Mick McCarthy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mick McCarthy

McCarthy in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Michael Joseph McCarthy
Date of birth	(1959-02-07) 7 February 1959 (age 66)
Place of birth	Barnsley, England
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	Barnsley
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1977–1983	Barnsley	272	(7)
1983–1987	Manchester City	140	(2)
1987–1989	Celtic	48	(8)
1989–1990	Lyon	10	(1)
1990	→ Millwall (loan)	6	(0)
1990–1992	Millwall	29	(2)
Total		505	(20)
International career
1979	Republic of Ireland U23	1	(1)
1984–1992	Republic of Ireland	57	(2)
Managerial career
1992–1996	Millwall
1996–2002	Republic of Ireland
2003–2006	Sunderland
2006–2012	Wolverhampton Wanderers
2012–2018	Ipswich Town
2018–2020	Republic of Ireland
2020–2021	APOEL
2021	Cardiff City
2023	Blackpool
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, a sports expert, and a former footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Blackpool.

McCarthy started his playing career at Barnsley in 1977. He also played for Manchester City, Celtic, Lyon, and Millwall. He stopped playing in 1992. Even though he was born in England, he played for the Republic of Ireland. He played 57 games for them and was part of the team at UEFA Euro 1988 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

After his playing days, McCarthy became a manager. He managed Millwall and then the Republic of Ireland national team. He led Ireland to the knockout stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Later, he managed Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Ipswich Town. He returned to manage the Republic of Ireland in November 2018. He helped them get a spot in the UEFA Euro 2020 playoffs before leaving. He then had short times managing APOEL in Cyprus, Cardiff City, and Blackpool. He has also worked as a television expert and commentator.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at Barnsley

Mick McCarthy was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire. He played his first league game for Barnsley on 20 August 1977. The team won 4–0 against Rochdale. He spent two years in the Fourth Division before his club moved up. Two years later, they moved up again to the Second Division. McCarthy was a strong central defender and played almost every game for his hometown club. He left in December 1983 to join Manchester City.

Time at Manchester City

Manchester City moved up to the top league in McCarthy's first full season. This gave him the chance to play at the highest level of English football. His first season in the top league was good, and the club finished in the middle of the table. However, they were moved down to a lower league the next year. McCarthy himself did not stay for the drop, as he moved to Celtic in May 1987.

Success with Celtic

McCarthy won his first trophies with the Scottish club. They won both the league and the cup in his first season there. The next season, McCarthy won another Scottish Cup medal. However, the club finished third in the league that year.

Moving to Lyon

In July 1989, McCarthy moved to a new country to play for Lyon in France. He signed a three-year contract with them.

Finishing at Millwall

McCarthy came back to England in March 1990. He joined Millwall, a top-league team, on loan. He then signed with them permanently in May 1990 for £200,000. In his last two seasons, he often had injuries, which limited how many games he could play. He mostly stopped playing when he became the manager of the club in 1992.

Playing for Ireland

McCarthy's father, Charlie, was born in Ireland, so Mick was an Irish citizen from birth. He played his first international game for Ireland on 23 May 1984. It was a friendly match against Poland that ended in a 0–0 draw. McCarthy quickly became a regular player and played in all three of Ireland's games at UEFA Euro 1988. He later became the team captain, earning him the nickname "Captain Fantastic."

A big moment in McCarthy's international career was the penalty shootout win against Romania at the 1990 FIFA World Cup finals. This win led to a tough game against the host country, Italy, in the quarter-finals. Ireland lost 1–0, and their first World Cup journey ended there. McCarthy was known for committing the most fouls in the 1990 tournament.

In total, McCarthy played 57 games for the Republic of Ireland and scored two goals. One goal was against Yugoslavia in April 1988, and the other was against the United States in May 1992.

Managerial Career

Managing Millwall

McCarthy became the player-manager at Millwall in March 1992, taking over from Bruce Rioch. In his first full season (1992–93), he was still listed as a player but only played one more game. After that, he focused only on managing the team.

He led the club to the play-offs in the 1993–94 season after they finished third. However, they lost to Derby County in the semi-finals. During the 1995–96 season, McCarthy became a top choice for the manager job of the Republic of Ireland after Jack Charlton resigned. After a lot of talk, McCarthy was officially given the job on 5 February 1996.

Leading the Republic of Ireland

In February 1996, McCarthy became the new manager of the Republic of Ireland football team. His first game was a friendly match against Russia on 27 March, which they lost 0–2.

After not quite making it to the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, McCarthy successfully led the team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. They won a play-off against Iran by a total score of 2–1. Before the tournament, McCarthy had a very public disagreement with star player Roy Keane. Keane was sent home the day before the tournament started after he questioned the team's preparations and facilities.

Despite this issue, McCarthy's team reached the second round. They were knocked out by Spain in a penalty shootout. The problem with Keane continued, and many people in Ireland supported Keane. They wanted McCarthy to resign. An investigation later found problems with how the team's preparation was handled.

People in the media criticized McCarthy more and more after a bad start to Ireland's qualifying games for Euro 2004. He resigned from the job on 5 November 2002. During his 68 games in charge, the Republic of Ireland won 29 games, drew 20, and lost 19.

Managing Sunderland

On 12 March 2003, McCarthy became the manager of Sunderland. The club was struggling and facing relegation from the Premier League. The next season, after Sunderland was relegated, he led them to the First Division promotion play-offs. However, they lost in a penalty shootout to Crystal Palace.

McCarthy helped the club turn things around in the 2004–05 season. Sunderland returned to the Premier League as champions of the Football League Championship, earning 94 points. After a difficult season in the Premier League, he was dismissed on 6 March 2006.

