Ipswich would allow McCarthy to leave for free
IPSWICH Town won’t stand in Mick McCarthy’s way if the FAI identify him as a candidate to succeed Martin O’Neill as Republic of Ireland manager.
McCarthy, who oversaw a 1-0 win for the Tractor Boys over Leeds United yesterday, is out of contract at Portman Road in the summer but Ipswich owner Marcus Evans would be prepared to let him leave, without any compensation issues.
Such a facilitation may appeal to the FAI which would prefer to avoid a costly wrangling with a club to land a new manager.
McCarthy, who has been at Ipswich since November 2012, is certain to figure on the FAI’s radar should O’Neill take up the Stoke City offer. In his time as Irish manager between February 1996 and November 2002, the team never finished worse than second in three successive campaigns, reached the World Cup finals, and two play-offs.
There are parallels to now and 1996 when McCarthy succeeded Jack Charlton as manager, as the current team requires a significant overhaul, just as it did 22 years ago.
A former centre-half, McCarthy’s style of play is pleasing rather than pragmatic, which is a plus, and his eye for talent-spotting is proven, as he has kept Ipswich in the Championship without spending a bean.
McCarthy, 58, still has many supporters in Irish football and has a fine track record in giving youngsters their chance – he blooded Robbie Keane and Damien Duff as teenagers in the same game in 1998. He also capped Shay Given, then 19, in his first game.
Ireland’s captain at the 1990 World Cup finals, McCarthy may view an Ireland return as one of unfinished business after he resigned following a disappointing start to the Euro 2004 campaign. Whether the FAI hierarchy believes he is the man to follow O’Neill remains to be seen, but there are more pluses than negatives over his candidature.
Michael O’Neill, who has worked wonders with Northern Ireland, would be a progressive appointment but he is about to open talks with the Scottish FA over the Scotland vacancy. It follows a compensation agreement between the SFA and Irish FA, which seems resigned to losing the 48year-old.
Chris Hughton, formerly the Irish No2 under Brian Kerr, has a contract at Brighton until the summer of 2020 and would cost the FAI a significant amount of compensation to prise him from the Premier League new boys.
At this stage of his managerial career, Hughton may not consider the Irish job suits his needs.
As a friend of Denis O’Brien, who bankrolls much of the Irish manager’s salary, David O’Leary has to come into the frame. As a plus, he is available and can point to a fine managerial record at Leeds and Aston Villa.
Lee Carsley is highly regarded by the English FA, if not by the FAI for some reason, while Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny has a domestic CV which stands up to scrutiny. Should McCarthy emerge as a favourite, there might be a coaching role for Robbie Keane who wants to assist the international team. For the moment, everyone is on tenterhooks awaiting white smoke over the Potteries.