Town boss Mick McCarthy added little to his previous comments on the speculation linking him with the Ireland job at his pre-match press conference at lunchtime. The Blues are yet to receive any contact from the FAI regarding McCarthy despite continuing claims that he is the man they want to succeed Giovanni Trapattoni.

Asked whether there was any change on the Ireland situation, McCarthy joked: “No, it’s still in the same place.”

Is he able to rule himself out of the running? “I told you, it’s still in the same place, just across from Liverpool and Manchester.

"If you’re going to go and visit it there are flights from Stansted, Southend, Aer Lingus or Ryanair.”

Last week, McCarthy said he would neither rule himself in nor out of the chase for the role he previously held between 1996 and 2002 until the FAI formally ask him whether he is interested.

Meanwhile, initial frontrunner Martin O’Neill’s odds have shortened this afternoon and the Northern Irishman is now a narrow favourite ahead of McCarthy with some bookies.

Photo: Action Images

kalypso added 16:36 - Oct 24 He wants the FAI job and he wants to keep his £1m. Hence no comment.
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PinstripeBlue added 16:38 - Oct 24 MM only has to tell all us loyal fans that he will be loyal to us and the Club. COYB
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mutters added 16:40 - Oct 24 Sorry he's begining to annoy me now. I am a big fan of Mick and i would like him to stay however for a while i feel like hes path lies in a different place. He has had a number of opportunites to nip this in the bud and he hasnt. I am not blaming him as if he wants the job then that is his choice and his life. HOWEVER i am now starting to get the feeling he is starting to take the Mickey (sorry) out of the club and the fans. I am getting more and more disappointed with his attitude and flippant approach to this topic. If he doesnt get the job now a lot of people will feel that he wanted it but didnt get it, ie he put Ireland ahead of ITFC but didnt get the result he wanted. Perhaps he would be best to move on? I do not say that easy as i really believe he could take us forward, however i would like the manager of my club to really want to be here.

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Berts_chin added 16:45 - Oct 24 It's the FA of Ireland that should be the target of criticism here. They seem to have dragged their feet and that has left many in limbo, ourselves included. Can't blame Mick for not saying any more when there isn't any more for him to say. Given the way he left the Ireland job first time round it may be that he needs to be asked again - if he doesn't want the job that would bring some sort of closure and if he does he'll take it.

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bluefeast added 16:59 - Oct 24 MM is taking the P out of us the paying public
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brendenward35 added 17:05 - Oct 24 Mick loves to play games and you lot are all falling for it hook line and sinker. If he wanted it and the FAI wanted him to have it deal would have been sorted ages ago so stop panicking over nothing. His here to staying and get us promoted maybe not this season but next. COYB's
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Hegansheroes added 17:10 - Oct 24 AlexGreen-it seems to me MM tries to be witty but is totally tedious with his daft quips. He never has given me any reason to think he has any integrity in his management not just at ITFC but at Sunderland, Wolves and Eire.
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blues1 added 17:15 - Oct 24 some on here don't seem to have got the point of all this. he keeps saying he cant comment until hes offered the job. bulls**t. all he has to do is what hughton and mcdermoot did as soon as they were linked with it, just rule himself out. the fact he wont just goes to prove he wants the job and if offered he'll be gone. to those who would be against Holloway because hes exhausted, read exactly what he said. that hes exhausted from trying to succeed in the premier lge(with palace). he knows theyre doomed to relegation and that theres nothing he can do to stop it must be tiring fighting a hopeless fight. his record in this division is 2nd to none so if he was to come here(if mm goes that is), I would welcome it. certainly better than some of the othr options available at mo. while dimatteo would be good too, we've absolutely no chance of getting him

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craigyboy10 added 17:26 - Oct 24 Tbh mick is handling this no different to Any transfer news or any speculation, he's always been tight lipped on everything, and he's always said that's how he would when asked questions, don't see why people are Turning on him because of this, if he goes good luck to him, we did all Know this when he first arrived, we gotta remember what he's done for this club, loyal or not He's turned this club around.

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sereneblue added 17:45 - Oct 24 Is he able to rule himself out of the running? Yes or No. You tart.
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sereneblue added 17:49 - Oct 24 Well said Sindre94 . But beware Keaneish will be on your case!!!
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therein61 added 18:06 - Oct 24 I had a week in cork(sep28th-oct5th) and got into several conversations about the ROI new manager and I have to say from what I have been told by the majority of footie fans MM would not be their choice while they admired his strength re Saipan( against RK) and the exciting campaign afterwards, the main opinion is that he lost his way afterwards and was not getting the response from the players hence off he went the people I spoke to say they probably expect too much from the national side which is a millstone around the new managers head for a start!!! any way Mick does not appear to have the support of the public(hence no contact????) whoever gets it(RK is not being favoured either!!) has a very difficult job but initially will have these great people behind him.

