McCarthy backed into evens for the Republic of Ireland job

Just as the Republic of Ireland signed off from their failed qualification campaign with a low-key victory over Kazakhstan, the dosh has rolled in for their former manager Mick McCarthy to retake the position he resigned from in 2002.

At one point it had looked more nailed on than a banker’s Christmas bonus that Martin O’Neill would take up the Irish reigns after Giovanni Trapattoni was relieved of his duties.

However, O’Neill’s heavily odds-on price of a few weeks ago has now drifted out to 11/10, while McCarthy has since overtaken the Northern Irishman as the market leader at 1/1.

It seems that the vast amount of interest in the position was enough to force the Irish Football Association into taking more time to consider their options, rather than rushing into a decision off the back of popular public opinion, with Christmas being cited as the new deadline.

It’s not difficult to see why the current Ipswich boss makes an attractive prospect for the IFA either, having guided the Boys in Green to the 2002 World Cup, where only a penalty shoot-out defeat to Spain prevented a quarter-final appearance.

Despite O’Neill’s greater availability, having been out of a job since being axed by Sunderland towards the end of last season, his lack of any international management experience could hold him at a disadvantage.

There’s also the issue of money, as a man of O’Neill’s profile may end up costing much more in wages than McCarthy.

And even though McCarthy is in charge at Portland Road, a mixed bag of a season so far, combined with the insecurity of being in a post where the owner certainly knows where the axe is, could make the Ireland job very a handsome prospect.

With Gerard Houllier’s name the next one down the list at 9/1, it certainly looks like a two-horse race at this stage.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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