Town Out To Ruffle A Few Feathers Again

He is intent on staying for the next fourteen games but if Ipswich were to lose tomorrow at home to high flying Cardiff City, then manager Mick McCarthy could have the carpet pulled from under his feet, as owner Marcus Evans accepts that enough is enough.

Second placed Cardiff City come to Suffolk unbeaten since last year so this will be a very difficult game for the Blues.

The worst thing that could happen given the toxic atmosphere at Portman Road, is for Town to lose and if they lose badly then surely Mick McCarthy’s tenure at the club will be at a close.

The owner is only too aware of the hostility that exists towards the manager and visa versa from some long suffering Town fans, and a defeat would only exacerbate the situation yet further and he may then find his position untenable.

The light at the end of the players tunnel came with the teams performance against Norwich and this was especially apparent in the first half, when Town had the bulk of the possession and the most clear cut goal scoring opportunities.

It was a far cry from the ineptitude on show against Burton and had it not been for some extraordinary defensive naivety at the end, all three points could have been gratefully gleaned.

Sadly this was not the case and now it is all about damage limitation at home tomorrow evening.

What Ipswich need most of all is a good team performance and ideally a few goals. It is a very big ask but I fear that anything less will not satisfy so many disgruntled home supporters.

Freddie Sears may return to the starting line-up, having not even made the bench the last time around and I would expect Bersant Celina to start once again.

Cardiff forward Gary Madine is expected to miss a third successive match after breaking his nose earlier in the month but manager Niel Warnock has a strong squad and can call upon more than adequate replacements and although midfielder Craig Bryson and winger Kadeem Harris are now back fit again, this match may have come a bit too soon for them.

If you are a stats person then the good news is that Town have only lost one of their last seven encounters with the bluebirds; having won four and drawn two and perhaps surprisingly, Cardiff’s last league double over the Tractor Boys came way back in the 1946-47 season in the Third Division South!


Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich