by Trevor Keane
‘The World Cup was looming and at the Russian game the players were asked to fill out forms that would have been used for ticket allocation. I turned to Niall and asked him should I fill one out? I mean you had Robbie Keane, Damian Duff, Niall Quinn and Clinton Morrison in the squad. I didn’t really think much of my chance. However, Niall said to me, “Shut up and fill it in. My back’s in a bad way.”’
In the end injury prevented Sadlier from going to the finals, and Mick took a calculated risk with Niall Quinn, one that reaped its rewards, most notably in the Germany game when his introduction caused havoc for the opposition’s defence and helped create a goal for Robbie Keane. It was more than a risk. It was a measure of McCarthy’s loyalty to the players who had helped the team qualify and a just reward.
With a good build-up behind them, Ireland appeared on course to have a relatively successful World Cup. Drawn in the same group as an ageing German team, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia, hopes were high that Ireland would once again reach the last sixteen stage of the tournament.
Ireland’s preparations were thrown into disarray prior to the start of the tournament when Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy had their now infamous Saipan fall out, the result of which saw one of Ireland’s greatest ever players opt to forego an appearance in the World Cup. Keane, used to the very best with Manchester United, felt let down by what he perceived as poor preparation and facilities, and not wanting to simply make up the numbers decided it was best to speak out. With Keane gone, all hope appeared to vanish, while the media attention and pressure this situation placed on the team was enormous. However, Mick managed to steady the ship and steer the team to the second round of the tournament. In Keane’s absence Matt Holland and Mark Kinsella stepped up to the mark and helped balance the side, while Robbie Keane finally got the chance to show what a top player he was. Draws with eventual finalists Germany and Cameroon, followed by a victory over Saudi Arabia were enough to secure a second-round game with Spain. Despite the team playing out of their skin and managing to miss a penalty in normal time, they were eventually eliminated by Spain in a penalty shoot-out, thus narrowly missing out on a quarter-final place.
Instead of focusing on the achievements of a team that reached the second round at the World Cup, the focus shifted to what could have been had Keane been there. Indeed, the Saipan incident resulted in divided opinion countrywide and despite the credible results that Ireland had achieved, the public still did not fully back McCarthy. As soon as results started to turn against the team, the media and fans alike were on the manager’s back and wanted him out the door.
The achievements of the World Cup were soon forgotten as Ireland made a poor start to their qualifying campaign for Euro 2004. Two opening defeats, a 4–2 away defeat to Russia and a 2–1 home defeat to Switzerland, saw the pressure on McCarthy begin to build and with the Saipan incident refusing to go away, Mick’s position was becoming more and more untenable. In November 2002, Mick took the decision to resign.
The end of McCarthy’s reign will always be remembered for the incident in Saipan. For Bernard Menton the whole thing is very simple. He recalls, ‘Mick once said to me that Roy Keane could be very difficult, but he was always the first name that appeared on the team sheet, and I think that sums it up.’
LIFE AFTER IRELAND
Despite his much-hyped exit from the Ireland job, McCarthy did not remain out of the game for too long, and less than six months later, in March 2003, after sitting on the couches of TV studios providing commentary and insight, Mick returned to the dugout with Premiership side Sunderland. Joining the club after the sacking of Howard Wilkinson, it was a case of too little too late, as Mick could not help the club in their relegation battle.
The following season Mick picked the side up and led them to the Championship play-offs, where they lost to Crystal Palace on penalties. Sunderland had finished the regular season in third spot, seven points off the automatic promotion place. However, there was to be no mistake in 2005 when he led Sunderland to the Championship title, scoring twenty-nine victories and amassing ninety-four points along the way.
However, the Premiership proved to be a tricky proposition, and McCarthy struggled with a tight budget. During a season in which the Black Cats gathered only fifteen points and three wins, Mick found himself sacked in March with ten games to go. In an ironic twist Sunderland next turned to Roy Keane to revive their fortunes and provided him with a large transfer budget that would have made life a lot easier for his predecessor.
Management in the Premiership is at another level to the Championship – the Premiership is more skilful and tactical. It is where every football club in England wants to be, and the level of expectation and pressure, coupled with the riches on offer for success, means that the competition has proved to be the downfall of many managers. There seem to be men who will get you out of the Championship and men who will keep you in the Premier League. With McCarthy forging a reputation as a man of the Championship, it was no surprise when clubs outside of the top flight took an interest in him, and in July 2006, less than three months after the confidence-sapping season in the Premiership with Sunderland, McCarthy was back in management with Wolverhampton Wanderers, replacing former England manager Glenn Hoddle.
Wolves provided the perfect opportunity for McCarthy to rebuild his reputation once again, although he was not helped by a balancing of the books that saw an exodus of senior players, including big names such as Kenny Miller, Paul Ince, Mark Kennedy and Darren Anderton, who left the club when their contracts expired. The departure of Joleon Lescott in a big-money move to Everton, meant that the Wolves team needed to be rebuilt from scratch.
Wolves were seen as a sleeping giant with the facilities and history to be a Premiership club, but in need of a manager who could motivate players and was familiar with getting promotion out of the Championship. Mick was that man and he set about rallying the squad and creating a fantastic spirit within the team. The signing of Gary Breen, McCarthy’s old stalwart from his Ireland days, helped bring stability to the team, and against all expectations they managed to make the promotion play-offs. The play-off semi-final saw Wolves pitched against midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion, but a 3–2 home loss, coupled with a 1–0 loss away, saw Wolves miss out on the play-off. The disappointment of the play-offs were soon put to the back of Mick’s mind as that summer Steve Morgan took control of the club and brought with him the promise of investment. The 2008 season was one full of promise for the Wolves fans.
Wolves once again failed to live up to the expectations and for much of the season Mick’s side failed to make an impact on the League. Mounting pressure was eased by a late run of results that brought Wolves within touching distance of the play-offs, but in the end goal difference saw them miss out. Despite the setback Mick managed to hang on to his job, and the ultimate reward was about to come for the Wolves faithful.
The 2009–10 season saw the club’s best start to a campaign since 1949, and once they hit the top of the table for the first time at the end of August they never looked back, not leaving the automatic promotion spots thereafter. Promotion to the Premier League was finally confirmed on 18 April 2009 with a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers. A week later Wolves clinched their first divisional title since 1989, and Mick was back in the big time once again. Further confirmation of his talent arrived when Mick was named the Championship Manager of the Year.
McCarthy has shown a lot of faith in Irish players over the years, and the current Wolves squad contains some of the best young talent that Ireland has to offer: Kevin Doyle, Andrew Keogh, Stephen Ward, who has benefited from a positional switch instigated by McCarthy, and also young defender Kevin Foley. This faith in the Irish system has been coupled with a fantastic eye for lower League unknowns. McCarthy’s ability to spot talent has seen stars such as Michael Knightly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Christophe Berra, Andrew Surman and Richard Stearman thrive at Wolves and helped cement his reputation as a shrewd manager in the transfer ma
rket.
The 2009–2010 Premiership season saw Mick do something he had failed to do with previous clubs and keep them in the League. Wolves had been among the favourites for relegation, but against all the odds, Mick led the club to a fifteenth-place finish, their best finish since 1981.
In a career that has to date lasted four decades, McCarthy has shown himself to be man of honour and commitment, and above all loyal to a fault. He fully deserves his place as one of the heroes of Irish football.
