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McCarthy Leaves Town With Immediate Effect - Updated With Audio Tuesday, 10th Apr 2018 22:16
Town boss Mick McCarthy’s departure with immediate effect has been confirmed. McCarthy, who had been due to stay until his contract is up in the summer, announced his departure at the end of his post-match press conference with the club releasing a statement soon afterwards.
“I spoke with Marcus at the weekend and we agreed that it was in the best interests for me, the players and the club that I move on now,”he told the club site.
“I said I would see the season out but it’s been a new experience and it’s not one I have been enjoying to be honest.
“I have continued to do my job to the best of my ability but there is something missing and I’m not comfortable with that.
“I have had a great time here and worked with some great people and to all those who have given me wonderful support over the last five and a half years - and there are many - I want to put on record my personal thanks.
🎥 | Mick McCarthy spoke with iFollow Ipswich shortly after the full-time whistle at Portman Road this evening as he confirmed his departure from the Club. pic.twitter.com/TEFfbLGOkA– Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) April 10, 2018
“The players here can look forward to a new challenge with whoever comes in and I want to wish them, the staff and the club the best of fortunes.
“I’ll also be looking forward to a new challenge elsewhere. I’ve still got a lot of football in me.”
Assistant boss Terry Connor has also left the club with immediate effect following tonight’s match. It's understood the duo will say their goodbyes to the players at Playford Road on Thursday.
Town will announce who will be the caretaker-manager in the next day or so but we understand Bryan Klug and Geraint Williams will be put in temporary charge.
“I want to reiterate my thanks to Mick and Terry for their fantastic service to this football club,” owner Marcus Evans added.
“I have always enjoyed a good relationship with Mick and that continues and on behalf of the football club I want to wish him and Terry the very best of luck going forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them back here next season in the away dressing room!”
McCarthy announced his departure, which would have happened whatever tonight's result, at the end of his press conference when asked about the fans’ reaction to debutant Barry Cotter’s substitution, which you can hear below.
“A disgraceful reaction to that. But listen, I won’t have to listen to that again because that’s my last game, I’ll see you when I see you. I’m out of here,” he said as he got up and walked out.
Tonight's game was McCarthy's 279th in charge of the Blues, the 59-year-old having taken charge on November 1st 2012. Of those games, he won 105, drew 78 and lost 96, a win percentage of 37.63.
Earlier in the press conference, McCarthy had commented on the game: “I thought the lads were excellent, the first half was a tough game. Kieffer had hit the cross-bar, we both had chances. I thought we got better and better and was really thrilled with the result.
“We’ve had a clean sheet so that’s pleasing. We’ve not been good at home recently so we might have been a bit nervy, I don’t know, but we played really well in the second half and we should have won by more in the end.
“Jonas is a really good player for us and I’m delighted for him. Jonas is a proper player and I’m delighted for him.”
McCarthy was asked what was left to play for with the Barnsley win mathematically meaning the Blues cannot now make the play-offs: “Pride, points, always want to win.”
Adding to his earlier comments on the performance, he added: “I hope [fans will have left having enjoyed it]. It was a good performance and Barry Cotter caught everybody’s eye, another one that it looks like we’ve done really well on.
“He’s just got personality, he’s got a twinkle in his eye, he’s got technical ability, he’s quick and powerful, he’s got everything to be a player, I’ve just fancied him ever since he walked through the door. He came as a centre-half, I said ‘No chance, he’ll be a right-back’ and that’s what he’s going to be.
“He’s going to be a good player for Ipswich Town. He’s been a really good signing. If that’s his standard on his debut then he's only going to get better.
“He’s great, he’s not a shy boy, he’s a great fella, that’s why I put him in, I knew it wouldn’t faze him, he’s got really good ability as well.”
Was his withdrawal pre-planned? “Not at all, he was knackered. I said to him at half-time, he had his socks down, I said, ‘You tell me if you’re struggling’.
