McCarthy is confident of keeping role long term

SOCCER:MICK McCARTHY insists he will be at Wolves for the long term – even if the club are relegated this season. McCarthy believes the stability around the club has helped Wolves recover from being bottom of the table with recent wins over Liverpool and Chelsea.

The former Republic of Ireland manager is on a one-year rolling contract at Molineux. Club owner Steve Morgan and chief executive Jez Moxey have already backed McCarthy while other managers in a similar position in the Premier League have been under pressure.

When asked if he would be at Wolves long-term, McCarthy said: “That is what I believe. It helps with everyone, the stability of the club. I know what it is like when your future is supposedly in the balance. When I was at Sunderland, some clever person at the club arranged a poll of the local paper asking ‘should Mick go?’ and it turned out 60-40 in my favour.

“That didn’t help. Here the support has been there from everyone. I’ve been backed by the fans, the club has as well. It’s just a good feeling around the place. It’s not getting fragmented.

“I’m sure there are a few message boards and phone-ins but you turn up to our games and the fans are fantastic and behind me and the team – and in and around the town they are.” McCarthy added: “It (the stability) has done us good because we were bottom, dead and buried a few weeks ago and now we are fourth from bottom and it looks a lot healthier. Maybe that is reward for supporting the team, the manager, the club.”

McCarthy is also adamant there will be no wholesale departures even if Wolves go down. He said: “We haven’t got players in the team thinking ‘if we go down, I won’t be here anyway.’ I’ve got players here thinking we had better stay up because I’m going to be here, the club don’t need the money, there won’t be any stupid sales.”

Wolves have put in a €178,000 bid for Dundee striker Lee Griffiths but McCarthy warned he will be a player for the future. He said: “With the greatest respect to Lee, I don’t want anyone thinking we are signing a Premier League striker that is going to come in and rip it up at the moment.”