Boss Mick McCarthy revealed that skipper Luke Chambers apologised to his team-mates for his overall performance, despite having scored the last-gasp winner as Town defeated QPR 2-1 at Portman Road. Chambers powered home a header in the 92nd minute of what McCarthy admitted was no Boxing Day classic.

“I think it’s a really important result and maybe it’s got the monkey off our back at home because we needed to win a game,” McCarthy said, the Blues having previously won just one of their last nine at home.

“I don’t think it was wonderful entertainment, I think it was a fairly turgid, horrible game which was going nowhere.

“It had 0-0 written over it in the first half until we defended abysmally and conceded a goal which was just appalling for us to concede from a number of levels.

“Not just one player, it was typical of us, it was about five little errors which ended up as a huge one and it ended up in our net.

“That gave them the spark and was the reason they were able to sit in and leave one up front, which they did, they left the big fella [Sebastian Polter] up front and he was a handful.

“If anything we’ve won it because of our belligerence, tenacity and the aggressive way we play and kept going. That’s what won us the game.

“And Chambo, who came in and apologised for his performance to everybody else, that’s a captain’s performance - if you’re not having the best game come up and score the bloody winner and everybody forgets about it.

“He can put his performance behind him because that won’t be written down in history but scoring the winner will. I love that about my team, that they keep going.

“He just said ‘Sorry lads, not my best performance’. I said ‘Don’t worry, you scored the winner’. I’m not going to tell you what else I said to him.

“He made up for the first goal because he had a hand in that, Junior Hoilett got across and beat him, but there were a whole load of other mistakes as well, and it should never have ended up as that.

"I love that about him, I think he’s a really top lad, top player, top captain and he has a real influence on the team.”

The Blues manager says he’s been delighted with the way his skipper has adapted to life at right-back: “He’s scored a couple of goals, he’s bought into it, he’s a good professional.

“When you ask people to play in a different position, they can do one of two things. Go and do all right a couple of times, then become a square peg in a round hole and then be left out. But he’s not done that.

“There are days when he’s centre-half and you can see that he’s not a full-back, it’s not all going great for him, but he sticks at it and he’s done that brilliantly today. Well done Chambo.”

Asked what the difference was between the sides, McCarthy added: “The fact that I’ve got a central midfielder [Jonathan Douglas] who has got in and scored because we were putting pressure on them and we were susceptible to getting done on the break on a number of occasions

"They’ve got Junior Hoilett and Matt Phillips, Premier League footballers, and the big fella up front could hold it up.

“And the fact that I’ve got Dougie, who’s 34 and covers about 12km every game, he’s there putting it in and takes his chance.

“He [adds to the goal threat in midfield], he scored eight last year [for Brentford] and he’s got three this year now.

“And I’ve got a full-back, who says himself that he’s not had the best game but is in the box in the 92nd minute and scores. That’s the difference.

“We kept going - I’m not saying they didn’t keep going - but Derby beat us, Middlesbrough beat us, but none of them could have said that it was an easy game. So, what was the difference? We kept going and we wanted to win it, and we nicked it.”

He continued: “You could also say Cole Skuse clearing it off the line [from Leroy Fer]. If it goes to 2-0 we’re goosed.”

McCarthy was delighted that the 23,615-strong biggest crowd of the season will have been sent home happy after the drama of the late winner, but admitted: “They had to wade through 93 minutes of shite before it got great, though!"

The Town boss was pleased with the impact wingers Ryan Fraser and Tommy Oar had from the bench: “I don’t think Freddie and Ainsley are shy at being attack-minded and Ryan needs to be fully fit, but he certainly always has an impact.

“And Tommy Oar, poor old Tommy, he was knocked out [against Huddersfield], then he did his knee ligaments, but he was brilliant this week in training. The best week’s training you’re ever likely to have. I’m sure he’s got a contribution to make.”

McCarthy, whose side remain sixth in the Championship, says that the result has made his Christmas at least semi-happy.

“I’d sooner play well and win,” he admitted. “But I’ve just said to someone else ‘Screw ‘em, I’ve got three points’. I’m not bothered, just win, the object of my job is to win games’.

