stood next to, why on earth would you bring on Kisnorbo to replace Wordsworth!!? Have you any clue?
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punch_bowl added 20:37 - Feb 16
we all know he acts like an idiot, but so does so many other people, would you be bothered if your window cleaner was a complete knob? no...He is our only natural goal scorer and has been hardly scoring when he has played cos the midfield never gave him service....a window cleaner without a bucket!
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bobble added 20:47 - Feb 16
good win ....more of and we will be groovy for next year
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runningout added 21:35 - Feb 16
a few very dodgy posts on here, makes me worry about some of our followers.. Chopra may have been awarded the goal at Villa, but that's against a side we should have beaten well... I hope Chopra improves and only then I would understand regular starts for him.. Have my fingers crossed he understands he has been a slight embarrassment to his present club, and puts it all behind him...
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lowtit added 22:32 - Feb 16
why dont you play him every week then mc carthy? hes probably one of the more 'football intelligent' players we have - everyone else looked like they were on sleeping pills today --
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Tractastic added 22:38 - Feb 16
What ever we think of Chopra's off field antics he is a proven goal scorer and a class above the other forwards we have.If MM can get his head right IMO opinion he would be as good if not better than DJ for us.
I'm very pleased he had a chance to shine and well done to the whole team today.
So much better than last Saturday's results and enjoying the Shiraz so much more this week.COYB.
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LukeITFC94 added 23:32 - Feb 16
I thought Chopra played Fantastic today and took his goal well! he is fantastic in front of goal! Theres no point in booing him the blokes has got a gambling that's obvious but were not all perfect. Now lets back him and hope he fires us up the table!
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R_LAMB3 added 00:43 - Feb 17
I think the fan base on here concerning Chopra is about 50-50 and looking back on the games this season he seemed to have scored some goals that got us the points.
I think everybody is entitled to a second chance and on his day he can be a quality striker but the problem we were all thinking he would score 20 goals a season for us and it did not happen.
Maybe his private life has being sorted out a bit now he might just concentrate on football matters and if he was giving a run in the team we might see the old Chopra back.
I hope so.
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