Mick McCarthy Is Here For The Long Haul

We all know just how stubborn manager Mick McCarthy is. Today we also discovered just how defiant he is too, in the face of increasing hostility towards his management style.

He explained in his usual forthright way that he has no intention of going anywhere – regardless of our current plight.’ I am not walking away. I have a year`s contract to run and unless something else is done, no, I am not going, no way.’

I think his aim is to rekindle the good feelings towards him that he embraced when he saved us from almost certain relegation four and a half years ago.

Then of course he was idolised by the fans but if a week in politics is a long time, then a day as a football coach can seem even longer when the going starts to get a bit rough.

I suppose the trouble with Mick is that his comments, because of their directness, give supporters the impression that he does not care much about the club and what he is more concerned about is his own image.

He rarely talks about the remarkable history of Ipswich Town football club and prefers to remind us of HIS past glories instead.

He is however right to suggest that when you are winning football matches all is forgiven. These days though, that sensation has become increasingly rare.

Sadly this season we have not done this enough and McCarthy’s annoying habit of always singing the praises of the opposition – even before a ball has been kicked, appears to suggest the he is already lining up his defences should we not get the desired result and supporters see through this.

McCarthy likes nothing more than a football grafter. Grafters he believes are far more beneficial to the team than entertainers who he considers to be liabilities.

His mind-set is always on the defence and being a former defender himself it is quite understandable I suppose but is obsession with safety first football only really works when results are good.

Playing drab football and not picking up victories is fraught with danger and this season his ultra defensive strategies are coming home to roost and the natives are naturally getting very restless.

If he is here for the long haul as he seems to suggest, then owner Marcus Evans must invest in him and that means bringing in some inspired signings in the close season.

Whether Evans will be quite so patient when he counts his season ticket sales is an entirely different matter.

Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich