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McCarthy helping Irish to prosper

When Mick McCarthy took on one of the most difficult tasks in European football by succeeding a nation's greatest ever manager by taking over from Jack Charlton in 1996, no one really knew what to expect.

When Mick McCarthy took on one of the most difficult tasks in European football by succeeding a nation's greatest ever manager by taking over from Jack Charlton in 1996, no one really knew what to expect.

Longest serving manager 
Certainly no one expected that six years on he would be the longest serving manager in Europe, that he would keep his job despite two failed attempts to qualify for a major finals, before finally leading the country to the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals, and that he would travel to Porto for the draw for the qualifying campaign in the 2004 UEFA Championship with a reputation as one of the most respected coaches on the continent.

Charlton’s captain
As a player, McCarthy was limited in talent and ability, played for mainly unfashionable clubs (Barnsley FC, Manchester City FC, Olympique Lyonnais, Millwall FC) yet he was almost an ever-present in the Ireland team under Jack Charlton, winning 57 caps and captaining the Irish team to the 1990 World Cup finals, the first name on the team-sheet ahead of more talented players with bigger clubs (David O'Leary, Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath).

Many obstacles 
As a manager he has also prospered, despite many obstacles. He took over an Ireland side from Charlton that had thrilled the country by reaching two World Cup and one European Championship finals, a side which was also on the wane, packed with aging players and no obvious replacements from the youth of Ireland. He has had some bad luck, losing out on qualification for the 1998 World Cup and EURO 2000™ only after a play-off, he had to play the majority of one qualifying campaign without his only world class player (Roy Keane) and has had to ditch older legends to bring in younger men.

Tactical errors 
Some would say McCarthy has placed many obstacles in his own way. He began his career as Ireland boss by playing with a three-man defence, even when it appeared Ireland lacked the players to play in that system. He also made tactical errors, gave caps to some players who were perhaps not up to international standard and had a difficult relationship with sections of the Irish media.

Coaching novice 
But the reason why McCarthy's stock is so high now is because he has learned. He had no real training for a job in international management, as his only previous coaching role was at lowly English club Millwall. He was a novice, compared to many of the other coaches he has come up against.

Learned from mistakes 
McCarthy’s ability to learn from his mistakes is proved by the fact that he no longer makes the kind of errors that caused the Irish soccer media to bring out the poisoned pens. And he proved that in just one game, during the 1-0 home win over the Netherlands in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, when his counterpart (Louis van Gaal) made a series of rash substitutions in a bid to save the game while McCarthy kept his head to help his team keep their shape, despite the fact they were a man down after Gary Kelly's sending off.

Place earned 
That, above anything else, is the reason why McCarthy earned a place at the World Cup finals and other more esteemed rivals would have to be content to watch on television.

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