Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
McCarthy: I just loved his bones!
JACK CHARLTON made Mick McCarthy his Captain Fantastic – and in return McCarthy was steadfastly loyal to the man who he succeeded as Ireland manager. McCarthy was startled to learn from Tony Cascarino that their former boss had become very sick, and he made a point of talking to Charlton after his 85th birthday in May. Paying tribute to Charlton after he died, McCarthy said: “I remember the bloke who gave me the best time of my life in football, over ‘88 and ‘90, it was wonderful. “I did speak to him very briefly the day after his birthday but it was difficult due to his health. I told him I loved the bones of him that day and I always will. “He made it plain and simple, what he wanted. He was the one who turned a group of good players into a force to be reckoned with. “He galvanised the team, he knew what to do, he knew what the opposition didn’t like. “He galvanised the country. I said to someone this morning, he trusted me with the captaincy of Ireland. I loved the bones of him.” McCarthy succeeded Charlton in 1996 and finished up a second stint in the Ireland hot-seat in April. He added: “Jack’s passing will touch Ireland, England and the football world but the loss to football will be felt in Ireland more than anywhere else. “He turned a really good team into a team that qualified for tournaments and made an impact at them. He changed my life, he changed everything for all of us who played for Ireland and just look at the memories we have. “We’ll always have Stuttgart and Genoa and Giants Stadium thanks to Jack.”