Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SMILE HIGH CLUB
Mccarthy: We need one win, why the negativity?
MICK MCCARTHY dished out a kicking, with a smile on his face.
The Ireland boss was in scorpy humour last night where he appeared Swissed-off with the tone of some questions lobbed his way.
‘Spats’ might be a touch strong, but he engaged in a handful of tetchy exchanges with reporters.
Negativity generated in some quarters since Saturday’s dour draw in Georgia has left him perplexed.
Not least with Ireland potentially 90-minutes away from securing automatic qualification tonight.
Mccarthy said: “I genuinely don’t read it.
“I just keep getting messages from people saying ‘F the begrudgers’ and I keep thinking ‘what’s going on?’ And seriously, what is going on?
“I ask the question, because I haven’t sensed that at all. It’s just a few texts I got. And I didn’t want to text them back and ask what’s going on. The fact that we’re within a win of qualifying, I just don’t get the sense there is some sense of anticipation or excitement and there should be.
“I’ve been asked if it is a cup final? No, but I’m excited about it. I’m excited about the prospect of winning.
“If there is negativity going around, my mates who I’ve got five or six text messages off are either reading it or hearing it. “And I don’t get the sense in here, from you guys, that we might win at all, that you might be celebrating the fact that you might have the Euros to be writing about.
“I’m not getting that feeling. It’s not a negative vibe I’m getting, it’s just not one of positivity that we can do it, which is a different feeling.” At this stage in his career – 17 years after his last stint as Ireland boss - Mccarthy is a shrewd operator. And he’s certainly not one for making himself a hostage to fortune.
So while he spoke of wanting to win tonight, he made no bold predictions and acknowledged that his men have it all to do against “the best team in the group”.
He knows his players will have to use the ball better than they did at the weekend but said: “Man City went to Norwich and got beat, you don’t suddenly become a bad team.
“I wonder in the past when Ireland went to Georgia, have they been dominant, and overran Georgia?
“And mullered them 2-0 or 3-0? Or have they nicked it? I don’t know, maybe you can tell me.”
A reporter did just that in what quickly became an increasingly prickly to and fro that left some of the locals in the room bewildered.
Mccarthy has a long standing relationship with the journalist in question and later – and good naturedly – apologised for calling him a “pillock”.
The Swiss are under huge pressure tonight knowing that a defeat will all but eliminate them while a draw leaves them needing favours - Ireland beating Denmark being one.
But while their manager, Vladimir Petkovic, painted tonight’s clash as a cup final, Mccarthy wasn’t biting.
“Yeah, they do have to beat us but that’s not the case with us, is it? We get a draw and we’ve still got Denmark to play.
“When I look back at the game against Switzerland, I can’t think for one minute how anyone could imagine that we’re just going to come here and go all guns blazing.
“That we’re just going to take them on and win. They’re a very good side. They dominated Denmark on Saturday, all over them they were.
“The upside of it is a draw in Switzerland against Switzerland, who have qualified for how many tournaments over the last 20 years?
A reporter interjected to point out that it’s seven out of eight.
Mccarthy replied: “Thanks. You’ve been a real help to me today. Thanks pal.
“But we’re talking about would I be happy with a draw?
“Is there some thought process that I’m being negative in thinking a draw in Switzerland would be a good result?
“If we set up to try and get a draw that will be a recipe for disaster. We have tried to win every game.
“It might not always look like it when we are being pushed back by good teams, and having seen these against Denmark, they are a very good side.”