McCarthy bids to silence critics
His players this week rubbished suggestions that McCarthy’s position was under threat after last month’s 2-4 loss to Russia in Moscow and pointed to his record over six years of his management as evidence of his success.
Dean Kiely, Ireland’s capable reserve goalkeeper, was the latest to point the finger at the media representatives for over-reacting to the loss to Russia by focusing on McCarthy’s role. He highlighted results since he joined the squad three years ago and suggested the team manager should be proud of his record.
“The statistics don’t lie” he said, “and the stats over the past three years of games played, games lost and won, are very weighted in our favour. They’re not bad statistics and they read very well whatever way you look at them.”
Kiely was only one of several players to express puzzlement that there should be debate in the newspapers about McCarthy’s future. And an examination of his record in his six years as manager of Ireland spectacularly supports their point of view.
Ireland, for example, have never lost a competitive match at Lansdowne Road in McCarthy’s reign. That amounts to a run of 17 consecutive competitive matches in Dublin without loss.
Overall Ireland have lost only seven out of 39 competitive matches under McCarthy, and most of those were lost in the early years while he presided over an almost total change of personnel from Jack Charlton’s years. In Ireland’s last championship campaign, for the World Cup, they lost only one of 16 matches, for the penalty loss to Spain was technically a draw.
Kiely was unequivocal when he addressed the press corps yesterday and firmly put the newspaper controversy surrounding McCarthy into context.
He said: “All that controversy is being manufactured by yourselves really because at the end of the day our job description is to come and meet up, to train hard and give 100%.
“That doesn’t change regardless of what’s going on in the media, we’re asked to do the same thing whatever the occasion and I think it is a good trait of the lads that whatever is going on around we can only control what is controllable for us which is putting our boots on and playing football. I think over the past three or four years we have done that very well and that will continue regardless of whatever situation is going on.”
He dismissed queries as to whether the public debate had impacted upon the team’s preparations by saying: “His (McCarthy’s) job description does not change, ours does not change and we’re just doing the things that have brought us immense success in recent times.”
It is important to fill in the relevant background details to what has grown virtually into a campaign to remove McCarthy from office over the past couple of weeks. And the first thing to stress is that there are newspaper commentators who have decided, for whatever reason, that it is time for McCarthy to step down.
It is only right to point out as well, however, that McCarthy’s position has not been best served by events over the past week, particularly the speculation on who would fill the vacancy at Sunderland.
But now only the result of tonight’s match matters for Ireland must win here to restore confidence after Moscow.
In this regard it is to be hoped that McCarthy will take his courage in his hands and go for an attacking selection, one that will set a high tempo from the opening whistle and impose themselves on the game and on their opponents.
He will not reveal his team selection until shortly before kick-off but judging by his comments this week the team will be on predictable lines with the set-up on the right flank the only one presenting him with a problem.
This means he will have Damien Duff as centre-forward partner with Robbie Keane with Kevin Kilbane wide on the left in front of Ian Harte. Likewise Gary Breen and Kenny Cunningham will be at centre-back with Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland in midfield.
It is time to restore Duff to his best position on the left of midfield, not because Kilbane is not a good player but because Ireland need a more creative input in the midfield area if they are to take their football to the next level.
No one in this Irish squad can be faulted on their attitude or their contribution to Ireland’s cause, least of all the committed Kilbane, but Duff is the one irrepressible force in Ireland’s ranks in the creative sense and he is much more capable of punching holes in opposing defences on the flanks.
Switzerland play to a pattern that has the midfield four playing out of a diamond formation and this suggests they are likely to be more vulnerable on the flanks.
Ireland’s progress will be dictated by how much success they enjoy on both wings.
The hope is that McCarthy will seek to provide penetration as well on the right by favouring an attacker over a defender. In this regard Colin Healy should come into the reckoning. It is unlikely that McCarthy will hand John O’Shea a starting position at right-back, so Gary Kelly looks a certain starter.
Healy played superbly against Finland in the August challenge when his pace and passing ability made him a very positive force on the right flank. Despite his lack of first team exposure with Celtic, he may well figure prominently in McCarthy’s plans.
IRELAND (probable): Given (Newcastle Utd); Kelly (Leeds Utd), Breen (West Ham), Cunningham (Birmingham City), Harte (Leeds Utd); Healy (Celtic), Holland (Ipswich Town), Kinsella (Aston Villa), Kilbane (Sunderland); Keane (’Spurs), Duff (Blackburn Rovers).
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