McCarthy Turns Success Into Failure

Mick McCarthy did not sound delighted in his post-match interview but he got what he claims is always a good result and that is a point away from home!

On this occasion however he was looking for a little more. The blues have been off form of late and through injuries and other factors he has been forced to reshuffle of late and by playing three up front this was the positive side of Mick McCarthy’s management style – or perhaps one could argue desperation?

He has sounded more and more down-beat in his press conferences recently and I think for good reason. The Tractor a Boys have been under-performing and he is beginning to feel the weight of expectation, after his side exceeded all expectations last term by reaching the play-off’s.

Let us make no mistake, the blues excelled today and could easily have snatched all three points – although in truth, a draw was probably the fairest outcome.

I enjoyed the fact that manager Mick McCarthy choose to put David McGoldrick, Daryl Murphy and Freddie Sears up front as a three pronged attacking option but perhaps because this system has not been utilized too often before, they did not gel in the way we might have all have hoped.

The goal from Jonathan Parr, when it arrived, just thirteen minutes from the end of the match, should have been enough to see us through but Ipswich being Ipswich we never seem to do things easily.

And so it was to prove, as our guru decided to replace Sears for our rarely used Polish defender who last played in the 3-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Capital One Cup – not that he could be blamed for the late goal debacle.

Dean Gerken is seen a keeper that could only stay in a team managed by Mick McCarthy because he rewards loyalty – even if there is not a lot of logic behind it?

In fairness to our under fire number one, he made a fabulous pair of saves to keep the score goalless before the interval but we all know that in Dean Gerken there is a mistake just waiting to happen!

Six minutes of injury time did not help our cause but nor did Gerken’s erratic surge from the penalty area to try to claim a ball that normally he would not touch with a barge pole and this lead to yet another former Town reject Liam Trotter placing the ball into an empty net from close range.

He was the third ex Town player to score against us in the last three games and what was more nauseating was the fact that he only got clearance to play with moments to spare.

Ironically it was that last minute that cost us all three points.


Frank Weston. Editor of Vital Ipswich