McCARTHY HAS FOUR TARGETS IN SIGHT
WITH typical Yorkshire grit, Mick McCarthy has got straight down to work on fashioning the best he can from his modest resources.
Rather than lament the lack of a young Robbie Keane, Ireland’s manager has recognised the shortcomings of an anaemic squad which managed four paltry goals in nine internationals in 2018, only one of them in competition.
After watching Daryl Murphy put in a 90-minute shift in Nottingham Forest’s 4-2 win against Leeds over Christmas, McCarthy called the veteran striker, who will be 36 by the time the Euro 2020 qualifiers kick off, for a chat on Friday last.
Murphy retired a year ago on 33 caps and three goals after an Indian summer to his Irish involvement, which peaked at the finals of Euro 2016 where he started against Italy and France. But there might be another chapter to script.
‘I spoke to Daryl Murphy and just told him that maybe that retirement might be put on hold,’ revealed McCarthy. ‘You never know,’ he added.
What did Murphy say in reply? ‘He was, “It’s tough playing games every week.” I was like, “Ah shut up, just come in and play and get on with it.”
‘He was excellent against Leeds. I’m not sure that he’d back that up, over 46 games a season, the travelling, and playing international football too, because he’s getting to the twilight of his career.
‘But on his day, he’s such a big powerful presence and he’s a good finisher. He’s a great lad as well. I just told him to be by the phone just in case. He hasn’t said no.’
Murphy has been involved in 16 games for Forest this season but is on a busy run right now, with four successive starts since December 29 because of injury to Lewis Grabban.
It’s a help that McCarthy and Murphy go back, to their time at Ipswich where the Waterford striker shone, particularly in 2014-15 when he bagged 27 goals in 44 Championship starts.
Ironically, the striker who pipped him for the Championship Player of the Year award that season was Patrick Bamford, then of Middlesbrough, now of Leeds United, who is firmly on the McCarthy Euro 2020 radar.
‘I’ve spoken to Patrick,’ confirmed McCarthy.
‘I was due to go meet Patrick at the QPR game but he was injured so I didn’t get a chance. But my intention is to meet him and have a chat. He wants to meet me, which is positive.
‘I hope he wasn’t getting me to travel to Leeds to say he’s not interested. That would be really disappointing.
‘I do like him. I didn’t like him when he got Player of the Year in the Championship because Murphy should have it because he scored 27 goals, and he was a Championship player and not a player on loan from Chelsea.
‘I haven’t had a chance to tell him that, but he’s probably read it because I said it before. He’s a goal-scorer, he’s a proven goalscorer, technically a very good finisher and we haven’t got that many.’
Academically bright — he turned down a place at Harvard University — Bamford, 25, is eligible for Ireland through a grandmother.
An attacking player with a closer blood tie to Ireland is Nathan Redmond, whose mother is Irish. While he has a senior English cap on his career CV, the pacey Southampton winger could still choose to switch to Ireland.
Under new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, Redmond, 24, has thrived with four goals in seven games and would be a terrific catch for Ireland ‘He’d be one (player) I’d be delighted to get, if we could,’ said McCarthy.
As yet, there has been no direct contact with the player but he is aware, through his agent, of McCarthy’s interest.
‘I spoke to his agent but I’ve not spoken to Nathan so I can’t be as encouraged as I was by speaking to Patrick Bamford,’ he explained.
‘I would have thought he’s played for England and having thoughts that’s where it’s going to be.
‘The team that is playing at Southampton is not having a great time at the moment, but he is actually playing well. To be fair, he’s had some really good games over recent months.’
A fourth striker, Will Keane, is also in McCarthy’s thoughts ahead of the Euros.
The twin brother of Everton and England defender Michael, Keane scored the winner for McCarthy’s old club, Ipswich, against Rotherham on Saturday. ‘I’ve spoken to him,’ confirmed McCarthy.
Should McCarthy bag two, three or possibly all four of his targets, the attacking options for the Euro 2020 would be far healthier for he already has Shane Long, Sean Maguire and David McGoldrick in his sights for the duels ahead.
Long scored a welcome goal on Saturday in Southampton’s 2-1 win at Leicester; Maguire is fit again and got another cameo as sub for Preston on Saturday, while McGoldrick, at 31, is the form of his career with four goals in his last four games for Sheffield United, including the winner on Saturday.
Throw in Southampton teenager Michael Obafemi as a wild card option, and Robbie Keane’s coaching nous, and Ireland should carry more bite in attack in 2019 then they managed last year.
For all that he was a defender himself, McCarthy knows it is goals that pay the rent.