“That’s what will enable me to have at least a semi-happy Christmas now because we’ve got three points and nothing else really matters to me.

“Sad, but my life is conducted around football results and the way I feel and my mood, my demeanour all revolve around football results. It’s a fairly shallow, sad old life but it f–k it, I feel great today!”

QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was disappointed with the way his side defended as they fell to their first defeat under his management: “It comes down to this, if you don’t defend properly, if you switch off, you’re going to be punished. And Ipswich capitalised on that very well.

"I thought the first goal was a little bit flukey, he mishit it. Douglas was very sharp but it was a mishit but you still have to stop the cross going in.

“I think in the first half we really well organised and we couldn’t have scored at a better moment.

“We had a chance to make it 2-0 but we didn’t take it and when it stays 1-0 then you know you have to be resolute and defend until the end, 96 minutes, you have to defend properly and then try to capitalise when you have the ball.”

Regarding Town, he added: “Ipswich are a good side, we always knew that it was going to be a very difficult match.

“The gaffer here, Mick, has got them playing a certain way and has been doing a magnificent job since he has come in and they are going to be there or thereabouts.”

Photo: Action Images

phillo added 22:55 - Dec 26 Was there today & it really is very simple. Until the team shape & personel changed to 2 GENUINE wide players (Oar & Fraser - athough AMN could also be one of the 2) and Sears went back to where he should be up top (a case could have been made for Murphy to go off rather than Pitman) we played long ball hoof, to players out of position (Sears wide mid ??!!??) and were dire ...... then the whole feel changed when "we had to go for it" & for the last 20mons we played football - using the width of the pitch, going around the back & from side to side - & ripped them apart. Why cant we do that from the start !???!!!!! Please, please, please Mick start with the type of team that finished today & try to win matches from the beginning ..... its so much mote exciting & appears to be effective playing players in their correct positions (Sears) & having the option to actually play the ball wide rather than just hoof straight to Murphy/Pitman ! We have the talent in the squad to do this ......please just trust the players.

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bluesman added 23:45 - Dec 26 It wasn't thw wirst I've seen but we are desperately short of a full back. Surely MM will be looking whatever the suits say ...
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warktheline added 23:54 - Dec 26 If anyone thinks we're going to get promoted playing the way we are at present, all I can say is take a break from the jack Daniels!!! Show me the way to go home, I'm tired and I want to go to bed, I ad a little drink bout an hour ago, and it's gone right to me ed!!!!!! Keep dreaming all..........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!
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TractorBeezer added 00:18 - Dec 27 Listened on Player and have read some reports...including some first hand from pals. Am thankful for the three points but from what I can gather we have to get the right balance. Ninety per cent direct play (hoof ball) is surely not the answer. Again well done to the lads for not giving up and delivering three vital points.
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Keaneish added 08:02 - Dec 27 This post match interview is the one we've all been waiting for. It identifies all the problems with the squad that we and Championship managers have known all season but Mick has been too belligerent to address. 1 - the frank admission that Chambers gets done too many times and isn't a full back and is doing a job. Surely this means we'll go out and buy a right back in the window if he doesn't think Parr is up to it. 2 - the ground that Douglas has to make-up because we don't retain possession for long enough high enough up the pitch possibly suggesting that we also sit deep in the middle and have to cover a lot getting forward. 3 - that perhaps Skuse isn't giving the level of protection required if full backs are exploited and we're making last ditch defensive goal line clearances. If we don't get investment and we don't adjust our approach, what does this mean? Another season in the Championship happy scraping out wins with turgid displays? I think if you took the last 5 games, Boro, MK Dons, Fulham, Derby and QPR we've probably played well for about 165 or 170 mins from the 450 mins available.

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Dissboyitfc added 08:11 - Dec 27 Heard some guy bleating on radio suffolk about the negativity at Portman road and how he couldn't understand it( said it about 10 times), Read the above report for the answer to the confusion, players out of position an imbalanced team which leads to the typical "us" quote crap game and expensive day out. As has already been said, we are also rans of english football in the second tier. Mm has his strengths and i applaud him for those, but its his faults that will only take us so far ( where we are now i think ) So for the chap on the radio i say this, you maybe happy and ecstatic at what you see and thats good for you, but dont rant about those of us who want better. It may only be the 3 points and where we are in may, but i dont think it has to be at the expense of football. You can get promoted playing football, can anyone imagine how we would fare in the top flight? I think we would pick up another record and not a proud one either! One more thing MM is aware of the frustration of fans at players out of position, he sounds almost proud that he has got players out of position and they are his first names on the team sheet, these are things that annoy me and others...

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sidtheswan added 08:20 - Dec 27 I think MM needs to introduce all the players to each other let them know we play in blue and then when they pass the ball they might recognise their team mates ! Or we could continue to play hoof ball with square pegs in round holes and hope we end up in the play offs !
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Gazelle added 09:26 - Dec 27 The person who rang in after the game summed it up. It doesn't matter how many positional changes people say we should make, the present squad is just not good enough, and whereas Derby and Middlesborough would need to buy a couple of players when they get promoted, if by some miracle we manage to go up we would have to buy 8 or 9. With the players we've got we've done remarkably well to be in the top six.

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HackneyBlue added 09:31 - Dec 27 Warkystash-charlton was 26K and they brought a lot more than qpr did,i too dislike the entertainment but one has to suffer it at the moment
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wideblue added 09:38 - Dec 27 Chambers was far from the worst player in our team. Knudsen was a liability and looked out of his depth, lacking any sort of pass or vision. As for the quality of the game, I felt both sides were poor and that we lacked pace and urgency for much of the game - but we won - and sometimes we need to be thankful for that, as we go into the second half of the season with a chance. For those in the crowd who seem to revel in misery any time a player makes a mistake, how much do you think the jeering helps the team - you are supporters, the clue is in the name.

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senduntd added 09:40 - Dec 27 Well Hackney boy Stoke have been playing that sort of football for years and seem to be doing O K.
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warktheline added 09:49 - Dec 27 @gazelle, don't agree with needing a hatful of players! A proper right back, a midfielder with an eye for a pass and creativity, and a touch of class upfront would put us well in the mix. It isn't going to happen, and as such, McCarthy will continue with the approach of scrapping for points, without regard for entertainment!
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Keaneish added 10:50 - Dec 27 Completely agree Dissboyitfc and warktheline.
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warktheline added 11:03 - Dec 27 @keaneish, elaborate?
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warktheline added 11:06 - Dec 27 Sorry Keanish, mis read your post, ignore my previous post!
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warktheline added 11:10 - Dec 27 C'mon essex57, let's here it! Left and come back I see! A bold statement you couldn't fulfill , maybe stop to think about it next time!
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Gazelle added 11:11 - Dec 27 That's a start Walky but I've said it many times that Chambers 'was' a top class central defender when he played there and he's been ruined by being forced to play as a right back. Our central defence is unbalanced with two blatant left footers which doesn't help our defending on the right side of the field. On the subject of QPR's goal, Chambers is taking the blame but 4 yards out from the left hand post is not the responsibility of the right back surely.

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rfretwell added 11:29 - Dec 27 I have watched Town since Sir Bobbys day and believe me that was a god awful match for the first thee quarters of it. So dire I missed QPRs goal to queue for some Aspalls - anything to relieve the pain of watching more of that s--- first half. MM is to blame definitely - we have players from Bournemouth, Brentford, Arsenal who were schooled in quick, forward passing along the turf. Now they get sucked into hoofball just like the rest. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP - NOW.

