Boss Mick McCarthy has revealed that he spoke to owner Marcus Evans shortly before yesterday’s press conference and the subject of the vacant Ireland job didn’t come up. The Town boss believes that Martin O’Neill is “a shoo-in” to replace Giovanni Trapattoni, who left the position by mutual consent on Wednesday.
Speaking yesterday afternoon, McCarthy said: "I just spoke to him before I came in here and it was never mentioned. I like Marcus for his pragmatic nature.
"If I went to him and said ‘I don’t want to be here anymore’, I think he’d be the first to say ‘What’s the point of doing it then?’.
"But that’s not the case, I get on great with him and I’m very lucky in that respect. We were talking about other things. That has never been mentioned between Marcus and I.”
He says he didn’t encourage the speculation linking him with the position he previously held between 1996 and 2002, but expected it.
"I can’t help being linked with it,” he said. "Every time it comes up I think I’d like to be linked with it because of the job I did, not because I’m available, because I’m not, I’m contracted to Ipswich and I’m loving the job I’m doing.
"In time I hope we can get to the Premier League with Ipswich. I think I should be linked with it with the job I did before because I did a good job.
"Behind Jack [Charlton] I think I probably did as well if not better than anybody else. I think for that reason, yes [I will be linked], but Martin O’Neill, because of circumstances, is unemployed. Maybe if I was unemployed that might be different, but I think it’s perfect for him, I really do.”
McCarthy, who says he'd like the job again at some point in the future, added: "I’m not disappointed, I’m absolutely thrilled with the job I’ve got. This is a great club and I think I’ve got a great squad of players that we can build on, and I’ve got a terrific owner who deserves a bit more respect than me thinking ‘It’s the wrong time’.
"He’s great, I’ve really got a good relationship with him, that’s important as well.
"So, no, I’m not disappointed that it’s the wrong time, it’s not, it’s the right time for somebody and I think [for] Martin O’Neill it’s the right time. If, as I’m led to believe, he’s got the job.”