MICK McCARTHY’S CLUB MANAGERIAL HONOURS RECORD:
Football League Championship 2005 & 2009
MICK McCARTHY’S IRELAND RECORD:
Total number of games in charge: 68
Total number of wins: 29 (ratio 42.65%)
Total number of draws: 20 (ratio 29.41%)
Total number of losses: 19 (ratio 27.94%)
Biggest win: 5–0 v . Liechtenstein (twice) and Malta
Biggest defeat: 4–2 v . Russia
Longest unbeaten run: 16 games
12
BRIAN KERR
The best players do not always make the best coaches, nor do less accomplished players automatically make bad coaches. José Mourinho is the best modern-day example of this, having started out as a player before moving into coaching. Many club chairmen seem to think the bigger the player, the better the manager. The Premier League and the Championship in England are good examples of Leagues in which big personalities often start their management careers at the bigger clubs without first learning the traits and skills that make a good manager.
However, it can also be said that some people are simply born to play, while others are born to manage. Mick Meagan once said that he never actually liked managing, that he preferred to be one of the lads and that one of the hardest things in his life was finding out that he could not play any more. Brian Kerr, on the other hand, was destined to be a manager. Whether it is coaching Dublin inner city junior teams, Irish youth teams, League of Ireland teams or the Irish national team, Brian lives and breathes football – anyone who has met him will tell you that. More importantly for Irish soccer fans, he is also the only manager to have led an Ireland team to a win at a major tournament at any level.
EARLY YEARS
Brian Kerr was born in 1953 in Drimnagh, an area which over the years has been the birthplace of a number of famous sports-people, including Kevin Moran and Tony Dunne who both played for Manchester United, 1983 Athletics World Champion Eamonn Coghlan and Olympic gold medal boxer Michael Carruth. In fact Brian’s father was a coach with Drimnagh Boxing Club, but it was football that interested Brian the most and as a youth he played with Crumlin United, progressing to Leinster League football with Bluebell United. However, despite his love of the game and a determination to succeed at the top level of the game in Ireland, Brian failed to make the grade at League of Ireland level and instead made his mark on football in this country as a successful coach and manager. Kerr recalls those days well: ‘In and around Drimnagh we would play in street leagues during the summer [these were games between other streets in the area]. I also played youth-team football for Rialto. The street leagues were for kids who were under thirteen and a half. While I was playing for the Under-13-and-a-half team, I also set up and managed an Under-11 team.
‘I was a St Patrick’s Athletic fan in those days, and I followed the managers of the team almost as much as the team itself. The likes of Charlie Walker, Jack Burkett, Barry Bridges and Gerry Dolan were gods to me and big influences. My dad coached boxing, and although I did not follow down that road, I think his passion and hard work transferred over to me. I loved managing players, and I loved the fact that I could influence teams and results. I played under a lot of coaches who were enthusiastic and dedicated, but I wanted more. I wanted more control.
‘I was frustrated by the level I played at. Like all kids, I wanted to play professional football in England and for Ireland, and I think at about eighteen I realised that it was not going to happen. Thankfully, I was cute enough to have started my coaching badges at the age of sixteen, although in those days there were not a lot of courses around. I also got some lucky breaks along the way, from the likes of Gerry Moran and Liam Tuohy. Over the years I have been given opportunities, although generally those opportunities arose when there was no money or teams were struggling or both.’
When Brian took over as manager of St Patrick’s Athletic in December 1986 they were one of the forgotten sides of Irish football and had not won a League title since 1956. However, under Brian, St Pat’s was transformed and within three weeks the team won the Leinster Senior Cup. St Pat’s continued to progress and a return to the heady days of the 1950s, when they’d won three titles, was on the horizon. For Brian the initial success was a dream come true and a sign that the tough work was starting to pay off, for as well as managing St Patrick’s Athletic, Brian also had a day job at UCD where he was part of the technical staff of the Department of Food Science. Brian’s job with St Pat’s was even more remarkable considering the lack of resources that he had at his disposal. With a small budget Brian did not have the option to buy the best that the League of Ireland had to offer and instead he scoured junior and schoolboy football for hidden treasures. Curtis Fleming and future St Pat’s manager John McDonnell were some of the success stories from Brian’s transfer activities.
