Mick McCarthy has revealed he will ‘never forget’ the ‘brutal advice’ he received from Jack Charlton that completely changed his game and turned him into Ireland captain. The former Republic of Ireland player and manager joined talkSPORT on Saturday to pay an emotional tribute to his old boss and England legend, following his sad passing. Charlton passed away at his Northumerland home on Friday after a battle with lymphoma and dementia. He was aged 85. Jack Charlton was, and still is, a national hero in Ireland due to what he achieved as Republic of Ireland manager ‘Big Jack’ leaves a lasting legacy in the English and Irish game. Part of the Three Lions’ 1966 World Cup winning team and a one-club legend at Leeds United, Charlton also changed the fortunes of the Republic of Ireland team during his ten years in charge between 1986 and 1996, taking them to their first major tournament at Euro 88 as well as two World Cups. McCarthy was just one of the players to thrive under his leadership, eventually being made captain of the national team and later following in Charlton’s footsteps by succeeding him as manger in 1996. And McCarthy has shared his fond memories of the former boss, saying he will ‘never forget’ the impact Charlton had on his playing and managerial career. “Jack and what he did for Ireland, it lifted the country,” he told the Warm Up on talkSPORT. “It was the happiest time of my life in that team, and I’ve got Jack to thank for that. Jack Charlton made Mick McCarthy his Republic of Ireland captain, and he later followed in his boss’ footsteps to become manager himself “He made it very simple for me and I’ll always remember him for that. “He never dressed it up, his advice to me was, ‘win the ball back, head it and give it to somebody who can play’. “It sounded a bit brutal, and when I heard it first as a kid I didn’t like it, but I soon realised that’s exactly how I should be playing. “And he wanted me in the team for that. He trusted me and he gave me the captaincy. “I wasn’t the best player in that team, nowhere near, but he saw something in me and my football at club level blossomed as well during that time. “I’ll never forget him for that.” Listen back to Mick McCarthy’s tribute to Jack Charlton on talkSPORT above
Paul Parker has criticised Manchester United for failing to keep a lid on the saga surrounding the relationship of Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho. The former Red Devils defender has warned the club, ‘sometimes you can’t give the devil what he wants’, over the continued speculation over Pogba’s future at Old Trafford. United have been unconvincing at the start of the new season. Mourinho’s men have struggled to hit top gear and have two wins from their first four games, suffering defeats to Brighton and Tottenham. And their indifferent form has been compounded by the constant speculation over a reportedly toxic dressing room, with Mourinho apparently falling out with a number of players, but most notably French star Pogba. Pogba’s future at Manchester United is uncertain The World Cup winner is said to be unhappy at Old Trafford and keen to join Barcelona, and the player only fuelled gossip about his uncertain future by saying in a recent interview on international duty: “I’m playing at United at the moment, but who knows what will happen in the next few months.” And Parker has not been happy about the amount of negative press engulfing his former club. Speaking on Saturday’s Warm Up on talkSPORT, the ex-United defender said: “What’s coming out of Manchester United PR-wise is something you expect from a club five or six levels below – it’s not top-level PR. “Sometimes you can’t give the devil what he wants and if that’s what he’s looking for, if he’s trying to dictate and control, you don’t give it. “Footballers in today’s game are commodities and a group of them together speak louder than any one manager. Parker suggests Jose Mourinho must be careful about sparking a dressing room revolt at Man United “It wouldn’t have happened 20 years ago, because players were there just to play football and we knew where we stood. “If we shouted too loud, we were lucky if we were only shouted down, but at the worst we’d lose our jobs. “But today, players don’t lose their jobs.” Listen back to Paul Parker on the Warm Up IN FULL above
Listen to Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning tackle the important – and utterly trivial – sporting matters of the day in another edition of the Warm Up. On today’s show, the boys were joined by former England defender Danny Mills, South American football journalist and chief Football Writer of The Times Henry Winter. There was also a classic game of Ian Culverhouse and a whole load of laughs! Press play to listen above, or follow this link to download the show from iTunes.
Listen to Max Rushden and Barry Glendenning tackle the important – and utterly trivial – sporting matters of the day in another edition of the Warm Up. The podcast includes The Footballer Game, Guess the Attendance and an interview with Jonathan Northcroft of the Times who has travelled to Mo Salah’s home town. Listen above or, to get the Warm Up with Max Rushden podcast every week, click here and download from the iTunes store for free.
Mike Parry and Mike Graham build up to the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United, live from Wembley. The lads are joined by former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister, Chelsea fan and celebrity chef Aldo Zilli and world champion boxer Anthony Crolla.