Beginning of the end for Mick McCarthy

Bard

This mornings sports news on both FM104 and 98FM report that while Mick McCarthy is now away on a much needed holiday until the end of the month, the FAI are preparing a severance package for him, purported to be in the order of anywhere between 250,000 and 500,000 euro.

The Irish Independent goes into more detail :

Knives out for Mick

Friday October 18th 2002

End is near for McCarthy as FAI consider compensation

EMBATTLED Mick McCarthy could be made an offer of compensation by the FAI to stand down as Republic of Ireland manager in the coming weeks.

Senior FAI figures are reviewing McCarthy's position in the wake of Ireland's depressing 2-1 home defeat by Switzerland on Wednesday night after which a section of the Lansdowne Road fans booed the manager and his players. That result, in tandem with the 4-2 defeat in Russia last month, killed off Ireland's chances of topping Group Ten of the Euro 2004 qualifiers and undermined McCarthy's hitherto excellent six and a half year record as manager.

McCarthy's admission that media criticism of his management had influenced the performance of his players is a further cause of concern and it could be argued that a new manager would not bring such pressure into the dressing-room.

The FAI won't exert any immediate pressure on McCarthy, who is on holidays next week when he is expected to consider his position.

The situation is extremely sensitive as the FAI don't want to be seen to put the boot into McCarthy, who has done an excellent job as Irish manager up to now. But a meeting of the FAI Officer Board on November 9 could lead to a formal shift in the association's declaration of support for their long-serving manager.

There are a number of scenarios which could unfold in the coming weeks ahead of Ireland's away friendly with Greece on November 20.

Firstly, McCarthy could resign of his own accord. That would not only absolve the FAI from having to pay any financial compensation, it would make him instantly available for any club in England.

Secondly, a Premiership club could inquire of McCarthy's availabilty. Such an approach would not meet with any resistance from the FAI or pose any great dilemma for McCarthy, who it is believed would have been tempted if he had been offered the Sunderland job last week.

Thirdly, McCarthy could stand his ground and insist on seeing out his €375,000 a year contract, which runs until the end of Ireland's involvement in the 2004 Euro qualifiers. In that event, the FAI would probably strike a deal.

If McCarthy jumps, or is pushed, the FAI would have plenty of time to install his successor as Ireland's next competitive game isn't until March 29 next, away to Georgia. A new manager could pave the way for Roy Keane to return to the fold even though there would be no guarantees that a Keane-led team could retrieve the cause in Group Ten.

Sources close to McCarthy confirmed that he considered his position on Wednesday night following Ireland's dispiriting performance against the Swiss. However, the manager was in more bullish mood last night after receiving support from friends and well-wishers.

Whatever about the team he manages, McCarthy is Portugal-bound tomorrow as he flies to his Algarve retreat for a week-long breather after a fortnight of intense media scrutiny.

Given the state of play in the European Championship qualifiers, McCarthy is unlikely to visit Portugal in any guise other than that of a tourist after the worst start by an Irish team to any major competition in over 40 years. Not since the 1962 World Cup qualifiers has Ireland lost its opening two games in either a World Cup or Euro Championship qualifying campaign.

Yet again, an Irish side fresh from a successful appearance at the World Cup finals has experienced difficulties in the subsequent Euro qualifiers.

In two games, the Irish have already conceded more goals, six, than they did in the whole of the last World Cup qualifiers, where Portugal and Holland stood in their way a wretched start.

The blip of Moscow last month has been replaced by the bleep, bleep of a team which is in danger of imminent cardiac arrest.

Leaderless, rudderless, spineless, they capitulated to a mediocre Swiss team who shouldn't have had to wait until the 87th minute winner from Fabio Celestini in front of 34,000 disbelieving fans.

Managers live and die by results and two defeats in which the Irish under-performed has eroded the high ground from under McCarthy, who has fallen from World Cup hero to fall guy in four months.

As the guy who prepares and picks the team, and calls the shots, McCarthy is aware the bucks stops with him, even if the players let him down on Wednesday night, Damien Duff and one or two others excepted.

After the game, McCarthy had a meal with his wife, Fiona, and later spoke with his business advisor and friend, Liam Gaskin. A lot of ground was covered, various options weighed up, including the possibility of standing down, and McCarthy acknowledged to Gaskin that the booing from a small section of the Dublin crowd had got to him.

