Only a Euro victory would keep McCarthy in hot seat

MICK McCARTHY yesterday suggested that only outright victory for Ireland in the European Championship of 2004 would keep him in the job as manager of the national team beyond his current contract.

It was the first time for McCarthy to pinpoint a retirement date and it will mark the end of an eight year term of substantial achievement. Ireland could put a fitting seal on his contribution by qualifying for the finals in Portugal in 2004.

McCarthy, who succeeded Jack Charlton as Ireland's manager in 1996, suggested that his identification of a closure date in an interview with The Guardian yesterday should not come as a surprise, that it was "old news".

But it did come as news to this reporter who recorded FAI general secretary Brendan Menton as saying, during the World Cup: "We look forward to Mick McCarthy leading us to the finals of Euro 2004 and beyond."

McCarthy's announcement yesterday raised another issue. He is currently on a two-year contract with the FAI that is scheduled to expire in February 2004. If Ireland qualify for the finals in Portugal that year then a new contract will have to be agreed, even if a short-term arrangement is the preferred option.

Qualifying for the World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan this summer was obviously the high point of McCarthy's achievements. But he deserved credit for helping Ireland to a play-off with Belgium for the 1998 World Cup finals in France and to a play-off against Turkey for the Euro finals of 2000 in Holland and Belgium.

It was no mean achievement to guide the national team that far, given that he had to preside over a huge turnover of players as the members of Charlton's experienced squad retired in rapid succession.

The immediate task facing the Irish manager is to formulate a plan to overcome Switzerland on Wednesday as Ireland seek the win they need to repair the damage caused by their loss last month to Russia in Moscow in the opening round of the qualifying tournament for Portugal 2004.

The lengthy list of injury casualties was extended yesterday when Rory Delap returned to Southampton for treatment on a calf muscle injury. It is likely that a member of Don Givens' U21 squad will be drafted into the senior panel as a precaution.

McCarthy was philosophical as he reviewed the list of absent players Delap, McAteer, Finnan, Carr, O'Brien, Kenna, Kennedy, Sadlier, Connolly, Reid when he said: "We still have a strong team available and even those fringe players who are in the squad have all had international experience, so we are still strong."

The absence of so many must bring closer the possibility of a debut in competitive action for Manchester United's defender, John O'Shea. He has had just one appearance with Ireland's senior team to date and that was as substitute late in a game against Croatia in August of last year.

The absence of Carr, Finnan, Delap and McAteer means that Ireland are unusually lacking in options on the right side of the pitch and McCarthy may have signalled his intentions when he said: "I could play Gary Kelly on the right of midfield with John O'Shea at full-back."

He was, however, merely speculating on the options remaining to him and a combination of Kelly and O'Shea is just one of the possibilities. He could also use Colin Healy on the right of midfield or Lee Carsley with Kelly at full-back and last week he suggested that Damien Duff also had the capability of playing on the right side.

Duff, it will be remembered, did well when he was played on the right of midfield against Spain in the World Cup McCarthy responded to queries as to whether he intended playing Duff in his favoured position on one of the flanks by commenting.

"I still believe that the best strike partnership available to us is the combination of Duff and Robbie Keane."

Keane's impact with Spurs since his transfer from Leeds United was a source of satisfaction to McCarthy but he stressed that the lively striker was always up-beat with the Irish squad, even when he was not first-choice with his club.

He said: "I've never noticed a change in Robbie. It was never the case that when he came to us he was feeling down or not sparkling in training because he was not first-choice with his club.

"He is just the same but I guess when you are playing in the first team, within yourself you always feel better. But I've not seen any difference in him, he is the same bright, sparkling Robbie Keane I'm pleased to say."

McCarthy stressed how important Keane was to them and the responsibility the 22-year-old bore on his shoulders.

"Throughout his time with us, even when he was having his perceived lean time and not scoring goals, he was always for my money playing very well," said McCarthy.

"I said loud and clear to everybody how we had relied on him and we put so much weight on a pair of young shoulders, but he has handled it every time. He is a great character, he is not only a good player, he is a very strong character.

"But we rely heavily on the entire squad of players. When you get a list of injuries such as we have now and so many are out of the squad you start to rely very heavily on your squad of players, on the ones who have been there and done it and Robbie comes into that category despite his youth."

The loss to Russia means Ireland are in serious need of a solid win over Switzerland and McCarthy acknowledged this when he said.

"Pressure comes with the territory. It's great when you get off to a good start and we did that in our last few championships we beat Liechtenstein away, Croatia in Dublin and we drew with Holland so that gave us a good start each time.

"Now we are in a different position and of course it adds an extra bit of pressure when you've set off and you haven't got a result. But it is always about winning your home games anyway, nothing's changed. It is a results business and we need to win."