“He’d just let the wide player run on him twice and, of course, he wasn’t going to tell me because he wants to stay on the pitch.
“And that’s the art of management, knowing when to take him off and Wardy was brilliant, he was great,” he added before being asked about the fans’ reaction to the change.
Photo: TWTD
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100% the correct decision although really should have been made a lot earlier as things have gone from stale to toxic. Good luck to Mick in the future & looking forward to the next era at Portman Road
You can all blame me, i was the one who he heard when he took Cotter off.... And he heard me because he looked me in the eye!!! Bye bye, West Brom is calling......😉
As most of you know I'm not mm's biggest fan not only did the quality of his football go rapidly downhill but his relationship with the fans fell off a cliff too he seemed to relish the fact it was him against us. My biggest question I'd like to ask him is this he could obviously find talented low budget players most of these seemed to shine at u23 level but very few were given a chance I'd just like to know why didn't he play some off them more especially when it came obvious his proper blokes and favourites weren't ROI the job ?. With the right manager in place a bit of luck and one or two of the youngsters coming through we have a good squad and could do quite well which again beggers the question why he didn't utilise the younger members of the squad more. Good luck MM I wish you well but more importantly good luck to the new manager COYB'S
I feel sorry for the next manager that comes in, which will likely inherit the same squad and the same budget. I'm proud to be an Ipswich fan, but embarrassed to be associated with some of these so called fans. I've always been of the opinion you back the manager and the team till the end. It's then the owners decision whether they stay or go. All the best for the future MM and TC.
Was never a Mick fan and was not happy at his appointment, but, would like to wish him and Terry all the best for the future. To me, he was never the correct fit for ITFC and for that i blame Evans and his advisers. Just hope he gets the next one right.
I'm not a Mick fan but shame he had to go out with boos for the Cotter substitution. He gave the lad his debut and I expect Cotter will look back with fond memories for that. I imagine if Mick had of announced before the game about his intentions to leave with immediate effect after the match then I doubt there would of been any boos. It was just a strange situation towards the end for all parties. I expect Marcus engineered it in such a way that he wouldn't have to pay out large compensation. I'm mightily relieved Mick has gone but even though he's driven me to despair more times than I care to remember, but nonetheless, it's not really the ideal way for him to sign off getting a few boos after going out with a win. I guess it's like the end of any relationship, always hard to part on terms where nobody is left feeling hurt or under appreciated. Anyway a new chapter for ITFC. Things had turned sour under Mick but I still wish him well for the future. He's damn good if you need somebody to help steady the ship and scrap your way out of trouble but he's not an ideal long-term solution in my opinion as his style is just too risk averse, at least for my own taste it is but I do realise to some he enabled us to negotiate (or huff and puff) our way through a number of seasons on a shoestring budget when a lesser manager might of taken us down. I recognise that the grass isn't always greener but I'm prepared to take that risk. Yes it might end in tears but I was already bored to tears these last few seasons so let's roll the dice and see what happens. Hopefully the fans can now unite and get behind the new manager and see how things develop. COYB.
Another shambles overseen by IM (what was the "Shhh" gesture for, you total a#$e?) and ME. Bet the Budgies are laughing into their pints this evening despite their draw v Mackems. What happens next is VITAL.
I wish Mick and Terry all the best for the future. They were good appointments and did well to keep us up then to get us into the play-offs, but that was some time ago and now is the right time to move on for both parties.
Let's hope the new manager tickets the right boxes: good at developing youngsters, passing style of play, able to work on a tight budget, some proven success at a lower level but hopefully not a journeyman. Someone to bring the feel-good factor back to Portman Road and to start filling the seats again.