Aware that his friend was at a low ebb, Gaskin's advice to McCarthy was to lie low for a week, play some golf, and clear his head.

For McCarthy, there are key questions to consider while he's on furlough.

Has he brought this team as far as possible? If so, should he step down? Or can he rekindle the spark which characterised the World Cup campaign and somehow get things back on track in the group?

His critics could argue that McCarthy has lost the plot. Leaving aside the way McCarthy handled the Keane affair in Saipan, they can point to inconsistencies in his selections and tactics through the World Cup and the Euro qualifiers.

The latest surfaced on Wednesday when he twice switched Damien Duff from centre-forward to left wing, and also tried Kevin Kilbane as a makeshift central attacker for a 15-minute spell before half-time.

Later, McCarthy threw on Thomas Butler for the final eight minutes as Ireland pressed for a win. Butler had played 45 minutes for the U-21s the night before and hadn't returned to the team hotel in Dublin until after one in the morning - hardly the ideal preparation for a game of such magnitude.

But the call which back-fired most on McCarthy was to throw on Gary Doherty for Ian Harte with four minutes to go, leaving Butler as the lone soldier on the left flank.

When Celestini was put through to score the match-winner, there was no one in the left-back slot previously occupied by Harte. McCarthy explained that he was pushing for a winner hence his gamble on taking off Harte and leaving a gap at the back. But was there a need to chase the extra two points?

On a night when Ireland hardly merited a draw, a point would not have been a disastrous result. It would have left the Swiss on five points and the Irish on one, with a game in hand on the Swiss and the return still to come.

McCarthy would have been better off in holding the 4-4-2 shape for the final minutes and keeping the point which had looked beyond the grasp of his team for most of the second half.

The Euro finals look beyond the grasp of this Irish team, which probably needs five wins from their remaining six games to even reach the play-offs, with or without McCarthy.

source



blimey.

yop

*sniff sniff*

alanj1

I think it's obvious now that the majority of fans want him to go. We are at a cross roads at the moment, some honest evaluations and some intelligent professional decisions need to be made.

To be fair to Mick, if he was to resign, I would give him respect for that and try to remember the good things he has done for Irish football.

If he is stuborn and chooses to stay on then its up to the FAI, they will need to fire him. This would earn them some respect from the loyal supporters who have been continually disregarded by the FAI.

Yesterday, over a thousand people emailed the FAI and put across their point as to why Mick should leave/be sacked. If any of you haven't and would like to then follow this link http://www.gavinjoyce.com/McCarthyMustGo/ (please send this onto any friends you think might be interested).

Thanks

johnnynolegs

that is a great article thanks for posting it

Bard

Originally posted by alanj1

To be fair to Mick, if he was to resign, I would give him respect for that and try to remember the good things he has done for Irish football.

I would sincerely hope that more 'true fans' would think this way.

Some people would do well to remember that, no matter how insignificant it may be, the Swiss match represents the first time in almost SEVEN years Ireland have lost a competitive match at home.

Every team - the Brazilians & French included, goes through bad spells. We're no different.

Unfortunately, it's probably the many (unexpected?) successes that McCarthy has had with the team which make the current poor performances so difficult to stomach - to the point of being unforgiveable.

Couple that with his lackadaisical attitude to the job, his recent bad management decisions (especially tactically, during the game) and his readiness to leave it showing less committment than the team deserves. Throw in this revelation that the FAI are preparing to offer a severance package, and it's obvious enough that it's only a matter of time before we see a new manager for the national team.

Let us remember McCarthy though in as good a way as possible. Under his management, the team went from a rank somewhere in the mid-50's to 13th in the FIFA World Rankings in September (... only to slip back to 14th this month).

That's no mean feat.

He's done well... but unfortunately for him his time as manager now appears to be drawing to a close. Considering the whole Roy Keane affair and the rest of it, he could have been leaving under better circumstances - but hopefully that won't blur the true Ireland fans vision in seeing the bigger picture. He has been good for our team - he just no longer is.

alanj1

Originally posted by Bard

He has been good for our team - he just no longer is.

I think that line sums up the situation perfectly.

Samba

Ahhh,


So the lads did get my 10,000 word email why mick should go .

I agree with you on this one alan, but in reality if no club approaches mick between now and this time mick wont step down.

The fecker seems to know what tactics to play when money is involved :mad: