Didn't realise Cathal Dervan was an FAI / Staunton apologist...

[Réiteoir]

Well - you learn something new every day...

[onceahoop]

Well - you learn something new every day...

Neither did I.

....and........
:confused:

[TonyD]

If you didn't realise that then you haven't been paying attention. Dervan picked Staunton for the job even before he got it, so he can't say anything against him now. He has been an apologist for him since day one. Plus Staunton will talk to him so he always fights his corner for him. Most journalists are self serving snakes, and Dervan is the biggest of the lot. They'll support a manager if he makes himself available and gives them lots of "exclusives" and good quotes. If a manager has the nerve to be less than forthcoming with the media (e.g Kerr) he gets slaughtered.

[stojkovic]

Dervan is the muppet who encouraged fans to boo Roy Keane v Iceland back in 1996.

He supported McCarthy in Saipan and then got the nod to write Micks book.

Maybe he's looking to ghost Stan's memoirs.

I never read anything that clown writes.

[ofjames]

why would anyone be surprised by this given his history sucking mccarthy's long one

stojkovic is dead right. Dervan = Complete Clown

[OwlsFan]

why would anyone be surprised by this given his history sucking mccarthy's long one

stojkovic is dead right. Dervan = Complete Clown

Why is he a complete clown because he defended Mick Mc? As for his defending the FAI, is someone not entitled to voice a contrary opinion to the mob?

[ofjames]

Why is he a complete clown because he defended Mick Mc? As for his defending the FAI, is someone not entitled to voice a contrary opinion to the mob?

Because he defended McCarthy throughout his tenure in the same manner as John Delaney is now defending Stan.

McCarthy's mistakes in his first two campaigns were on a par with Staunton's during this one. It took almost 5 years for McCarthy to become an adequate international manager.

Dervan is an ass hole.

[pineapple stu]

Are you taking the mick?!

McCarthy's first two campaigns saw us into the play offs, with four defeats from 18 games. We'll be doing well to hold on to third spot here. We're currently six points away from second and have lost three of nine. There's no comparison at all.

[ofjames]

Are you taking the mick?!
McCarthy's first two campaigns saw us into the play offs, with four defeats from 18 games. We'll be doing well to hold on to third spot here. We're currently six points away from second and have lost three of nine. There's no comparison at all.

I'm afraid you're wrong Stu, the comparisons from McCarthy's early reign are plentiful when you look beyond the bare win/loss statistics.

The France 1998 campaign was a complete disaster, as bad if not worse than this one. We were in possibly the weakest group of all time with Romania, Lithuania, Macedonia, Iceland and Lietchenstien. Yet, we managed to rack up the following phenomenally crap results:

0-0 home draws against both Iceland and Lithuania, the infamous 3-2 defeat in Skopje (which is equally as bad as Stan's humiliation in Cyprus).

The Iceland away game was another shocking performance, with Keano pulling 2 second half goals out of the bag to secure a barely deserved 3 points. Cascarino did the same to rescue an unlikely win in Lithuania as well.

In the end we only managed to secure second spot by a point, ahead of a woeful Lithuania side, with Romania topping the group by 10 points.

The only difference with our current scenario compared to 1998 is that McCarthy had the luck of inheriting a team that was drawn as a second seed in a 6-team group. If there had been another team that was of even a remotely good standard, there is no way Mick would have reached the play-offs that time around.


Although there were several vastly improved performances in the Euro 2000 campaign. McCarthy continued to make numerous 'stan-like' errors that should have cost him his job... and had the shambolic FAI not acted so hastily in giving Mick a new contract in the days before the Skopje disaster part2 (in fear that he might cost more should he actually achieve qualification), he more than likely would have lost his job!!

Some of Mick's Stan-like errors in the Euro 2000 campaign:

(i) dropping Robbie Keane and Niall Quinn and opting to play Cascarino up front on his own against Croatia in Zagreb, just 3 days after Ireland had produced a phenomenal footballing performance (IMO the best of modern times) to outplay and beat an excellent Yugoslavia side, a decision that seemed all the more ridiculous considering the shambolic performance McCarthy presided over in Malta the following week (the game Keane and Quinn were bizarrely rested for!).

(ii) taking off Mark Kennedy against Macedonia away, putting on Keith O'Neill, putting on Matt Holland for his Ireland debut when we needed an experienced head to reestablish control of the game, omitting a fit Damien Duff from the match day squad entirely(he didnt even make the bench!!) !!

And you must remember, McCarthy had Roy Keane in the peak of his phenomenal powers to call upon during both these campaigns, and when you consider the frailty of our current midfield players, that factor cannot be overlooked when making the comparison.

[OwlsFan]

The France 1998 campaign was a complete disaster, as bad if not worse than this one.....

The Iceland away game was another shocking performance, with Keano pulling 2 second half goals out of the bag to secure a barely deserved 3 points. Cascarino did the same to rescue an unlikely win in Lithuania as well.


Two away wins and when you consider the history of Ireland on the road. "barely deserved" and "unlikely" :rolleyes: is irrelevant. A win is a win and I for one was thrilled with them having seen us lose in far easier places. It was a relatively easy group ok but we finished in our seeded position, second.

Fact: Under Mick we qualified for a World Cup. The only Irish manager to have brought us to a World Cup Final. He was far from perfect and made many mistakes and I am not his greatest fan but show me a manager where we agree with 100% of his decisions. No, most of us, who haven't ever managed so much as a schoolboy side, know much more than a professional manager and former international who works along side the players.

[ofjames]

Two away wins and when you consider the history of Ireland on the road. "barely deserved" and "unlikely" :rolleyes: is irrelevant. A win is a win and I for one was thrilled with them having seen us lose in far easier places. It was a relatively easy group ok but we finished in our seeded position, second.

Fact: Under Mick we qualified for a World Cup. The only Irish manager to have brought us to a World Cup Final. He was far from perfect and made many mistakes and I am not his greatest fan but show me a manager where we agree with 100% of his decisions. No, most of us, who haven't ever managed so much as a schoolboy side, know much more than a professional manager and former international who works along side the players.

A win is a win? You sound like stan after the San Marino debacle.

Also, what do you mean Mick was the only Irish manager to have brought us to a World Cup final?

[NY Hoop]

Obviously he means finals.

McCarthy had to build virtually from scratch and in his first qualifying campaign came within one goal of the World Cup.

However we should have definitely qualified for EURO 2000 but we did get to WC 2002.

Get the Irish Voice occasionally and the crap Dervan comes out with is embarrassing.


KOH

[osarusan]

Get the Irish Voice occasionally and the crap Dervan comes out with is embarrassing.
KOH

Dervan is a pathetic excuse for a journalist. The only good thing is that I think nobody sees him as a credible journo anymore.

[OwlsFan]

Dervan is a pathetic excuse for a journalist. The only good thing is that I think nobody sees him as a credible journo anymore.

I don't read Dervan. I was just commenting on the fact that according to some, one isn't entitled to speak up for either the FAI or Mick McCarthy without being described as an apologist.

A win in Lithuania and Iceland rates far higher than a win in San Marino so it's no comparison. Ask Northern Ireland after their recent visits to Latvia and Iceland :o.