MICK McCARTHY is prepared to bury some cherished principles and give the youngsters a chance during the Republic of Ireland's crowded end of season programme.

McCarthy, the supreme competitor, is aware of the risk factor in putting unproven players into a team already low on confidence after losing six of their last seven games.

But it's a gamble he is prepared to take as he assesses the opportunities and the hazards of a schedule which, in addition to meetings with three of the European Championship finalists, Portugal, Croatia and Holland, includes games against the US, Mexico and Bolivia in America next month.

"In an ideal world I would prefer to fit one or two of the younger lads into a settled team and look to the senior players to assist in their development," said McCarthy. "This is no ordinary situation, however, in the sense that we're already at high risk because of the loss of several of the more experienced lads in the team.

"Everybody has their pride and nobody, especially me, likes losing. But at this point the first objective is to look at new players and assess where we're going in our team building plans for the World Cup.

"August 31st in Liechtenstein is the starting point for me. By that stage I hope to have got things in place, and if we win a few games along, the way I'll consider it a bonus.

Implicit in that policy statement is the intention of giving every member of the squad at least one outing. That's good news for Gary Breen and David Connolly, two of the uncapped players in quite the most innovative Ireland squad of recent years.

Breen, perhaps the outstanding performer in the under 21 team over the last three years, arrives on the scene at a time when the possibilities at centre back have never been more inviting.

From a situation in which his predecessors were spoiled for choice in central defence, McCarthy finds himself with substantial problems in determining Phil Babb's partner for the next couple of years. McGrath was probably Jack Charlton's most effective defender in the last year of the old regime and the new manager is adamant that he will not be rushed into retiring the Aston Villa player prematurely.

Realistically, however, McGrath is experiencing increasing difficulty in getting the full 90 minutes in international football and he will do well to survive the next World Cup campaign.

Alan Kernaghan, still emerging, from the crisis of confidence that turned his season at Manchester City into something of a nightmare, is the heir apparent to McGrath but, like Liam Daish, he will be conscious of the threat posed by the emerging Breen.

Ironically, it was Daish's move to Coventry which moved Breen into the spotlight at Birmingham, but the youngster has risen to the challenge so positively that he has put himself in line for early promotion.

Connolly's summons to the squad has been more dramatic for, at 18, he is still little more than a talented learner. Selection at this stage of his development is a comment on the limited options available to McCarthy in central attack.

The Watford striker said: "I'm aware of the possibilities in the Irish team at a time when there appears to be a big turnover of players, but at this point it's a bonus just be involved in the squad.

Hopefully, I still have a lot of years ahead of me in football and there will be plenty of time to work on my game. But I'll still jump at the chance of getting a game on this tour.

McCarthy's attention to detail and his determination to get the team playing in a different way was manifested in two training sessions at their Monaghan base yesterday.

They are expected to have another double session today.