The 1988 season nearly saw St Pat’s and Brian win the League when, in dramatic fashion, they drew 1–1 with Dundalk in the last game of the season – all that was required for St Pat’s to claim the title was a win. The following season saw St Pat’s finish fourth, losing only six games and having the best defensive record. Then in 1990 Brian delivered the League of Ireland crown to the Inchicore faithful, losing only three games in the process. While at St Patrick’s Athletic in the early 1990s, he had a team that on paper should never have won the title from Shelbourne, but the mentality Brian instilled in the players ensured that they believed that they could win every match.
Despite the success that the club was enjoying on the field, off the field the club was in financial trouble and as a result Brian was forced to sell off the majority of the team he had created to raise money to keep the club afloat. In fact Brian went even further in his efforts to help the club, joining a group of investors who raised funds to save the club from liquidation in 1992. The financial troubles coincided with a return to mid-table mediocrity for St Pat’s as Brian was faced with the task of rebuilding the side from scratch. However, by 1995 the club was showing signs of improving as they finished fifth in the League. The following season Brian once again showed his extraordinary talent for creating fairytales as his new look St Pat’s side won the League by five points.
Dave Campbell, who was a member of the St Patrick’s Athletic side that won the title under Kerr’s stewardship in 1996, recalls: ‘Brian was one of a kind. He was way ahead of his time. Looking back now they seem like simple things, but we had sports physiologists when nobody had them. He was very tactical, and his training sessions were never repetitive. I remember he was managing a League of Ireland representative side that was playing against Manchester United, and the evening before the game we were practising defending set-pieces. Brian was telling us, “Now Pallister, he likes to make his runs to the back post.”
‘Brian lives and breathes football. At training sessions he’d ask one of the lads, “Do you have the Evening Herald in the car?” When he got it he would open the fixtures page and plan out his weekend. And not just League of Ireland matches. If he heard there was a player playing in the junior leagues who had slipped under the radar but who with a bit of coaching could be a diamond, he was off to check him out. He would circle the fixtures and say, “If I leave that game at half-time, I can make this game” and so on. Pure dedication to the game.
‘His preparation for matches was second to none. In the build-up to games he would get the local papers from where we were playing the following weekend and pull out quotes and put them on the walls, saying, �
��Do you see what they have been saying about us?” He really built us up for games. He lived football twenty-four hours a day and knew everything about every player. He could tell you the ones who might have had a pint during the week or the blind spot of a player who was making his debut and no one had ever heard of. That was his way.
‘The season we won the League we lost only four games and, although we had good players, our success was more down to the sum of all the parts producing a good team, with the main part being Brian and his organisational skills. One time we were in Drogheda, and Brian started telling us a story. He had seen a play the night before, and the premise of the play was that a man was tied up in a room. Although he was tied up he could move himself a little bit. In the middle of the room there was a pair of scissors, and the man knew that if he got to them, he would be able to cut himself free. We were all thinking to ourselves, “What is he talking about? Has he been drinking?” Undeterred, Brian explained to us that the League was like a rope around us and only by winning it would we cut ourselves free. With that, Brian left the room. He came back a while later, and there was loads of laughter in the room, so he asked, “What’s so funny?” He was getting pissed off, so one of the lads told him to look up. A pair of scissors were hanging from the ceiling. Brian shouted, “Ye fucking bastards” and stormed out of the room. He was good for a bit of banter and along with Noel O’Reilly, who was a great coach, they made an entertaining pair on the guitar for singsongs.
‘One of the biggest gambles Brian took during the season we won the title was to persuade Liam Buckley, who he had signed to be his assistant, to also register as a player. Liam was about thirty-six or thirty-seven at the time, but, to his credit, he still had it and was an inspiration that season.
‘Brian hated when anyone left the club. If you were playing against a former teammate and had the temerity to talk to him before the match, you would hear Brian’s dulcet tones roaring at you, “Get away from him. If he wanted to talk to you, he wouldn’t have left.” When I left St Pat’s he didn’t speak to me for three years. That said, he is without a doubt the best manager I ever played for.
