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Mick McCarthy Is Finally Chased Out Of Town

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Whether you love him or loathe him, the writing has been on the wall for some time but manager Mick McCarthy is a proud man and refused to speculate about his future until today, when he told the press he was on his way at the end of the current season.

McCarthy said that he was leaving entirely on his own terms but I am not completely comfortable with that idea. When he had that intimate chat with owner Marcus Evans the night before, it was because McCarthy instigated it and I am not convinced he knew that his time at Portman Road was coming to an end quite so abruptly.

When Marcus Evans announced earlier in a press release, that supporters would know whether the boss would stay or go well in advance of the Early Bird season ticket promotion, it gave us all the biggest clue yet as to what might transpire.

I had also been informed by an ‘insider’ at the club that the outcome of this meeting was almost inevitable – contrary to the thoughts of club director Ian Milne who was obviously trying to keep a lid on it.

There is little doubt that Marcus Evans had a good relationship with Mick McCarthy but he must share some of the guilt for not giving him the financial backing he afforded both Roy Keane and Paul Jewell and which could have made a significant difference to the fortunes of Ipswich Town football club.

McCarthy was asked whether his deteriorating relationship with the supporters may have in the end influenced his decision to leave but he was adamant it did not.

‘No, not really. If I`d sat down with Marcus and everything had been how I wanted it and how he wanted it, then I could still walk out and do the job because a small section of fans (numskulls) are not going to drive me out. Come on, it began at Brentford away nearly two years ago.’

What was perhaps most damning of all, both this season and last, was the style of football Town employed and surely those ever decreasing attendance figures must have set off alarm bells in the owner’s head!

In the end, the end was almost inevitable, and although McCarthy suggests that the decision was mutually decided I think not. He was persuaded to leave on diplomatic terms by the owner because this decision had already been effectively made.

In other words, it only needed to be rubber stamped and the interview with Marcus last night confirmed the obvious. Even if ‘the obvious’ was not as apparent to the manager himself, as it was to the rest of the board.

Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich

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