In the week that Kevin Keegan's chronic bout of self doubt cost England another manager, Mick McCarthy's conviction that he possesses what it takes to make a serious impact in international management has finally started to look genuinely convincing.

Even more than the points won in Amsterdam, Lisbon and back at home in Dublin, his team's performances in the three World Cup qualifiers have seriously undermined the sceptics' contention that the Ireland manager is a man out of his depth.

During McCarthy's first World Cup campaign, when Ireland only narrowly avoided finishing third to Lithuania in their qualifying group, that was a suspicion that the former Celtic and Manchester City player never quite managed to dispel, while his tactical errors in Ireland's last three games of the Euro 2000 programme tended to overshadow his earlier achievements in what was a very tough group.

McCarthy conceded last week that he had been raw when he made the switch from Millwall. "I was young in management terms when I took this job," he said, "but thinking back on it I don't think any of the other people who went for it were any better qualified."

What he has consistently shown since assuming control of the Irish team, though, has been a willingness and an ability to learn from his mistakes. After almost five years in the job, the trips to the Netherlands and Portugal may well have marked the end of his apprenticeship in international management.

The strength of his present position will certainly surprise some of those who have consistently criticised him. Coming into these recent three games, the worst-case scenario for McCarthy and his players was that the team would get beaten in both of its away games and then, with its confidence drained, drop points against Estonia.

Had he attempted to get his team to play as it did last time around in Yugoslavia and Croatia then defeats would have been almost inevitable. Instead, it is Louis van Gaal who is feeling the heat after seeing his Dutch side fail to beat either of its main rivals at home. And while the Dutch already look like a team in disarray, McCarthy looks finally to have settled on a formula capable of yielding results on foreign soil as well as at Lansdowne Road.

In Amsterdam the use on the right side of midfield of Jason McAteer instead of Gary Kelly, who was viewed as a much safer option, surprised most observers. It was a significant indication that the temptation to defend away from home had been resisted.

While the tactical reappraisal was vital to his team's success in the Arena, McCarthy enjoyed his share of luck too. With Kenny Cunningham injured and Phil Babb jettisoned, Gary Breen and, particularly, Richard Dunne turned in excellent performances.

Dunne, though a little fortunate not to be booked for a rough early challenge on Patrick Kluivert, ended up completely overwhelming a striker that had wreaked havoc at Anfield when he last faced the Irish. In Lisbon Dunne hinted that there was a good deal more to his game than even that first competitive outing had indicated. With Portugal pressing forward relentlessly, the 21-year-old repeatedly dropped behind his fellow defenders to take the ball. He then distributed it with remarkable composure.

Matt Holland's goal may have marked the Ipswich defender out as welcome cover for the Republic's outstanding central midfield partnership of Roy Keane and Mark Kinsella, but for McCarthy, Dunne will stand out as the success story of the past three games.

McCarthy's battles with the press over the past few weeks have been less successful. Even before the Evening Herald's decision to go all Heraldo, things were bad between McCarthy and the media. After it, they came close to breaking point.

When asked after the Estonia game whether he was happy, McCarthy's reply and his tone suggested that a good deal of the pleasure he derives from winning World Cup qualifiers now comes from feeling that he has put one over on the journalists. The next time he plays golf with Keegan he might do worse than to ask him what pressure from the media really feels like. Keegan is the third England boss to depart since McCarthy took over the Republic of Ireland team.

For his part, Keegan might well want to know how it feels to be given a chance to learn the international management game while doing the job. It's a luxury none of McCarthy's English counterparts seems likely to be afforded.