McCarthy is League's best friend

ONE organisation, largely unloved and ignored this past decade, will herald the coming of Mick McCarthy, and that is the National League. There's little point in recapping on the well founded anger within the domestic game caused by its increasing distance from all things international (under 21s included) but few will need convincing that McCarthy is the best friend they could have got.

Indeed, in acquiring and nurturing young Irish players such as Mark Kennedy, Davey Savage and latterly Brendan Markey McCarthy arguably nurtured more under age talent than the discredited under 21 regime of the previous set up. Certainly he went to more games, and he intends maintaining his old ties and thereby reviving the National League's links with the international set up.

Encouragingly, he swiftly responded to my inquiry along these lines at yesterday's inaugural press conference by stating that he would "perhaps strengthen those links. Just give them some feeling for the international set up that they're not totally alienated from it.

"I mean, I have good relationships with the League of Ireland managers anyway, because I keep nicking players off them. So that's stopped anyway. One or two of them will be glad to see the back of me in that sense."

Brian Kerr, one of the more vociferous critics of the previous regime with regard to its attitudes towards the National League surely spoke for the vast majority when saying I'm pleased. I think he's a very good choice. I think he has the interests of Irish football deep in his heart."

Lauding McCarthy's achievements at Millwall when cheating an attacking style of football while having to sell in order to buy at halt the pi ice, Kerr points out that McCarthy's knowledge of the domestic game and his increasing network of contacts played an important part in that process.

"He signed Mark Kennedy from Belvedere and threw him into Millwall's first team at 17. He signed Davey Savage from Longford after watching them play against UCD when he was one of 23 people at the game. I know, because I was one of the other 22, and he signed Brendan Markey after just a couple of months in the National League. All of that shows that he's in touch with the game here."

Kerr also &*presses the belief that McCarthy's "interest in the game here will be reflected in his relationship with what is happening here, so that we're not just a separate entity."

Naturally, McCarthy can only do so much. "Just by attending a few games he will be strengthening the links. That's the bottom line from his point of view. The other things, such as improving the structures and working with the under age teams, that's not really his job."

Indeed, the FAI's insistence on retaining the selection (in collaboration with McCarthy) of both the full time English based under 21 manager, and the full time Irish based under 18 and under 16 manager, suggests the association have learnt from the neglect of the last decade. For the viewpoint of the National League, they're arguably more significant.

Conceivably, the latter portfolio could be given to a National League manager and though it would be greeted with horror down Inchicore way if he was prized away from his beloved St Patrick's, as coach to Liam Touhy in the golden years of the youths, pre Charlton and Setters, Kerr himself must be a contender.

. Turlough O'Connor has been granted a two year extension to his existing contract at Bohemians.