In discussion with the East Anglian Daily Times, Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy has called the club fans a ‘disgrace’ for their treatment of midfielder Jonathan Douglas. The former Blackburn Rovers man was handed a surprise start against Birmingham City on Saturday and the Tractor Boys faithful were quick to voice their displeasure.
The Portman Road side drew 1-1 with their fellow strugglers, meaning neither side are completely safe from relegation out of the Sky Bet Championship trap door. In the case of Ipswich, their last ten matches returns a record of just two victories. They sit six points above the drop zone heading into Tuesday’s home encounter with 23rd-placed Wigan Athletic.
Fans in the North Stand were not only singled out Douglas for criticism, but also manager McCarthy and owner Marcus Evans, identifying issues with style of play and poor ownership respectively. McCarthy was unhappy with how certain fans voiced their feelings in the game but insists all energies now go into avoiding relegation,
“Do you know what, we just need to get enough points to stay in the league.”
“Let them crack on. The list of hatred, I’m not sure who’s top – Marcus, me, Dougie (Douglas), I think (managing director) Ian Milne got a bit today and all didn’t he? They’ve thrown him in the mix.
“That’s being detrimental to Dougie though. I knew he would stay with the runners, I know I can trust him and I actually thought he played well, despite all the s***e he got, which I think is a disgrace.
“He was the one that kept going. I’ve got no problems with Dougie. I think he’s an example to any professional with how he’s kept himself right and played 90 minutes. I know some who, having not played for so long, would have had to come off after 60/70 minutes. I take my hat off to him. I think he was great.
“But, it’s down to us. If we play well on Tuesday night and go 2-0 up we’ll have a great atmosphere. If we go 1-0 down and are playing s***e then it will be a s***e atmosphere, like today. That’s down to us, not because of the fans.”
