Please forgive me for the opinions I am about to express as I am disillusioned with many things ITFC especially many of the negative comments I read on this site.
I have supported my blues since 1984 having a season ticket for 23 years since 1993 and had more disappointed seasons than reasons to celebrate. I live 141 miles from Ipswich, suffered a divorce I blame on my support for the boys in blue and have indoctrinated two daughters to follow my team.

I get depressed when we lose, get frustrated when we don't entertain and annoyed when we are sh***, the last few seasons has been a chore and my sanity questioned come the long journeys we endure come match day.

Brighton and Fulhm away, Leeds at home, QPR at home shine bright in justifying my hope and belief. Support my team through good and bad and then more bad. But... Support is what we should do, frustration is understandable as we all want the Burley days back, oh to be entertained.

Do I like our football? No, do I think Mick is the best we can have right now? Yes I do
None of us will ever know if Financial Fair Play is the reason for lack of investment or is it down to M r Evans losing interest?

What I do know, is that at the time of his appointment, Keane was welcomed by most but destroyed our team, players and history, Jewell was welcomed but we faltered and were heading for League One. I fear if that had happened we would not have replicated Leicester, Scum, Southampton et al, but would have been a Portsmouth or Wigan.

McCarthy came and saved us, after year one we all loved him, progression has happened our academy flourishes but our brand of football is dull.

To all those who slag of the manager, what real alternatives do you see, who is there in our budget, who should we have secured after millions wasted in the past.

I've sat in the stands as Delaney was slaughtered, yet at CP he has been a good Premier League player, Leadbetter called Leadboots by many and derided yet the driving force behind Boro and their promotion.

Pre season is poor on results, but I recall years of pre season victories maybe even beating West Ham to then finish 16th

Am I impressed? No, but I support the team I love in the knowledge of where we are, I support the players that wear our shirt and despite frustrations I support our manager.

Those that slag him off all the time, please tell me who would do an overall better job in the circumstances. Blame the owner perhaps, I hear of his wealth yet we do not spend, but I'd rather that than be a Portsmouth though their fans do really support.

I am not blinkered but I have faith in Micks knowledge being better than mine, I have hope that if Didzy, Sears, Bish, Dozzer stay fit we could start to build a team to entertain and to make us proud. But remember we are part of that team and United we are stronger.

Leicester fans never turned two years ago and look at the rewards they have had, even the Scum in league One, sold out and were supported, perhaps there is something to be said.

I LOVE MY TEAM ALWAYS WILL, I HOPE WE IMPROVE BUT REGARDLESS I WILL BE BACK

Won't be posting anymore. McCarthy's an idiot. Should've been sacked ages ago. No point in moaning anymore. As long as the owner is satisfied we'll have to put up with it...

^London- the answer is quite simple- anyone who understands and can implement the tactics of the modern game...

Walk the walk

It's hard to say what's happening but I think McCarthy has had his hands tied for some time. He offered contracts to Feeney, Foley and Payne. They didn't accept those contracts and MCCarthy can't be blamed for that. All 3 players would have improved our squad enormously. He is finding the players but he can't agree a wage or alternatively other clubs sweep in and offer the player twice or three times what we have.

We are playing appalling, boring, awful football that's needed to win games but that's because we can't get the personnel in. Fraser, Foley and Sears all showed moments of class last season (Fraser and Foley were magnificent IMO). We have tried to play football on the deck in preseason and the results show that attempt. I hate hoofball but it's the only way we are going to beat teams that know how to pass, dribble and cross better than us. One hoof up the pitch and there is always a chance Murphy can create a knock down or one of their defence makes a mistake. It's been tried and tested the last 2 seasons and our players are actually getting better at it. You could see at Colchester that our strikers were running around as soon as one of our defenders got the ball, expecting the hoof. Mickszzzztactics has got it spot on when it comes to how we play the game.

I am sad cos my 2 nephews now won't be accompanying me to home games. They refuse to go as the football "sucks" and they get really bored. Neither of them has ever seen us even beat Norwich as they were both too young at the time to remember Magilton. April 2009 is over 7 years ago now and they are both 13. They did fall asleep at a couple of games last year so maybe that's a good thing.

Anyway Londonblue, I hope along with you that we have a good season ahead, more in abject hope than realistic expectation. Coyb!

Poldark sorry hit the wrong arrow and marked you down fully agree with your post....

