Bookies close bets, McCarthy speculation mounts

Speculation continues to mount that Mick McCarthy will be installed as the next manager of Sunderland as a leading English bookmaker closed the book on the 43-year-old taking up the reins at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland have yet to make an official approach to the FAI, and neither the club, nor the FAI are prepared to comment on the matter, but it would appear it's now a case of when, rather than if, the Republic of Ireland manager departs for the Premiership.

Sources close to the FAI have intimated they are resigned to losing the Republic of Ireland manager to the Premiership strugglers but it is unlikely any progress will be made until after next week's European Championship qualifier with Switzerland.

And leading bookies William Hill cited heavy backing from "well-connected" punters as the reason they closed their books on the bet on Wednesday.

"McCarthy was backed down to odds-on favourite and was being very heavily supported, with bets of up to £700 pounds, by some well connected punters" said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.

Sharpe added: "We have been informed by a reliable source that maybe this race was not as competitive as it may have seemed and we took the decision to close the book, at least until we could get confirmation one way or the other that the job wasn't already being offered to a leading contender."

On this side of the Irish Sea, McCarthy's odds have been slashed by Paddy Power from 16-1 earlier this week to 2-5 this afternoon and while he publicly declared his intention to lead Ireland to Euro 2004 qualification, the ghost-writer of his autobiography Cathal Dervan has indicated McCarthy would be very interested in the Sunderland job if it was offered to him.

Dervan subsequently told BBC Radio he believed the Black Cats have placed McCarthy top of their wanted list.

"My information from Sunderland is that Mick is indeed on top of their list," Dervan told Five Live.

Dervan reiterated his belief that McCarthy has grown tired with what he perceives as constant criticism from certain sections of the media in Ireland, a situation exacerbated in the wake of the recent 4-2 defeat in Russia.

"Mick has had so much stick over in Ireland since the World Cup and since the Roy Keane affair. It has brought it all to a head," Dervan said.

"It's very much similar to the 'turnip era' that Graham Taylor had to go through with England. He would like to take Ireland to Portugal if the circumstances were different.

"But the fact remains that he has always said he wants to get back to what he calls the 'asylum' which is his pet word for club management. He misses the day-to-day involvement and there are very few jobs like Sunderland that come up on the horizon."