Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy admits there hasn’t been as much entertainment at Portman Road this season, but has once again defended his team’s style of play ahead of this afternoon’s visit of Nottingham Forest.

The Blues announced yesterday that they would be increasing season ticket prices by 1.5%. Several supporters have responded by saying that gritty, long-ball football, played by a team consisting largely of free transfers and loanees, makes any sort of rise unjustifiable.

Asked if he felt there had been entertainment value at Portman Road this season, McCarthy replied: “Not as much as last season, no. More than the season before? Yes. More than the season before that? Yes. More than the season before that? Yes. More than the season before that? Yes. More than the season before that? Yes. More than the season before that? Yes.”

Whether the repetition of that phrase six times was intended or not, that neatly covers the exact entirety of the Roy Keane and Paul Jewell eras.

“I think we have tried to entertain, we’ve not done it, but we’ve still got a chance of getting in the play-offs,” continued McCarthy. “I wonder what entertaining is actually. Fans want to see the team win, first and foremost, then they want to see them play well. I know a few teams that really entertain and they’re not competing for anything at all.”

He added: “I’d love to be competitive in this league playing wonderful, free-flowing football, but maybe that takes more than 500 grand over four years? I can see a team who have spent 25 million (Derby) and we’re six points behind them. All we can do is be us. I admire my lads and respect them for what they do and how they do it.

“Constantly we are trying to improve on how we play and whether we can be a bit more subtle. If we can, great, but not at the expense of getting beat.”

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