Martinez , Jacket available. 2 hopes eh

Tractorboy1985. Typical of many on here u blame Evans. Rubbish. Should he say to hell to the ffp? Maybe, tho putting the club in danger of extinction isn't the best idea I've ever heard (Remember we're have the disadvantage of having been in administration once already. A 2nd time would mean liquidation). But McCarthy has for the past 2 Windows been told money is available ( not massive amounts I'm sure), but in Jan mm stated he didn't want any money as he was happy with who he'd got. Money is available now ( he stated 2 days ago that very fact). So he needs to go and spend it. But has to make sure he gets the right players in. I'm not sure he can do that. Hey, I'd love an owner who spends millions, I'm sure we all would but not at the expense of risking the club's future. And remember, he tried spending millions with magilton, keane And Jewell and lol where it got us? Can I really blame him for pulling in the purse strings? Clearly if I owned a business it wouldn't last long as ud spend spend spend.

There was a time that i would be full of excitement at the prospect of a new season, but its fear and the prospect of embarrassment i feel now, basicly the same squad but weaker, strikers that can,t buy goal against a much weaker opposition, a defence that well seems disjointed at best, not a winger in sight!
A new player in by the end of the week? new players should have been in six weeks ago, i don,t give tuppence for our chances this year, unless of course our players are just pretending to be crap to create a few surprises, lol
Just one more thing, on paper, i wonder exactly what our squad is actually worth! compared with a certain club up the road a bit? and we have to face them in just a few weeks!! a severe drubbing on the cards, if that happens then MM should get his coat!

Londonblue73. Good post but have to respond about ur point of mms knowledge being better? Every fan I know agrees that Sears is a total waste being played out wide yet he persists in playing him there. So many players out of position. Chambers still at rb. Bishop out wide, again a waste. Dozzell, totally left footed comes on, plays on the right, snuffed out because continually had to turn back onto his left foot. Bru simply isn't good enough. Tells us Stewart is very much part of the squad this year yet instead of him coming on to play wide we have dozzell one side, Sears the other. Play players in their correct position and maybe he'd get the best out of them. The 1st goal yesterday? How many times did we concede from one of our own set pieces last season, Yet he still hasn't managed to have players out in right place to prevent this happening. It took 2 passes to get from their box to our net, leaving Skuse totally expression his own. Disgraceful. Simply shouldn't happen

Darned predictive text. Should read Skuse totally exposed.

Evans has got to give the fans something more than just Webster for £750000!

McCarthy deserves more backing than he is getting for what he has done for the club !

I appreciate we are not in the market to be spending £5-£10 million pound players such as the Newcastle utds and Norwich and Aston villas .

But just something a little more than free transfers and players from others squads who need match fitness .

I for one love my team as well !
I to have supported my team since 1974 .
but am getting extremely fed up with the approach of the current owner and his puppets

The town fans like Roland Lamah & Mick has to keep us guessing if he'll sign him!!
WHY?!! Just sign him up he sounds a decent player, he has a goal in him & who else is there apart from Stewart in that position.
Doesn't look good going into the new season, doesn't seem like he knows his team either.

not surprised,no indication that the club has [A] learned anything from last season, done anything to improve situation, as i said just prior to end of last season, its not worth the expense to follow them living as i do, north of Lowestoft.I havnt got thewill to go and watch a once proud club die.This i fear will be a painfull season .HOPE im wrong .

Blues1 - I share the frustration of seeing Sears play wide and Chambers at RB indeed I often drive home moaning. However I look at players like Mings and recall some fans getting on his back yet management backed him and what a player we had albeit briefly. I recall fans slating Mick for not playing Taylor yet how has his career gone (a bad apple).
I would love to see the youngsters at full back if we don't sign anyone yet I trust through training Mick sees more than we do.

I would not shed a tear if Mick left though I fear who would replace and I guess my view is we are improving, the money is not spent but the youngsters are coming through that may gel and turn our fortunes round as did a young Dyer, Wright, Scowcroft of year gone by. The same Scowcroft lambasted by many but backed by Burley & missed when replaced by Finidi George.

I guess we all want the same and all have differing views but we all need to support our team and trust, voice opinions after 6 or 7 games. My fear is negativity on the terraces transmits to the pitch and if it happens early before a ball is kicked in anger it will not help.

All said and done I'm sure my steering wheel will hit in anger at 5pm on a Saturday as I make the long journey home.

Let's just hope we are surprised the youngsters shine and we are entertained but regardless of all that I will support the blue army.

A breath of fresh air London blue73 well stated.

How many times will we hear that opening statement this season

PJewell I have to disagree. McCarthy is part of the same era as Bruce and Allardyce. If you gave him £20m he could not get a team promoted and keep them there. Time he retired. Sorry, but 80's tactics just don't work anymore

Well I've just looked at our form from the 1st of January to the end of this pre season. Frightening. There are actually 2 teams with worse form and both of those got relegated. Where have we improved ,what is the plan on recruitment , what system will we play ,when will players be played in their correct positions. I don't think its all down to MM ,its down to the players. Bera hoof ,chambers hoof ,skuse hopf ,knudson hoof , smith hoof . I hope we play 451 so we don't get done in mid.