Mick McCarthy

I may use certain language but anything I discuss around McCarthy and team selections, such as that mockery of a starting lineups vs Switzerland, is factual. It's a fact that we played 3-5-2 and didn't play either of our highly performing wing backs in their positions. No hyperbole whatsoever there.

Nothing perceived either about this other hyperbole and utter sh*te talk, you just need to look at numerous posters mentioning Brazil 1982 and Stephen Kenny on this and other threads. Completely irrelevant and the height of moronic nonsense.

That's fair enough. I do enjoy being pulled on my language as I comment about Mick McCarthy on the Mick McCarthy thread though. All the while on the same thread, Brazil 1982, Stephen Kenny's all attacking all winning style of football, FIFA 2020 football managers, all of these comments are left tip away unchallenged. Btw those comments are completely irrelevant and the height of moronic nonsense. I make no bones about that.

I mean on the James McCarthy thread, I was just asked how much I earned . That is the level of guff I'm talking about and I think my language is actually apt in response to it.

The Switzerland lineup was indeed an utter joke. The one time he actually switches formations and he has Doherty on the bench and Stevens playing as a center back. All just to shoehorn McClean into the team. That game was essentially a free hit and we knew a draw or loss were useless before the kickoff. Our Mick decides the best way to motivate the team is to say he would be happy with a draw in the pre match press conference. How amateurish does one have to be to spout that drivel. He should have went with a very attacking lineup and if we lost heavily who cares we had Denmark to come anyway. Sorry if I’m venting but his comments yesterday with regards loyalty to the same players has irked me. I understand that you can’t make wholesale changes to the usual starting 11 or formation but you can definitely make 1-2 changes. It’s essentially going to be the same starting 11 that played against Denmark with Coleman probably replacing Doherty. As I said in my previous post I agree with the Coleman switch but James McCarthy or josh Cullen should replace Glenn Whelan.

I liked him in his first stint.  We played good football and could take anyone on.  Obviously the personnel was better but he himself was more attacking and willing to experiment more.  His last game in 2002 against the Swiss was a good example where he went all out for the win but got caught on the break.  I don't mind that. He was positive and willing to have a go to get the win.  Now he'd be settling for a draw and bringing on another central midfielder. Yeah he might get that draw but he'll never get the win doing that.

I am convinced Kenny will be so much more positive.  I hope the players respect him and buy into his plan and not look down on him like Kerr.

I think the modern game has passed him by. Managers need to be workaholics these days

How I would love it to get to that. But unfortunately we don’t have the balls needed to go and take the game to Slovakia and we will limp out of the tournament I am pretty sure as you can’t keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. Maybe mick is starting to lose it a bit in his old age. 

Tbf, he definitely played his part in how well we played in the '02 campaign. We had a serious group of quality footballers though so the pragmatic thing to do was to actually let them do what they are really good at. The question could be asked how much of that was down to McCarthy and how much to the players, and that's a difficult one to answer exactly.

He also had numerous cock ups in his first stint in charge though. Some truly ridiculous things like not knowing Spain were down to 10 men during extra time in our 02 world cup game. Playing Mark Kennedy in a completely unfamiliar role in a World Cup playoff vs Belgium and having to take him off before ht. The '04 qualifying campaign was horrid. We blew the '00 campaign completely with away results where we continuously played negative football in comparison to some great stuff at home. The list goes on and on.

There is a completely rose tinted view of McCarthys first stint with Ireland. That is down to a few things - captain of our breakthrough years under Charlton, manager in 02 where we played some great stuff, and a big one is people seem to love McCarthy. I'm not sure why, I never got it, but they do. With all this, people just forget some terrible low points under him previously.

I couldn't have been more against his appointment last year. I'll stand over that no matter how the play offs go. We had a golden opportunity over the past 2 years to start a rebuild and also qualify for a European Championship because of the comically convoluted Nations League format. We blew it. We're now further behind the curve than when Denmark trounced us over 2 years ago. Kenny has a massive job on his hands now and it will take a long time to correct the rights of the last few years imo. Looking at the consistent comments on here, I don't think he'll get the time to do what needs to be done. The pro McCarthy, anti LOI manager brigade will be hounding him out within months I reckon.