McCarthy bids to silence critics

IRELAND will seek to silence critics of manager Mick McCarthy by extending his remarkable record of never having lost a competitive match at Lansdowne Road when they face Switzerland in the European Championship at Lansdowne Road tonight (7.30pm).

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.