We were as good as anyone at Euro 88, recounts McCarthy
FOR today’s 28th anniversary of Ireland’s famous 1-0 win over England, Mick McCarthy delves into his scrapbook for cherished memories of a steamy Sunday when the country’s international football reputation soared.
Of how Packie Bonner ‘covered my backside’, of Jack Charlton’s emotion, of the noise and colour of the Ireland fans in the Neckarstadion. And then, there was Brian Clough.
Ol’ Big Head felt McCarthy was a weak line in the Irish defence and declared on TV that England’s prospects of getting off to a winning start in the European Championship finals would improve if McCarthy played.
‘I’d a sore calf at the time and he (Clough) said “we should actually club together and pay the Irish physios money to get him fit.” That’s what he said! You’ve got to listen to it, it’s just brilliant,’ said McCarthy.
‘I heard about it because we were on the bus afterwards.
‘We were waiting, as two of the lads had gone for drugs tests. Strangely enough, Ireland had beaten England in a European Championships so they’ve f ***** g drug-tested two of us.’
His accent remains straight from the Yorkshire collieries, where his Dad, Charlie, grafted for years but he’s never lost his deep-rooted sense of Irishness.
Provoke him a little and he will point out, politely mind, that he played for Ireland in the finals of European Championships, the World Cup, was captain 22 times, and managed the team to the last 16 of the World Cup finals.
He wasn’t the fastest, or the most skilful, player to wear the green jersey but his grit, courage, and unflagging leadership qualities, first recognised by Eoin Hand in 1984, thrived under Charlton.
And Euro ’88, to this day, remains his pride and joy. It was all new, all unexpected, all so laid-back to the extent the Irish squad stayed in a nudist hotel before the Dutch game in Gelsenkirchen.
‘We were all relaxed, Jack included, back then. He was much tenser for Italia ‘90 because there was more expectation.’
‘That was the first time we qualified so there was just unequivocal joy and celebrations for all of us that we were going to a tournament.
‘In 1988 I was 29, I was no spring chicken. There were lads older than me in the squad who had never qualified. It was great. There was never any fear. None at all. That period was just brilliant.’
‘It’s great when you look back, we beat England. Who gives a shag how we played? Were they better on the day than us? Did they have more chances on the day? Probably.
‘Were (Peter) Beardsley and (Gary) Lineker a real threat? They were. Did Packie save my arse a few times? He did. Nobody knows. It didn’t matter because we won.’
That famous win, courtesy of Ray Houghton’s early header, set Ireland up for a shot at the semi-finals as two teams went through from the four-team group. Against Russia in Hannover, McCarthy struck with an assist from a weapon he used frequently, a long throw-in
‘You watch the game again. The keeper (Dasaev), I could see him coming. So I said to Ronnie you stand on the edge of the box and I’ll throw it to you.
‘He ain’t coming there for it, that’s for sure. I didn’t think Ronnie would smack it like that. Maybe he should have been tested afterwards,’ he laughed.
McCarthy reckoned Ireland ‘murdered’ Russia that night with a performance as good as any by Ireland under Charlton, only to be undone by poor refereeing and a second half Russian equaliser.
Even so, a draw against the Dutch would have swept Ireland to the last four. It wasn’t to be, as Wim Kieft headed in the luckiest of late goals.
His abiding emotion of that heart-breaking loss?
‘Bitter disappointment as we felt we played really well, even more so because of the goal. It was an absolute googly. Off Kieft, it bounced down and spun in.
‘We were as good as anyone in that tournament. That’s football,’ he shrugged.
For Ireland’s return to the European stage, four years after perishing in Poland, McCarthy is aware of the need land running in the Stade de France tomorrow.
‘If you lose the first game, you’re almost always beaten in the tournament. Spain lost the first game in South Africa to Switzerland and they turned it around won their next two but it’s unlikely that if we lose the first game that we will qualify.
‘It’s hard to recover from as it has a real effect on everything.’
A good start, in contrast, is half the battle as McCarthy, and the heroes of Euro 88, can confirm.