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McCarthy Not Panicking as Blues Visit Burton Looking to Get Back to Winning Ways
Thursday, 26th Oct 2017 18:41

Boss Mick McCarthy says there’s no panic at Town ahead of Saturday’s trip to third-bottom Burton Albion despite the Blues having lost six of their last eight matches in the Championship, including the last three, and slipping to 11th in the table as a result.

“No, I’m not panicking,” McCarthy said at Thursday’s pre-match press conference, which was shown live on TWTV. “What would it achieve anyway? What could I do if I panicked, how is that going to make anything better?

“I tend to think keeping calm about it and keeping doing what we’re doing [is better, even] if that’s [seen as] a sign of madness because we’ve not been winning games.

“But panicking and changing it and just doing different things is not going to achieve a great deal, is it? I’ve always believed in trying to keep that calm demeanour, inside and and out.

“It’s easier to keep on the outside sometimes than it is on the inside, but I believe we’ve been playing well and if we can replicate the performance we produced on Sunday then we’ll do better against some of the other teams. They’re a good side Norwich.”

McCarthy dismissed the suggestion that having a number of players such as Adam Webster, Tom Adeyemi and Joe Garner on their way back from injury had an impact on his team's performance as they were beaten 1-0 by the Canaries, extending their winless derby run to nine matches and nearly nine years.

“We missed chances on Sunday, that’s what we did,” he responded. “You can’t say any of those players didn’t perform well.

“Garns ran out of juice and so did Tom Adeyemi. Whether others did or not, it’ll help all of us, me, the rest of the players, the team, the fans, the club if I’ve got everybody fit and that includes Tom and Emyr Huws, Teddy Bishop, Luke Hyam, we’ve had loads of injuries.

“But I don’t think that affected that performance on Sunday. I think the performance in the first half was really good. I was very pleased with it and we should have been in front.

“The fact that we weren’t was because we just didn’t take our chances unlike in games earlier on in the season.”

The Blues boss fielded a front three of Garner, David McGoldrick and Martyn Waghorn against Norwich and was pleased with their performances even if none of the got on the scoresheet.

“I thought they played well on Sunday,” he added. “I spoke to the lads and they were quite happy with the shape and the way we played and the lads up front.

“In the first six games we would probably have put three of those chances away, that was just what was happening, they were flying in the net and they’re not at the moment.

“And they had the one bit of quality, which punished us. I still think we had the better chances in the game.

“They’ve got to do their work, they’ve got to track back but I thought it was a good performance from those three and all of them had chances.

“I wasn’t unhappy at all with the performance of the team or with that front three. I think the players thought it had worked as well.”

McCarthy says the squad have begin to put Sunday’s disappointment behind them and trained well at Playford Road on Thursday.

“We’ve had a terrific session, a really sharp and positive session this morning, I was really pleased with it,” he added.

After the good start which saw the Blues win their first four Championship matches, the recent run has led to a return of last season’s discontentment among supporters.

“I don’t want to lose goodwill with the fans, they’re the ones who are always going to be coming and watching and supporting the club,” McCarthy continued.

“It was great early on, I’m not saying it’s turned now, but I think these next three games [Burton, Cardiff away and Preston at home] are going to have a big bearing on it.”

The Town boss believes his squad has played well in recent games even if they haven’t got the results he feels they deserved and isn’t getting unduly concerned about being sucked towards the wrong end of the table.

“I’m not sitting at home worrying myself sick,” he continued. “Last season when we played I didn’t think we played particularly well. We didn’t look like we were going to score at times.

“It’s been different in the performances that we’ve had recently, Leeds away, Sheffield United away, Bristol City at home. Certainly against Norwich we had our chances.

“It’s not like we’re playing lousy by any stretch of the imagination, whereas I admitted last year sometimes we were. But we need to win a game.”

He added: “In the first six games we were top scorers, things were flying in. Have we had fewer chances? I don’t think so.

“I think we’ve created chances in every game we’ve played in over the last six or seven games. We’ve just not put them away. We’ll keep working on that and a clean sheet would be nice amongst it all.”

McCarthy says he and his staff continually work on taking opportunities in training: “We work constantly at finishing and different sorts of sessions to create the chances that you would get, at the pace you would get them, whether they’re crosses or through balls or up, back and through.

