McCarthy's six-year reign as Irish boss comes to an end

Mick McCarthy's reign as Republic of Ireland manager is over after he agreed a compensation package with the Football Association…

Mick McCarthy's reign as Republic of Ireland manager is over after he agreed a compensation package with the Football Association of Ireland, who have called a 9 p.m. press conference.

McCarthy's position had been under threat after his high-profile row with former captain Roy Keane, which saw the Manchester United midfielder sent home early from the World Cup.

The pressure built with defeats in Ireland's opening Euro 2004 qualifiers against Russia and Switzerland and McCarthy today ended his stint as boss just over a year early.

McCarthy, whose departure will be announced at this evening's press conference at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, was strongly linked with the vacant managerial posts at Leeds and Sunderland after guiding the Irish to the World Cup second round.

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He took over from Jack Charlton as Republic boss in March 1996 and initially struggled in his new role, failing to reach the 1998 World Cup in France and Euro 2000 in Belgium and Holland.

But the Republic defied the odds to reach the finals of this summer's World Cup, qualifying via a two-legged play-off win over Iran, having finished runners-up in a qualifying group which included Portugal and Holland.

However, the Keane row marred Ireland's build-up to the World Cup, although draws against Germany and Cameroon and a win over Saudi Arabia set up a second round date with Spain.

McCarthy was unable to match Charlton's achievement of guiding the Irish into the World Cup quarter-finals after a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out defeat by Spain.

His record for the 68 matches he was in charge of Ireland reads 29 wins, 19 draws and 20 losses.

Former Ireland legend Paul McGrath was reluctant to lay blame with either McCarthy or Keane but did say both men should have been able to sit down and talk so as to avoid the damaging saga:

"It's so stubborn for both of them to clash like that and not sit round a table and thrash out their points."

Former Republic striker Frank Stapleton added: "In Ireland the press have been hounding him out for the last two games - and even before that. But the pressure has come because of the Roy Keane affair, rather than results.

"Getting to the World Cup was a big achievement considering they were in a group with Portugal and Holland and how big his squad was.

"But at the last game against Switzerland there was a big build-up and a couple of players tried to take the pressure off him by saying it was negative and affecting them.