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mightytown added 18:23 - Oct 24 at this stage I don't think Marcus evans is going to let McCarthy leave on the cheap as he is under contract, also, mr. evans must now see how important appointing the right man to lead the club is, so, if mick does leave, I would expect nothing but a top notch replacement...martin oneill anyone? (don't leave mick!)
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slaughteredskipper added 18:53 - Oct 24 I'm personally proud of the fact that we have a man in charge willing to manage his country. In the same way I'm proud of Sir Bobby for managing his country. Much more than the so called top managers who continue to put club first. Never been a fan of Alex ferguson but if he is really such a great manager could he not have at least tried to serve his country in football management terms? I wouldn't want to see mick leave but I admire a man who is willing to show a bit of national pride.

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Lennyboy added 20:10 - Oct 24 BORIIINNGGG!!!!!! zzzZZZZzzzzzzzz!!!! AH! you're still reading. Well like most are saying MM should state his intentions and clearly doesn't care that much for Town as he would simply say He is staying. He should not continue his obvious non committal even if it's a protest against media speculation, as it's clearly worrying fans and players. If he cared, he would not do that, either that or he is clearly not the manager we all thought he was.

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Keaneish added 20:33 - Oct 24 Sindre/serene - if you were in the running for a job which was the top of your respective professions neither of you would rule yourselves out until you knew if they were going to make you an offer or not? Correct? It has to be correct as it's simple common sense to do the best for you and your families. MM has already stated he wants to manage Eire again one day. He has also stated he's happy here so until an offer comes along its simple common sense to leave speculation as is, just speculation. This doesn't mean he's disloyal or dishonouring the club, he's simply keeping his options open as any professional with ambition should. In truth, I hope he gets offered it and then uses it as a bargaining tool to stay on an improved contract and get more transfer kitty out of ME in January which isn't beyond the realms of feasibility given we all know that he's enjoying life here, his wife likes the area and he prefers the challenge of day-to-day management.

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Stu_Magoo added 20:37 - Oct 24 Let's stop messing around. Mick was grade-A, exactly what we needed last season. He is a breath of fresh air with the honesty he exhibits in press conferences and is a straight shooter with the players which I think is what the over-paid pansies of today sometimes need. But shall we stop kidding ourselves that Mick is being anything other than a complete bell-end about this? It doesn't mean I support the club any less or have any less respect for MM's skill as a manager, I just frankly think he is taking the p*ss a bit with his blatant "Ooooh, come get me rubbish international team with sod all hope of doing anything ever" kind of behaviour. He dresses it up as if he doesn't care but lets all just see the wood from the trees for God's sake.....

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TimmyH added 20:45 - Oct 24 He's turned this club around? - well stabilized it rather than turned it around, in general under Keane and Jewell we were mainly above the relegation zone (just) and under MM around mid-table so let's say 'stabilized'. Let's not go to far over the top, we always had the players to do better it's just that we've had a couple of poor managers.
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muccletonjoe added 21:07 - Oct 24 Is this guy 'keanish', mm in disguise ?
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kalypso added 21:38 - Oct 24 Magilton would have been sacked for bring 12th in the table.
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Blue041273 added 22:33 - Oct 24 Timmy When MM arrived were rock bottom and heading for League 1. His brief was to save us from relegation and his reward for achieving this was a handsome bonus. His brief for this season was to build on this and our start, while not spectacular, has been respectable; indeed the best for several seasons. So by all relevant measurement criteria I would say MM has 'turned us around'.

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blueboy1981 added 23:04 - Oct 24 ....... amazing comment from Blue041273 - if what we are currently seeing is having 'turned the Club around' - whatever would we be seeing 'if he hadn't'. Some people would obviously be better following another sport - they certainly don't know Football.
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blueboy1981 added 23:19 - Oct 24 ...... got to the point now where MM is just about taking the 'proverbial' - after netting a £1m pay cheque for keeping us up. And that is not good for the Club in any way, shape or form - and does he care ? - obviously not, otherwise he would have done what a couple of other Managers have done - but he hasn't.
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Mick added 01:14 - Oct 25 If you want Mick to become a lightweight that answers to the press, then just keep crying about how he hasn't come out and given an answer to a question that doesn't exist.
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sereneblue added 07:44 - Oct 25 Keaneish I actually agree with your point about always wanting to be top of your chosen profession. So if this is the case I would be shouting from the tree tops to let people I know that I want it if it comes along. So playing this stupid game of McCarthy's really doesn't make any sense.
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