Mick McCarthy is the longest serving manager in the Championship, having been at Ipswich since 2012.
Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy
McCarthy has been in charge at Portman road since taking over from Paul Jewell in November 2012. The average life span of a management reign in football stands at just over one season.
It is always refreshing to see a manager buck the trend and go on to have long and prosperous careers at their clubs. McCarthy’s time at Ipswich has been a productive one. He has guided his side to top-half finishes in all of his three full seasons in charge, which included an appearance in the 2014-15 play-offs.
His side just missed out on another play-off place last season after finishing seventh.
But this year has been different. After their draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers last night, their fifth in a row, Ipswich find themselves in 16th position and glancing nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone they are nine points ahead of. It is highly unlikely that they will find themselves draw into a relegation battle with 10 games to go but McCarthy is wary of the risk a bad run at the end of the season can pose.
Ipswich Town have struggled in front of goal this season.
When asked if he thought his side was safe from relegation, McCarthy told the Sudbury Mercury: “No, I think we’ve still got a bit to do. I think we’ve got to scrap it out. We’ve got 10 games to play – we’ve got to play better than that.”
The players were greeted with boos at the full time whistle and it seems that fans are beginning to lose patience. Ipswich have not been in the Premier League since 2002.
The fans have grown frustrated at the style of play McCarthy has implemented on the pitch and the general consensus is that the team has become dull to watch. Ipswich have scored scored only 36 goals this season and their lack of goals has had a direct impact on their league position.
McCarthy looks to be running out of ideas and with no significant funding expected again in the summer. A fresh face in the Ipswich hot seat may be required to break their extended exodus from the Premier League, or at least get the Tractor Boys heading in the right direction again.
What do you think Ipswich Town fans? Is it time for a fresh face in the dugout at Portman Road? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Could McCarthy’s time at Ipswich be up?
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