McCarthy to consider future

Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy will ask the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and his players if they want him to stay in the job.

Under threat
McCarthy's position has been the subject of intense speculation after defeats by Russia and Switzerland left Ireland bottom of their EURO 2004™ qualifying group. He has just returned to work after a week's holiday in Portugal and has begun speaking about his future.

Dublin talks
His contract with the FAI runs till the end of the EURO 2004™ campaign but McCarthy, the longest-serving national coach in Europe, has confirmed that he will canvass opinions from his employers, the FAI, and his squad about his future when he arrives in Dublin for a series of meetings on Thursday.

'I'll speak to the players'
"I want to sit down, chat with them [the FAI] and see what we're doing, how things are," he said. McCarthy, whose captain Roy Keane quit the Irish squad on the eve of the FIFA World Cup, said he would "also speak to a few of the players".

Negative press
He added: "The first two qualifying results have made life extremely difficult for me and my situation with a section of the press, a growing section of them, has affected the team. If we had gone into the European campaign on a positive note, rather than surrounded by all this negative stuff, it would have been far better all-round.

'I've given everything'
"I've been involved with Ireland since 1984 as a player, coach and manager and I've given absolutely everything. But there also comes a time when you recognise that enough is enough. The public perception has been very good, but at the end of it, I'll consider what's good for the team and for Irish football."