Languishing in seventeenth after a play-off tilt last season, TWTD editor Phil Ham tells us Ipswich fans are growing frustrated despite a number of mitigating circumstances.

How would you assess Ipswich's 2016/17 overall?

PH: Not great, as the current position of seventeenth attests. It’s been a bit of a struggle. August was probably better than results suggested - we were denied perfectly good goals against Wolves and Norwich - but after Daryl Murphy was sold to Newcastle four days before the transfer window closed things got tougher.

It was difficult for the club to turn down £3 million for a 33-year-old who had handed in a transfer request but the Blues were unable to add a replacement before the window closed.

QPR’s Conor Washington was amongst those for whom a bid was made but clubs realised Town were up against it to make a signing time-wise and upped their prices accordingly.

Town were unwilling to pay over the odds and opted to make do until January, a situation which wasn’t helped by Brett Pitman joining the likes of David McGoldrick and Jonny Williams in the treatment room.

As he waited for his attacking players to return to fitness, manager Mick McCarthy set his side up to strangle the life out of games, hoping for 1-0 wins or draws but without too much success.

Prior to Saturday’s game against Nottingham Forest there had been hopes that we were on the up, however.

McGoldrick was back from his ankle injury and in the staring XI along with Teddy Bishop, who has struggled due to injuries and fitness since the start of last season, and the 2-1 at Sheffield Wednesday was a significant step forward.

But the momentum from that game was lost after 17 seconds of the Forest match when a recent tendency to concede bad goals reared its head once again.

A similarly poor goal followed just before the break and Town huffed and puffed against a determined Forest side to no avail.

What summer transfer business was done and what's your assessment of it?

PH: Murphy’s exit was the big transfer story of the summer. I think most fans realise it was an offer which was difficult to turn down in the circumstances and that it would have been unfair to stand in the way of what will be the Irish international’s last big pay day.

The failure to sign a replacement is viewed more critically even if there is an acceptance that Town would have had to pay over the odds given the time constraints.

In previous years an emergency loanee would have been signed, of course, but that route is no longer available.

Free agent Leon Best was signed after a trial having been viewed as back-up for Murphy prior to his departure, but has lacked fitness after missing out on pre-season.

Grant Ward, signed from Spurs for an initial £500,000, made a Roy of the Rovers start netting with his first touch for Town having come on as a half-time sub in the opening day 4-2 victory over Barnsley and went on to claim a debut hat-trick.

His season has quietened down somewhat since then and centre-half Adam Webster is currently looking the pick of the signings having been brought in from League Two Portsmouth for £700,000 plus young defender Matt Clarke, who joined Pompey.

The ball-playing central defender has already been tipped for a Premier League future by McCarthy.

Loanee-from-Leicester Tom Lawrence is becoming more influential, and scored a brilliant first goal at Sheffield Wednesday three weeks ago, while Jonny Williams, in his fourth spell with Town from Crystal Palace, has played four games as a sub after overcoming an ankle injury.

Conor Grant, brought in on a season-long loan from Everton, has already gone back after failing to make much of an impression.

I've seen various quotes from Big Mick about the stick he's getting from the crowd, what's the general consensus about how he's doing?

PH: Despite finishing what I think was generally viewed from the outside as a creditable seventh last season, an over-achievement positionally given the budget, fans’ frustration has gradually grown over the last year or so.

Home form - the joint-best in the division in 2014/15 in which Town reached the play-offs - was much poorer last season and coupled with that fans became ever more frustrated by the style of play, which was some way short of the passing football traditionally associated with the Blues.

That’s continued into this season and came to a head in the Rotherham game a month ago when there were chants of, “Mick McCarthy, your football is shit” from a not insignificant section of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand and boos at the final whistle. Boos, albeit more muted, followed the Forest game.

How long has he got left?

PH: A while yet, I would guess. Owner Marcus Evans has shown patience with his previous managers, too much I think most would argue, and McCarthy has been the most successful boss during his nine years in charge.

He’ll be disappointed with this season, but will see the failure to replace Murphy and injuries as mitigating factors.

Also not too many managers would do as well as McCarthy on the limited resources which have been made available to him throughout his four-year tenure.

Any potential replacements rumoured? Anybody you'd be particularly excited/horrified about taking over?

PH: No names seriously in the frame as yet. For all the frustration I’m not sure anyone is expecting a change of manager in the short term.

Last time the job came up, however, someone started a pre-emptive Megson Out campaign just in case and I’m sure they’ll be dusting down their banners should the moment come.

Best players and weak links in the current side?

PH: David McGoldrick is the best player at the club but has spent so much of the last three years out injured. Jonny Williams is a fans’ favourite from his various loan spells but again has been sidelined all too often.

Andre Dozzell, the son of ex-Blue Jason, is the pick of a promising crop of players emerging from the academy, but at 17 isn’t considered quite ready for the physical side of the Championship. His time will come, though.

The main weak link at the moment is a collective habit of giving away stupid goals rather than any individual in particular. But it’s been the sort of season so far where pretty much everyone has had the finger pointed at them at some stage by someone.

Short, medium, long term aims for the club…

PH: The pre-season aim every year at present is to reach the play-offs and then the Premier League, the top two now looking an increasingly distant prospect given the financial gulf between established Championship clubs such as ourselves and relegated sides with the benefit of Premier League parachute payments.

Despite the distinctly wobbly first third of the season that remains the objective. Even down in 17th Town are still only six points off the top six and we all know the topsy-turvy nature of the Championship.

There needs to be a significant upturn in form for the Blues to stand a realistic chance, however, particularly at home. A win on Saturday would be a start.

The Twitter @TWTDUK, @loftforwords

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terryb added 19:40 - Nov 24 That reads like the normal Phil Ham optimism! Most ST holders that I know were expecting a relegation fight before the season started & many now think it is a fight that they will lose. Worryingly, I don't know one Ipswich fan who expects to beat us & not many are expecting a draw!
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TacticalR added 16:29 - Nov 25 Thanks to Phil. It's a pity things are starting to turn sour for McCarthy as he seems a decent Championship manager for a decent Championship club.
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