Loyal McCarthy’s faith in continuity will define key week
IF it’s condemnation of Richard Keogh that you want, then a Mick McCarthy press conference is the wrong place to visit.
Or John Delaney, for that matter. He didn’t want to go there, aside from mentioning that he did still have to thank the ex-CEO for giving him his old job back.
Keogh is a relevant topic to McCarthy, as the Derby player’s actions haven’t just placed his career at risk; it has also ruled a first-choice option out of the rest of the Euro 2020 journey.
With Shane Duffy provisionally ruled out of the double-header with Georgia and Switzerland – he has not given up on a swift recovery – it was a grim 24 hours ahead of a crucial window.
McCarthy is popular with players because of the understanding that he shows in difficult situations. And a discussion with a downbeat Keogh has made the Irish manager sympathetic towards the 33-year-old.
Downbeat
McCarthy’s argument is simple. Keogh wasn’t behind the wheel and couldn’t have used his status as captain to stop younger players from doing so.
“He’s the one that’s getting battered for it. Should he have been in a car that one of them was driving? No. Should he have been part of that? No.
“But he’s not the one who has got in and sat behind the wheel of a car.”
He also feels that the scrutiny on footballers in this situation is even more intense and thus adds to the feeling that a person is being kicked when they are down.
“I said that I was only calling him to lend a bit of support because everybody is beating him up,” said McCarthy.
“But he’s been exceptional for me and
he has had an exceptional career; hopefully he has some more games.
“But he’s paying the price at the moment and I’m not going to heap any more on him. He’s a great bloke.
“People make decisions and they have to live with them unfortunately.”
McCarthy will have to deal with the outcome of the decisions that have shaped his squad for the trip to Tbilisi and Geneva.
His instinct is to be loyal and be mindful of the togetherness that has carried his group through the year unbeaten.
Thus, he has passed on the temptation to call in members of Stephen Kenny’s U-21 squad. He stressed that Aaron Connolly and Troy Parrott were named on the 41-man provisional list.
However, he ultimately has concluded that he would prefer to call on more experienced options for these tests.
Connolly has now gained regular Premier League action with Brighton, albeit as a sub, and that hasn’t convinced McCarthy that he should be ahead of Callum Robinson, Sean Maguire, Scott Hogan or James Collins.
David McGoldrick was not named in the 24-man squad but, similar to Duffy, he hasn’t fully given up on shaking off his injury problems.
Maguire comes back in after missing September, and McCarthy was thrilled with Collins’ contribution against Bulgaria and the impact Hogan made off the bench against Switzerland.
Galway teenager Connolly sees himself as a striker but lines out on the left wing for Stephen Kenny’s U-21 side and McCarthy hinted that he is considering him with that position in mind.
In that context, he doesn’t see him as a superior option to James McClean right now.
Hype
Kenny’s side are generating a lot of hype, with tomorrow week’s visit of Italy to Tallaght a sell-out, but the senior manager asserts that the achievements of the older players this year should not be forgotten.
“It can be detrimental to the players I have picked,” he said, with a nod to the constant questions about the young guns.
“And there’s something in the continuity of squads and how they interact because we’ve got some good results.”
It’s not just the U-21s who are outside the tent. Shane Long, Robbie Brady and James McCarthy are left out as they haven’t played enough. Harry Arter and Keiren Westwood have fallen out of favour.
Yet Kevin Long is primed to start in Tbilisi if Duffy doesn’t make it back, despite having made just a single League Cup outing with Burnley.
McCarthy is pleased he used the Bulgaria game to pair Long with Sheffield United’s John Egan as they are now in line for central billing in a week that will ask severe questions.