Time at Wolverhampton Wanderers

McCarthy as Wolves manager in 2011

On 21 July 2006, McCarthy was appointed manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team in the Championship. In his first season, the team reached the promotion play-offs. They lost to local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

In the 2007–08 season, his team finished seventh, just missing out on the play-offs. The 2008–09 season started very well for McCarthy. His team reached the top of the table and stayed there for many months. McCarthy won the Championship Manager of the Month Award twice. On 18 April 2009, McCarthy's Wolves secured promotion to the Premier League. The next week, McCarthy won his second Championship title as a manager. His team had been at the top of the table for 42 out of 46 games.

The next season, McCarthy kept Wolves in the Premier League. This was his first time succeeding at this level. The club stayed safe with two games left, finishing 15th. This was their best league finish since 1979–80. The team spent most of the 2010–11 season near the relegation zone. However, they managed to beat strong teams like Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea. They narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 17th. This made McCarthy the first Wolves manager in thirty years to keep the club in the top league for two seasons in a row.

The 2011–12 season started well, with his team topping the Premier League after three games. But results got worse, and by January, they were back in the relegation zone. McCarthy was sacked as Wolves manager on 13 February 2012 after a series of bad results, including a 5–1 home loss to local rivals West Bromwich Albion. The club was relegated at the end of the season.

Leading Ipswich Town

McCarthy managing Ipswich Town in 2016

On 1 November 2012, McCarthy became the manager of Ipswich Town, a Championship team. His first game as Ipswich manager was a 1–0 win away at Birmingham on 3 November 2012. This ended a 12-game winless streak for the club. McCarthy guided Ipswich to safety, and they finished in 14th place. His first full season in charge ended with the club finishing in 9th place.

On 30 June 2014, McCarthy and his assistant, Terry Connor, signed a new three-year deal with Ipswich. The next season, he led the club to their first appearance in the Championship play-offs in ten years. They finished sixth but lost to rivals Norwich City in the semi-finals. McCarthy's fourth full season in charge ended with a 16th-place finish.

On 29 March 2018, Ipswich Town announced that McCarthy would leave the club at the end of the 2017–18 season. He left earlier than expected on 10 April 2018, shortly after a 1–0 home win over Barnsley.

Second Time with Republic of Ireland

On 25 November 2018, McCarthy was appointed manager of the Republic of Ireland for the second time. He replaced Martin O'Neill. Robbie Keane, a famous national team player, became one of McCarthy's assistant coaches.

In March 2019, McCarthy won his first two games in charge, beating Gibraltar and Georgia 1–0 in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. In June 2019, the team drew 1–1 away to Denmark and then beat Gibraltar 2–0 at the Aviva Stadium. Four days later, McCarthy had guided them to the top of their group.

On 5 September 2019, McCarthy's team came from behind to draw 1–1 with Switzerland. This kept them at the top of their qualifying group with three matches left. However, a 0–0 draw in Georgia, followed by a defeat in Switzerland, meant Ireland needed a win at home against Denmark to qualify directly. A 1–1 draw meant Ireland had to go through the play-offs. On 4 April 2020, McCarthy stepped down as manager. He was replaced by Stephen Kenny.

Short Spells at APOEL and Cardiff

McCarthy joined the Cypriot club APOEL as manager on 2 November 2020. He was sacked by the club on 5 January 2021 after a difficult run of results.

On 22 January 2021, McCarthy was appointed manager of Cardiff City. He signed a contract until the end of the season. His time there started with draws against two of his old teams, Barnsley and Millwall. His first win as Cardiff manager was a 2–0 victory against Bristol City. After an unbeaten start, including a six-game winning streak, McCarthy signed a new two-year deal on 4 March 2021. Cardiff finished the season in 8th place.

Despite losing only one of their first six matches the next season, a poor run of results followed. Cardiff dropped to 21st in the table. On 23 October 2021, after losing their eighth game in a row to Middlesbrough, McCarthy left the club.

Managing Blackpool

On 19 January 2023, McCarthy became the head coach of Blackpool, who were near the bottom of the Championship. He signed a short-term contract until the end of the season. On 8 April 2023, McCarthy left Blackpool. He had achieved two wins in his 14 games in charge, losing nine of them. The club stated that "results on the pitch not improving in recent weeks, the decision has been agreed by both parties that a change is needed."

Personal Life

McCarthy's brother-in-law is Robert Elstone. Robert used to be the Chief Executive of Everton.

Career Statistics

Playing Career

International Playing Stats

Source:

Managerial Record

Awards and Achievements

As a Player

Barnsley

• Football League Third Division runner-up: 1980–81
• Football League Fourth Division promoted: 1978–79

Manchester City

• Football League Second Division promoted: 1984–85
• Full Members' Cup runner-up: 1985–86

Celtic

• Scottish Premier League: 1987–88
• Scottish Cup: 1987–88, 1988–89

Individual Awards

• PFA Team of the Year: 1977–78 Fourth Division, 1978–79 Fourth Division, 1980–81 Third Division, 1981–82 Second Division, 1982–83 Second Division, 1983–84 Second Division, 1984–85 Second Division
• Barnsley Player of the Year: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1980–81
• Manchester City Player of the Year: 1983–84

As a Manager

Sunderland

• Football League Championship: 2004–05

Wolverhampton Wanderers

• Football League Championship: 2008–09

Individual Awards

• Philips Sports Manager of the Year: 2001
• RTÉ Sports Person of the Year: 2001
• Football League Championship Manager of the Month: March 2005, August 2008, November 2008, September 2014, November 2015, February 2021
• LMA Championship Manager of the Year: 2004–05, 2008–09
• LMA Hall of Fame: Inducted 2021

See also

In Spanish: Mick McCarthy para niños

• List of Republic of Ireland international footballers born outside the Republic of Ireland