UNIMPRESSED BY THE DOC OF GIBRALTAR

Mick admits Matt’s display was a far cry from his Wolves form

MICK MCCARTHY admits his appointment with the Doc wasn’t a ‘rip-roaring success’ in Gibraltar.

But the Republic of Ireland boss is not ruling out a second opinion against Georgia tomorrow night.

Since succeeding Martin O’neill, one of the big conundrums facing Mccarthy was how to accommodate Matt Doherty and Seamus Coleman in the same team.

Doherty has been a revelation at right-wing back for Wolves this season and while O’neill often overlooked him, Mccarthy could not afford to.

After all, he believes Doherty has been the best in his position in the Premier League and hinted early last week that he would start on the right wing in Gibraltar.

The ‘Doc’ – who Mccarthy signed for Wolves from Bohemians in 2010 – was never going to dislodge skipper Coleman at right-back.

The duo were paired together in an experimental partnership down the right flank in Saturday’s sketchy 1-0 win away to the group minnows.

But while they worked reasonably well in tandem during the first-half, Doherty was hooked early in the second and replaced by Robbie Brady.

Doherty’s lack of a winger’s instinct was cited as the reason for the switch, although it’s not as if Brady set the place alight on his introduction.

Brady at his best is one of Ireland’s most potent weapons but he hasn’t started a game for Burnley since January and his lack of game time cost him a place in the first XI.

So Mccarthy is agonising over what to do against Georgia tomorrow; persist with Doherty as a makeshift winger, play Brady (inset) from the start, or spring a surprise.

“I’m not going to dismiss it,” said Mccarthy, pointing out that he has had less than a week to work with the players.

“I was looking for more but I’m not sure it changed that much when I changed the ‘Doc’, to be quite honest. “Whether Robbie couldn’t get on the ball or Gibraltar were just having a bit more of a game of it, I don’t know.

“Doc is a good footballer for them [Wolves]. It’s a different way. Maybe there’s more room on the pitch when Wolves have got it; they’re more expansive.

“They’ve been doing it for two years, they’ve been brilliant. I’m not going to knock Doc’s performance. He had a little bit of joy in the first half, with Seamus doubling up.

“Other than that it didn’t work, so there was a substitution. I’m not saying he played badly in the game. I was just looking for a few more crosses.”

Mccarthy continued: “I’m not dismissing doing it again. Did it work? It wasn’t a riproaring success in terms of how much we’ve got out of it.

“I’m not giving the ‘Doc’ any grief. I chose to play him there and he did what was asked of him.

“But we didn’t get that much from anybody else, to be quite honest. And I have to say I put that down to them as well.”

Mccarthy reiterated just how much he hated Saturday’s game that saw Ireland labour to a narrow win in difficult conditions.

But he makes no apologies for saying he would accept a similar performance against Georgia tomorrow – once it delivers the same result.

Mccarthy continued: “It’s not a great deal of preparation (time) for getting them all passing and moving and playing through them.

“Gibraltar are a handful to play against, certainly on that pitch and in those conditions; it levels it up somewhat.

“I just hated the game because I knew what it was going to be like. It was blowing a gale, it was bouncing all over the place, it’s tough. I could see what was coming.

“It’s not enjoyable playing against a team with nothing to lose, everything to gain and everybody’s watching and we should be beating them by a number of goals.

“It’s bloody horrible. But let’s not make any bones about it because… we’ve won.

“Everything could have been said if we hadn’t won.

“That’s why I was nervous, because they are horrible bloody games. It’s great when you’re an underdog.”

But with conditions in his favour at Aviva Stadium tomorrow, excuses won’t cut it.