Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has called upon supporters to be more consistent with their emotions after hailing his team’s performance in today’s 1-1 East Anglian derby draw with Norwich City at Portman Road.

The Blues folded badly in last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Brentford but impressed in Tuesday night’s goalless draw at Wolves and more than matched their bitter rivals in Suffolk today as Jonas Knudsen’s strike cancelled out Cameron Jerome’s opener.

Asked if it was a performance that might re-enthuse fans, who he had described as ‘fearful’ in the build-up, McCarthy replied: “Look, I get sick to death by this. We play one bad half and we are all s**t and can’t play and the manager can’t play. It’s ‘get somebody who cares’, and I’m a boring c***. That’s what somebody called me last week (after the Brentford defeat).

“I wish they’d call it to my face on our own because his pint of lager, he’d have been wearing it, let me tell you. I heard the comments, but if that’s what they think about me and my team then they are sadly mistaken.

“I’m not having that. I’m not having that all of a sudden we are great this week. No. We’ve got Preston on Saturday and, because they’ve not had a great start, everyone will be expecting us to win. After that we’ll all be great guys again.

“Do me a favour. Let’s all be consistent about it. It really does irk me that. Up and down like a bloody fiddler’s elbow. I’m alright one week and I’m not the next. Generally I’m fairly consistent myself.”

On today’s game, McCarthy said: “It wasn’t just a scrap, there was a bit of quality in it from both teams.

“I think we were the better side. It was a really good performance and we were solid for the main part. We just let our guard down after 20-odd minutes and they get in, but they’ve got a lot of quality in their team.”

“I’m really pleased with the performance because a week ago I was sat in the press conference angry and annoyed about that second half at Brentford. We were more resolute and tough at Wolves in midweek though and it was the same today.”

Jonathan Douglas had a goal ruled out for a close offside call in the second minute, with McCarthy saying: “I can’t really comment, because I haven’t seen it again, but I’ve just spoken to the lads at Sky and they said there’s some suggestion that it may be onside. As usual, I said ‘make your f******g mind up – either it’s onside or offside’. I live in a fairly black and white world me.

“They told me it was onside so, if that be the case, then I’ll be battering PGMOL’s (Professional Game Match Officials’ Board) door down Monday morning with a tirade of ‘hey, any chance of us getting a decision?’ I’ll be doing that tonight on the answer machine actually.

“We’ve had two in a week (after Daryl Murphy’s header was controversially chalked off at Wolves) so we’re owed a little bit. Maybe we’ll get the decisions back over the course of the season. Let’s hope so.”

And on the incident which saw Murphy go down midway through the second half, just as the Town striker looked to race clear from Timm Klose, McCarthy said: “I think he caught him. I think the big fella has said, as he was coming off, that he got away with one to some of the lads. Strangely enough we got a right wishy-washy free-kick right after that. I don’t know. That’s my thoughts now, but I’d need to see it again.”

With left-back Knudsen scoring only his second goal for the club with a crisp right-footed effort from the edge of the box, the Blues boss quipped: “I didn’t buy him for that, let me tell you, because his right foot is usually akin to my right foot! He was unlucky just before that when him and Murph got in each others’ way. It was a really good performance from Jonas.

“He does all the s****y jobs well, gets up and down, puts the tackles in and is a proper grafter. It’s nice for him to get a bit of love for scoring. It’s lovely.”