“We constantly work at that. I think we all know there are times when there are barren times when you just don’t get one and you wonder how.

“And that’s how it is for strikers, sometimes it goes in off his knee or off his backside and he’ll get a goal and suddenly it starts again. So I’m hoping that’s going to be on Saturday.”


McCarthy believes that with a fit squad to choose from Town are capable of battling for a play-off place.

“I said at the start of the season that if we can get in the top 10 and stay there and be pushing for those top six positions we’d always have a chance,” he said. “But we’ve got to maintain that top 10 status so we can at least push for it.”

McCarthy brushed aside the claim that his defenders might be hampered by switching from a three-man backline to a four and back again regularly in recent weeks.

“They all train together, that’s a good reason to put an excuse on it, isn’t it? I think we’ve been better as a back four, to be quite honest, but I go back to last season playing a back three or a back five in the month that we started at Aston Villa, that probably kept us in the league.”

Also key to staying in the Championship last season was the 2-1 Good Friday victory over the Brewers, a result McCarthy wants to see repeated on Saturday.

“It was, those two results back to back, that and then Newcastle here, certainly cemented our position in the league because we were under the cosh, we could have got dragged into that bottom three.

“It was a really good performance that night and it’ll require similar again, the same if not better again.

“It’ll be a tough game. They’ve had a difficult run, it’s not an easy place to go and play and again we’ll have to be really totally committed to playing and play as well as we did on Sunday.”

Burton are without a win or a goal in the last five matches but McCarthy says they have shown defensive resolve in at least some of those games, their trips to Bristol City and QPR having ended 0-0.

“They’re not finishing whatever chances they’re getting,” he said. “I’ve watched three halves of their games so far and I’ll be watching the other halves this afternoon.

“They’ve been OK. I know Villa ended up beating them 4-0, they had a deflection and then they had one where somebody was down and they were screaming because they wanted to get the trainer on, that was the third goal and it just ran away from them.

“And I think similarly with Wolves. And on other occasions they’ve been tough and hard to beat, hard to play against.”

Nigel Clough did an impressive job to keep Burton in the Championship for a second season - last year was their first in the second tier - but McCarthy says he has a squad of players with experience at this level.

“For sure, but that team is full of other Championship clubs’ ex-players. I looked at the front three in one of the games, it was Lucas Akins, Sean Scannell, Lloyd Dyer. They’ve also got Joe Mason, they’ve got Reg Varney, who was here.

“They’re not without quality. Luke Murphy, who went from Crewe to Leeds for a million quid. They’ve got Jake Buxton, Ben Turner at the back, Kyle McFadzean. They’re not mugs by any stretch of the imagination.

“I know you might think some of them are journeymen but they are Championship players of Championship quality and we’ll have to play really well to beat them on Saturday.”

Given their current position and Town’s recent form, McCarthy expects Burton to take the game to the Blues.

“I think they’ll be looking at our results and there’ll be somebody up there talking to Nigel Clough saying, ‘Have you seen their results, do you think you can beat these, they’re having a tough time’.

“That’s just what will be happening, so I’d imagine they’ll want to be on the front foot, attacking us and making it a really difficult afternoon for us.”

Any extra pressure to win at Burton given the - on paper - tougher fixtures which follow? “On both of us, I’m sure they’re feeling the same. I don’t sit and worry about the other fixtures.

“I sat here last year when we were going to Aston Villa and we had [tough games coming up] and I said we’ll probably be all right, we’d got Brighton, Leeds, Villa and then we probably had one of our best months.

“In the past they’ve inspired us, the tougher games, the Cardiff away or the Preston at home. But I’d really like to concentrate on Burton and try and get three points there.”

McCarthy has lined his side up in 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 systems in the last three games, having been a staunch advocate of 4-4-2 for much of his management career, including his most successful spell with the Blues, the 2014/15 play-off campaign.

He says he’d like a more stable formation, although feels he’s currently not got the personnel available for his most favoured system and that the division requires a greater degree of flexibility these days.

“I would love to if I had everybody fit, yes. I haven’t got a 4-4-2 team at the minute,” he reflected.

“Is that still my default formation? I think it’s changed. I think the league’s changed, they way teams play has changed, definitely.

“And I think it requires different things. If we’ve lost the last three you can look at it and say maybe it’s because I’m changing the system, which I’m sure all the keyboard warriors are.

“But I’ve done it in the past and I’ve won games doing it. I changed to 3-5-2 when we went to Villa and we won the game. Nobody even mentioned that.

“The game against Birmingham having lost to 6-1 to Charlton [in the final pre-season friendly] with a four, we tip up and play three at the back and we win. Nobody says anything then.”

He believes changes are required more on a match by match, horses for courses basis in the Championship now.

“I think so, we’re not playing well enough at one particular way that we could do it [every week],” he added.

“I had 4-4-2 with the sometimes much-maligned Tabby and Ando and yet they tucked in and did the gig.

“But then there were other things they didn’t do as well as some of the other players we’ve had.

“We had Murph and Didz in their pomp and Freddie at the time. It was good. I just don’t have that type.

“And even if I did I still might have to change it because I just think teams have changed, I think there’s more quality come in, the way teams play, certainly there’s more teams playing 4-3-3 or one up and one in behind.”

Having been pleased with the performance against Norwich, if not the result, McCarthy may well opt to stick with the 4-3-3 at Burton.

Bartosz Bialkowski will continue in goal with either Jordan Spence or Dominic Iorfa at right-back, Jonas Knudsen at left-back and skipper Luke Chambers and Webster the centre-halves. Tommy Smith is likely to be among the subs.

In midfield, Cole Skuse will be joined by two of Tristan Nydam, Grant Ward and Flynn Downes with Tom Adeyemi expected to drop out with a recurrence of his hamstring injury. McGoldrick, Garner and Waghorn will be up front.

Burton boss Clough believes that Town’s drop into mid-table in recent weeks following their blistering start is a fair reflection of their true standing in the division.

“Ipswich are probably now where they should be. You get these good runs in the Championship and everyone’s expectations go through the roof and then it levels off and people say they then aren’t very good.

“Through the course of a season most teams will go on these runs. Without doing too much differently you could go five unbeaten or not win for five.“

He added: “They are very competitive — big and strong with players on the day who can hurt you and who are very experienced Championship players.”

Clough will be without full-back John Brayford due to a hamstring injury, centre-half Ben Turner (knee) is expected to be OK but forward pair Akins (hamstring) and Mason (back) are both doubts.

In April, in Town’s first ever competitive fixture at the Pirelli Stadium, ex-Blue Luke Varney netted an own goal and Freddie Sears his sixth of the season as the beat Burton Albion 2-1.

After a first-half in which Myles Kenlock had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside, Burton sub Varney nodded a corner past his own keeper on 52 and Sears added a second in the 79th minute, before the Brewers pulled a goal back via a Akins penalty four minutes from time.

Town withstood some late pressure to claim the three points and all but confirm their Championship status.

In the inaugural competitive match between the sides at Portman Road in October last year, skipper Chambers and Sears were on target as Town ended a five-game goalless and winless run with a 2-0 victory over Burton.

Chambers headed in a Sears cross in the 15th minute and Sears ended his own 38-game goal drought two minutes from the end to seal Town’s first and still only October victory under McCarthy’s management.

No member of the current Town squad has played for Burton, but striker Varney joined the Brewers in January with his short-term Blues contract having come to an end.

Former Town loan keeper Stephen Bywater joined the Brewers from Doncaster in January 2016. The 36-year-old made 17 appearances for the Blues in a half-season spell in 2008.

Winger Dyer, 35, moved to the Pirelli Stadium in the summer of 2016 after a spell with Burnley at the end of the previous season having turned down a contract with Town in February 2016 following a successful trial.

Burton left-back Ryan Delaney, 21, who has been on loan at Cork City and whose agent is ex-Blue Stephen Hunt, spent time training with Town during their 2016 summer training camp at Carton House in Ireland before subsequently joining the Brewers from Wexford Youth.

Saturday’s referee is Simon Hooper from Wiltshire, who has shown 40 yellow cards and one red in 14 games so far this season.

Hooper’s most recent Town game was last month’s 3-1 home defeat to Bristol City in which he yellow-carded Knudsen, Garner and one Robins player.