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BigHibbs added 11:48 - Dec 27 Football is brilliant, I love coming on here and reading all the tractor boys comments. We all go to football for different reasons and all seek different things when purchasing that season ticket ! Me personally if I was to compare myself to a manager it's MM. My season ticket is just over 600 quid a year and all I care about is winning, if we win I go home happy simple as that. But I do understand that a majority of fans go to be entertained and the style MM plays certainly is the opposite of that. So you have to make a decision as I can guarantee he isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I didn't sit in my season ticket seat yesterday I sat with Marcus Evans in his box with some of my family. His way of saying thanks for me picking him up from airport on Christmas Day. As he loves mick he loves the fact Ipswich are competing in the top 7-8 teams and will not be getting rid. So you have to decide whether to keep going and learn to enjoy MM style. Or just stop putting yourself through the pain !!!! I personally will go til the day I die whatever level we are playing at

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bohslegend added 13:01 - Dec 27 Total b0ll0x from the usual b0ll0x0lligists. We were playoff contenders last season, we are again this season, the self-righteous johnny-know-it-alls who used to wait till we lost to talk sh1te now scrape the barrel and berate the team and manager when we win! They claim we won't get promoted because of the way MM has us playing, yet the contradiction is that the way MM has us playing puts us in a playoff position at Christmas, ready to push on again in the second half of the season with so many quality injured players returning to bolster the squad. In the play offs you need a little bit of luck as much as anything. We certainly needed it against Bolton in 2000 last time we went up regardless of the style of football we played. In contrast we didn't get any luck last year. Berra gets a rush of blood to the head and handles on the line. Game over. One of our best players the whole season. I'm convinced that this season we have the players (and the manager) to get promoted most likely through the playoffs, and the realists and moaners and FIFA16ers who always know better will have to find something else to moan about. Oh wait, with that comes new expectation. Whether realistic or not, as usual we'll have the moaners back calling for the managers head.

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warktheline added 13:02 - Dec 27 @gazelle, I don't blame Chambers in the slightest, he plays where he's asked to! As you say, Chambers is a top class championship central defender. @ essex57, is it you, or a ghost from Christmas past!😀
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warktheline added 13:07 - Dec 27 @bohslegend, still unable to post without insulting opposing opinions! Go to the back of the class and face the wall. Some never learn!
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Cheshire_Blue added 14:04 - Dec 27 bohslegend well said, some common sense at last. You are spot on. It is high time we accepted we do not have the cash to compete with the big money boys, stop the moaning and appreciate what MM is achieving by giving the team we have got 100% support. To virtually match the likes of Derby and Middlesborough on a fraction of the expenditure deserves a medal in itself and certainly not the constant abuse being thrown at MM by a handful on here. I have been lucky enough to support ITFC since the late 1950s and I have seen many changes in the way football is run in that time so until the wealthy benefactor comes along to enable us to buy the players to successfully play the free flowing brand of football we all crave we should be grateful for what we have got and if we call ourselves supporters of ITFC give the support the team and management deserve. Good luck to Mick and his team in 2016.

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Keaneish added 14:34 - Dec 27 @bohslegend and cheshireblue - the point others are making which I agree with, is that the level, standard and quality of football is dross and we're not happy paying money to watch direct, counter attacking, 2nd ball football. We're not asking for attacking, free-flowing football. None of us are young or deluded enough to expect that given our budget but we do expect a level of football this club is historically known for and has a proud tradition of producing and that's worth watching. What bothers me is that this statement from MM is all about getting the 3points and going home, job done. It sounds like achieving the bare minimum is good enough. I don't show up for work do the bare minimum and go home after 8 hours thinking, 'job done', on to tomorrow and I don't expect to pay £30 to see the same. If I said names to you like, Aidy Boothroyd, Dave Bassett, John Beck, Tony Pullis, Sam Allardyce you'd probably cringe so what's the difference here? All eyes were on Mick this season following 2 and a half successful seasons and all credit to him and Terry. Now, with a decent enough assembled squad, we haven't progressed our style of football and quite frankly, win or no win, comment or no comment, it's not enough to rock up and grind out a painful 3 points, tell us the problems we all know are evident with the squad in a post-match interview, do nothing about it week-in-week-out and say, 'job done'. I don't see this and neither do others as 'job done' at this stage of a tenure. This is exactly why MM lost the faith of those around him at Sunderland and Wolves and it's happening again.

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Keaneish added 14:38 - Dec 27 * correction - 3-year tenure! Time flies!
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