McCarthy ready to start afresh in March

“I kind of get what you’re asking, but we didn’t lose anyway.”

It might have been the first time that Mick McCarthy allowed himself a chuckle in the gloomy aftermath of Ireland’s agonising 1-1 draw with Denmark, as he responded to a question about whether a narrow, undeserved defeat can be even more painful for a gaffer than a comprehensive, fully deserved thrashing.