Dunphy: 'McCarthy only has himself to blame'

Soccer writer Eamon Dunphy has said that Mick McCarthy only has himself to blame after resigning as manager of the Irish national team.

Dunphy said the resignation is a direct result of McCarthy's bust-up with Roy Keane ahead of the World Cup and his handling of the affair.

"The buck always stops with the manager in football, unfortunately," Dunphy said. "It was harrowing for all people involved. It has been a very, very unhappy experience and it should never have got to this stage. Mick McCarthy was the person in charge of that situation and he should have managed it better."

Meanwhile, Cathal Dervan, the ghost-writer of McCarthy's World Cup diary, also said that the Keane affair directly led to today's development.

"The most damaging statement came when Roy Keane said he would play for Ireland as long as Mick McCarthy wasn't manager," Dervan said.

"What that did was establish a foundation and give people the bricks to throw when results went against Mick. The country has been split down the middle since the Roy Keane affair."