Thanks Mick and Terry for all your hard work. Not a good way to end your career with ITFC but will always remember the good times. Time to move on now & hope we appoint the right manager to take us forward again. Still think Moggers will be back in the dug out for next seasonðŸ‘ðŸ»
We must not forget the job Mick done keeping us up and scraping into the play-offs and I for one thank him for that, however unfortunately he has out stayed his welcome. We must also not forget the dire, turgid non-adventurous football that has been served up over the last 3 years. You do not need money to try to win a game of football, it is about attitude and philosophy. Unfortunately Micks philosophy is to try not to lose and stop the opposition playing. This has had a detrimental effect on many players, who came here full of life and ability but become scared to do anything positive. We have many young talented players at the club, who hopefully can be nurtured into stars of Ipswich Town FC for years to come
No point any longer arguing the merits or otherwise of MM He has gone. That's it And thetruth whichever view is held of him is that the real Kingmaker , Marcus Evans is now under even more focus , his first three choices have not fulfilled his desire Now he luckily gets another go. Let's hope someone with a very apt knowledge of modern football is in his corner to acquaint him with what Ipswich fans have been pleading for A brand of entertainment A thrill to again go to Portman Road Mick had his days, some say he saved the club from near oblivion, but in the end we had sunk to gates of over 13,000...with the most apologetic performances. I wish him well. But I wish his successor even more.
Evans has handles this terribly. It was unfair on MM, players and fans the way its rumbled on after it was announced he was leaving in the summer. He should have gone there and then and either a caretaker or new guy come in for the last 8 games. Probably because Evans was too tight to pay MM the rest of his contract. All too late he should have gone 2 years ago.
The booing at the substitution of Barry Cotter just shows what little knowledge and understanding of football the numbskulls have. They have hounded Mick McCarthy out of this football club and will live to regret it.
Some people on this site make me ashamed to be an Ipswich Town supporter.. embarrassing.. pathetic.. Numbskulls are just a few words I will use! We didn't totally set the world alight in terms of entertainment but he had his hands tied from an owner who has shown no ambition from the start of his tenure!! He done his job.. kept us up then over achieved with hard working players! That was unfortunately his downfall as he then was shown no support from the biggest embarrassment of a chairman that any football club could endure! Mick should never have been given ALL this abuse.. yes he played players out of position.. and yes he set up not to get beat but don't you think it was a massive 2 fingers up to the chairman who kept his hands tied for the whole 6 year tenure?? I'm pleased a change is going to happen but I have no confidence is Mr Evans to appoint a manager capable of challenging! We will be in the same scenario come this time next year.. if not worse... I hope I'm wrong but MR EVANS is the man who should be taking thee abuse.. not mick! I'm sure we will see him back at PR next season with West Brom or Leeds.. all the best.. I know you gave your best with very limited resources... COYB
Right decision for Mick and Terry, the supporters and the club...now for a very important decision regarding the next manager. Please don't rush it even if it means getting Klug or other coach just to see the season out....
yes they've left the club in a better state then when they came here but that wasn't difficult to do.
I've stayed off here for such a long time. This used to be an amazing fanzine/website (even if it has always had total spoofers like Blueboy there to beat the negativity drum) but I'm reading through some of the "best wishes and thanks Mick" messages here and it's embarrassing. Same people who regularly slated him now tipping their caps to say thanks. All managers have a start date and an end date. This is Mick's end date with us. But the toxic, vitriolic and personal abuse thrown at him on pages like this and from the herd in the stand has been nothing short of disgusting. At no time did he ever deserve the BS that was thrown at him. I laughed when the hypocrites came on here after the Nodge away game when he dared to swear "in the direction of our children" - nobody mentioned that it was the mums and dads in the crowd who were using the most colourful language of all towards him - but he's not allowed to say boo back. Poor little Johnny and Jane, God help them. Now you can all go back to waiting in the long grass for the next sucker. And he will come in no doubt. And he will win a few to begin with. And then someone will say "but he's not Sir Bobby is he?" and then it'll all be like groundhog day again. I despair for this once incredible club. With some of the so-called supporters we have, who needs away fans?