Proper Football With Mick McCarthy

Jack Charlton, Roy Keane and Toto Schillaci are just some of the names dropped this week as former Republic of Ireland defender and manager Mick McCarthy joins Kammy and Ben on the pod.

He recalls what he says was “the best time of his life” as Ireland captain, from shirt swapping with Franco Baresi to gaining an audience with the Pope, and how he and Ruud Gullit effectively decided the result of a match during that memorable tournament. He also talks about his love for Big Jack and why he deserves more acclaim for his achievements in the late 80s and early 90s.

He also talks about his time as manager of the Ireland squad and why he wouldn’t change anything about what happened with Keane following their infamous row in Saipan.

Elsewhere, how did Ray Houghton, a spoon and an unsuspecting Ireland fan give Mick the biggest laugh of his football career? Did he really have a hit single and why did he have a race with a journalist..and did he win?

ADVISORY: Mick refers to his Republic of Ireland team-mate Pat Bonner as ‘Packie’, which is a commonly used abbreviation of the name ‘Patrick’ in Ireland, and how he was widely known throughout his playing career.