McCarthy serves up chilly reality

MICK MCCARTHY rarely deals in anything other than the most downbeat realities, and the former Ireland manager is clearly not about to break his old habits after claiming his Wolves squad “look like a team that can get relegated”.

The west midlands club remain one place off the foot of the Premier League table after a chastening defeat at Stamford Bridge to a Chelsea team stripped of many of their elite performers and McCarthy is already braced for a long, potentially grim winter. By outlining his gloomy prognosis of a survival scrap early, he is hoping his players will be better equipped to secure their safety.

“We just have to understand that we are in a dogfight,” he said. “With all the games we have left, that’s the situation. We can’t hide from it, say ‘we’re doing okay, we’ll be fine’ and then get to half-way through the season and we’re not doing fine. Let’s put our chips on the table.