Mick McCarthy wants wing wizards to become a feature of his side’s play
Ipswich winger Paul Anderson runs at QPR's Richard Dunne
Leeds v Ipswich: Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy once said he’s no magician – but he does want wing wizards.
The Blues have a golden chance to move back into the Championship play-off places tonight when they face struggling Leeds United at Elland Road.
Brian McDermott’s side have lost their last five matches and are winless in seven, whereas Town got themselves back on track following a recent dip with an impressive 2-0 home win over Reading at the weekend.
The positive performances of Stephen Hunt and Paul Anderson on the flanks was a surprisingly big feature in that victory, Town’s narrow midfield having previously been high on industry and short of direct running and creativity.
“Forward-thinking wide players have always been a feature of my teams,” said McCarthy. “The team we got promoted with at Wolves had (Michael) Kightly and (Matt) Jarvis and there weren’t many better wingers around at that time.
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“They went on to Premier League clubs – £3m to Stoke and £12m to West Ham respectively. They were terrific. That was a really good exciting team with those two.
“I want the same here. Wingers should go and attack full-backs. Go and put crosses in. That’s what I tried to get when I got the four guys that I’ve got.
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“That’s Hunty’s game certainly, while I’ve told Paul Anderson that he should do more of that. It’s the same for Carlos (Edwards).
“Tabby (Jay Tabb) is slightly different, he’s a bit more of a left-sided midfield player than a winger, but he still does a really good job and can go and get crosses in even if he’s not the sort to get his head down and take people on. We should get more of that.
“Ando got his goal at the weekend and I’m delighted for him. I think he’s played well this season. I didn’t think he played badly against QPR recently, though I was a bit miffed when he should have had a shot and scored.
“I’m delighted that the subs came on and made an impact against Reading. That’s not happened too often.”
– Follow @Stuart_Watson on Twitter for live match updates.
