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‘Do I go out and injure my sexy, good players? No’ - Ipswich Town manager hits back at “defensive” jibes
Town manager Mick McCarthy pictured during the Ipswich Town v Rotherham United (Sky Bet Championship) match at Portman Road, Ipswich, on 29 October 2016. Picture: Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.com - Credit: Picture: Steve Waller
Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy believes the Blues’ season has been hampered by a crippling injury list and hit back at critics who have labelled him defensive.
McCarthy left the field to boos on Saturday as the fit-again David McGoldrick salvaged a last-gasp point for Ipswich in a 2-2 draw with the Championship’s bottom club, Rotherham.
The Millers picked up their first away point of the season after a brace of goals from Danny Ward put them in the ascendancy and cancelled out Freddie Sears’ third minute opener.
McGoldrick was making his first start in the league since the opening day of the season, following almost three months out with an ankle ligament injury, and teamed up with fellow attack-minded players Sears, Tom Lawrence, Grant Ward and Teddy Bishop against the Millers.
Town have scored just four goals in their last eight games but McCarthy said: “David McGoldrick has been injured for 12 weeks, Pits (Brett Pitman) is injured for 10 weeks, Bish has not been fit, he’s just coming back fit now.
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“Jonny Williams is just about getting fit. Reg Varney has been injured.
“It’s almost like I’m keeping all of them out. Do I go around and injure them all to keep them out of the team, my good sexy players, who can play football? No.
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“Come on, give me a bit of credit for that. The more players you’ve got like David McGoldrick fully fit, we’re a better team.”
Saturday’s game also saw the omission of Jonathan Douglas, a player often unfairly targeted by Town fans, desperate for their team to get on the front foot.
“Jonathan Douglas isn’t injured, I just left him out,” explained McCarthy.
“That was the team I wanted to play, that strangely defensive team I wanted to play, to play s**t football, that’s why I did it.”