Prior to that he in charge of the 1-1 draw at home to Preston in January 2016 when he showed yellow cards to Brett Pitman and three Lilywhites.

In the preceding September he was the man in the middle during the 3-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Manchester United in which he booked only Jonny Parr.

Before that he refereed the Blues’ 2-0 home victory over Burnley at Portman Road in August of the same year in which he yellow-carded visitors’ winger Michael Kightly and no one else.

Hooper officiated in the 1-0 defeat at Reading in August 2014 in which he booked Smith, Tyrone Mings and Christophe Berra and two home players.

He also took control of the 1-0 win at Yeovil the previous season and the 3-0 home win against Crystal Palace in April 2013.

Probable squad: Bialkowski, Gerken, Spence, Iorfa, Connolly, Knudsen, Kenlock, Chambers, Webster, T Smith, Skuse, Nydam, Downes, Ward, Celina, Rowe, Garner, Sears, McGoldrick, Waghorn.


Photo: Action Images



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jas0999 added 19:20 - Oct 26
That's because he doesn't care. Beating Burton - an easier game - won't make up for seven defeats in nine. Let's see how we do in the games after this one!
11

blueboy1981 added 19:30 - Oct 26
..... he won't give a flying flee - win, lose, or draw. Quite simply because he knows he doesn't have to be concerned - he'll grind out enough to keep us mid to lower table over the season, for no other reason than to prove he can.
10

bradforblues added 20:18 - Oct 26
The one thing I find I see our defenders and sometimes midfielders drop too far back when the ball is wide so we end up leaving free men at the edge of the box. We conceded against Bristol like that and a few others. I can't work out why he can't see this. It irritates me so much.
7

Seasider added 22:36 - Oct 26
Bradforblues, you are not the only one that feels like this.

There are so many things wrong, which is reflected in our slide to mid table.

McCarthy has favourites, and other players like Celina and Josh Emanuel do not seem to fit into his plan's; whilst others like Jonny Part and Brett Pitman have left for same reason, because they are not yes men.

Does he really think that Josh is any worse than Iofa or Spence at right back on recent performances?

Finally in 55 years have never known Manager to have favourites, and so list goes on.

Wasn't listed to appear at supporters AGM 2nite.Normally does, showing more contemp for fans

Am just about to read details as wasn't able to attend.
10

chorltonskylineblue added 23:14 - Oct 26
I thought Flynn Downes looked really lively when he cam e on against Norwich. I'd like to see him start because Burton will try and maintain a high tempo against us from the start. Celina probably hasn't been risked because of his lack of experience tracking back (doesn't really need to in the teams he's played for), but if we're gonna have Skuse starting, we might as well have Celina on trying to create something.
6

Swn98 added 08:02 - Oct 27
Although he didn't have his best game sunday Spence is far More consistent than Iorfa and the inexperienced Emanuel.
The Norwich game was lost because 2 players were given the freedom of Portman road to set up a cross to a totally unmarked player this is what needs to be eradicated will changing manager achieve this doubt it.
Nice to see Blueboy adding his vast knowledge and optimism to the debate.
-12

BlueandTruesince82 added 09:03 - Oct 27
I'll be panicking if we lose to Burton
3

martin587 added 09:38 - Oct 27
Our season is at a real crossroads now.One win in eight is not good,but then again if we win our game in hand we could only be a few points off the play-off places depending on whether we win at Burton on Saturday.
Tomorrow's game will tell us a lot about the character of the players and the Manager.We are desperate for a quality midfielder and just why MM left it till the 76th minute before he bought on Celina leaves a lot to be desired.
Once again team selection and tactics are letting us down.I am now very quickly running out of Patience with MM and the owner,like many other supporters.
I will be going to Burton but don't have the enthusiasm anymore.😕😕
4

baxter7 added 09:42 - Oct 27
I honestly cant see us getting anything from the next 3 games i hope we do but cant see it
2

Kesgraveblue57 added 10:01 - Oct 27
Win lose or draw there is no reason for McCarthy to panic for he will still get his pay cheque, if we lose to Burton the supporters will not only panic and rightly so, but also will be embarrassed. We have nowhere to turn too, we are stuck with this clown called McCarthy nothing we say will alter that fact. McCarthy must go
16

planetblue_2011 added 10:06 - Oct 27
McCarthy how did we play well against Norwich. 1st half maybe but 2nd half heads dropped after they scored. At home against your local rivals & you play a half like that it is pathetic.
We won't beat Burton the players have lost interest, just like a lot of the fans.
It's dog💩
10

tractorboybig added 10:07 - Oct 27
OF course there is no panic, Will see his contract out and move on. BUT us loyal life time supporters??? may be a bit of panic if we loose.
8

brittaniaman added 10:07 - Oct 27
So he does not go for Celina because he does not track back !!!! Well does anybody see Messi track back ????
11

essextractorboy93 added 10:08 - Oct 27
Same ref as we had for the Bristol City game a few weeks ago.... one of the worst performances by officials I've seen for a long time at Portman Road
3

BobbyBell added 10:11 - Oct 27
Why would he panic? He's happy running his contract down. He doesn't need to do anything other than avoid relegation. Why would he have ambition when he could retire comfortably now. He certainly won't take any risks trying to wins because finishing 8th or 18th matters not one jot to him. If we want to improve we need someone with ambition and a point to prove.
13

ArnieM added 10:34 - Oct 27
I'm going to Burton, but I'm not really focusing on this game , or even is s as on now . I'm elated at the thought that Mick McCarthy will be leaving our Club come the end of the season. It can't come soon enough.

I'm not even sure the players we have will be giving their all now , as many of them are out of contract in the summer, and with a new manager in his way, they will undoubtedly be focusing more on their contracts than ITFC/ games. The Club is once again in a flux and THAT is down to Evans control and overall management of his " toy" .

I'd be even happier if he sold up and left too. But guess I shouldn't be too greedy for too much change all at once.

COYBs
13

bluetit added 12:00 - Oct 27
Please keep attendances low for the matches remaining this season.

Only way to open ME eyes is to lighten his pockets.
8

grumpyoldman added 12:22 - Oct 27
Will changing the manager achieve anything, Swn98? Perhaps a more attacking philosophy, players chosen on their form, substitutes brought on at the appropriate time or to change game plan when things not going right. Of course none of this may happen, but as people keep saying doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different outcome is not a sensible way to run a team or keep a manager.
10

OldClactonBlue added 12:50 - Oct 27
If the players also think we played well, particularly in the second half, on Sunday that is a real worry.
6

Swn98 added 13:02 - Oct 27
Surely Arnie m they will be trying even harder as they are in the shop window.
-7

Dissboyitfc added 13:14 - Oct 27
" they're a good side are Norwich" well Milne was quoted as saying after talking to you that " Norwich werent anything very special" ????????

“But panicking and changing it and just doing different things is not going to achieve a great deal, is it?" And sticking to your prehistoric methods is going to work, is it?

Change is the one thing that is desperately needed in more ways than one!!
10

BrettenhamBlue added 13:27 - Oct 27
Lose lose game for us. If we win it's expected. If we draw, the players will get slaughtered. If we lose, don't want to even think about the reaction.

0-5 and supporters might, just might, be happy.
-4

OwainG1992 added 13:39 - Oct 27
If we could somehow weasel 7 points out the next 3 games the fans may just get back on side. For me we need to beat Burton and then Preston at home regardless. If not I do worry for us falling away badly.
0

MickCuresInsomnia added 13:53 - Oct 27
“We've had a terrific session, a really sharp and positive session this morning, I was really pleased with it,” he added.

"Skusey managed to pass the ball 6 yards to the side instead of 5, Didz's header stayed below 10,000ft & Chambo was really pleased with his 90 yard punt up the pitch"

Are you still here Mick 😴
13

blueboy1981 added 15:18 - Oct 27
Burton - got some good players, good team, much better than their current position in the League.

Let's shut up shop (because that's all I know anyway) - and remember - no such thing as a bad point, in case we don't sneek a winning goal.

Farke proved in the second half that we are so easy to play against - no BSc Degrees necessary. Burton may just do the same ... !!

Dead certainty we will go there for a Draw - anything better massive bonus, and more by luck than judgement.

Wonder how long it will take Gcon, Swn98, DyedBlue, and a few others to down arrow me for wording the TRUTH. Rock on Fellars.
12


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