Jonas Knudsen was not happy with Ipswich Town fans’ treatment of Mick McCarthy and has warned supporters ‘to be careful what they wish for’ in the wake of his former manager’s departure.
In an article published in The Sun this morning, the Danish international insisted the way McCarthy was treated by some of the club’s fans during his final weeks at the club was not right.
Knudsen also defended his former manager’s record during his five-and-a-half years at Ipswich and insisted none of the playing squad wanted him to leave.
“Some fans don’t want to hear it but everybody here loved Mick and nobody wanted him to leave,” he said.
“I don’t like the way they treated him - if you look at what he had done for the club, they have to be pleased with that.
“But they don’t want to hear that and it wasn’t right the way they did it.
MORE: ‘I will have to think about my future a bit more’ – Knudsen
“If we didn’t have him last year, we could have been in trouble. Maybe they (the fans) have to be careful what they wish for.”
Sun journalist Oscar Paul, who conducted the interview with Knudsen, provided some further context on Twitter as the Dane discussed fans’ reaction to an interview in which he stated McCarthy’s departure would lead to him considering his future.
The tweets, quoting Knudsen, read: “The fans have taken it the wrong way and I think the headline came out the wrong way. If you read the story I just said that of course it makes a difference. Mick has been the manager for me ever since I came and maybe I was too honest but I want to be honest I don’t want to talk s**t.
“Everybody wants me to sign a new contract and I’ll be happy to but I’m just being honest about the situation. If they come and talk about a new contract I will talk about a new contract. But what if the next manager comes in and doesn’t like me and wants me out? I think it’s the best for everyone.
“I didn’t sign a new contract and we will see what happens. I said that I was hoping to sign a new contract if they come to me but I haven’t heard anything.
FLASHBACK: October 2017 - Knudsen insists he will be playing for the fans
“I don’t know if I want to but I was not happy about the comments because I saw some from the fans and I think, hold on, I always show my passion towards the club. I also want to be totally honest about what Mick has done and I think he has been absolutely brilliant for the club and I think they are going to miss him because he’s such a good manager.
“Fair enough that some want them out but I just told my story about him. He picked me every time and maybe that makes a difference as to how I look at him and I think he’s been such a good manager for the club.
“But that’s football and I’ll crack on, I’ll do my job as well as I can and try to win every game because I’ve been very happy here. I’ve been happy to play and stay here. I was just honest about how I feel about the situation because sometimes you also have to say if you feel it was a little bit wrong.”
The Danish international, signed from Esbjerg in the summer of 2015, made 122 appearances under McCarthy.
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