The Doc leaves Mick McCarthy searching for the right prescription

Mick McCarthy insists he hasn’t given up on the idea of Matt Doherty playing on the right side of midfield for Ireland, even though a lack of penetration and crosses into the box meant the manager opted to replace the Wolves man with Robbie Brady before the hour mark in Ireland’s grim 1-0 win in Gibraltar on Saturday.

“I’m not going to dismiss it,” McCarthy said. “And perhaps with more than five days to look at it, it might be a different scenario. But I was looking for more and I’m not sure I changed it that much when I changed the Doc, to be quite honest, whether it was Robbie couldn’t get on the ball or they were just having a bit more of the game.