Eighth successive defeat sees Cardiff City wield axe on Mick McCarthy
Mick McCarthy’s tenure at Cardiff City has ended following Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough – their eighth defeat is succession.
McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor were axed soon after the final whistle on Saturday with a statement claiming the 62-year-old had left the club by “mutual agreement”.
Cardiff have been in the midst of a terrible run of form and they were well beaten at home to leave them perilously close to the relegation zone.
A club statement read: “Cardiff City Football Club can confirm that first team manager Mick McCarthy and assistant manager Terry Connor have left the club by mutual agreement and with immediate effect.
“We would like to thank Mick and Terry for their efforts during their time with the Bluebirds and wish them all the best for the future.
“Steve Morison and Tom Ramasut will oversee first-team duties at this time, as the board of directors begin the process of appointing a permanent replacement.
In his post-match press conference, McCarthy admitted his time in Wales may well be coming to an end in what turned out to be his last interview as boss.
He said: “I keep telling you, until somebody tells me differently I’ll be doing my job.
“It’s lousy. I don’t like doing it, I don’t like losing one game, and we’ve lost eight on the bounce. So you can multiply by eight how I normally feel.”
Fans could be heard throughout the fixture calling for a change, with chants of ‘get out of our club’ echoing through the Cardiff City Stadium.
McCarthy acknowledged the anger, and even claimed to use the toxic atmosphere to try to motivate his players at half-time.
“They’re chanting ‘I’m getting sacked in the morning’, well if I am let’s do it right and have a go at it.
“If it is my last game – and everyone’s predicting it – don’t be a powder-puff. Have a right go at it.
“At least if I do go, I can walk out of here and think ‘well, we did have a go’.
“We did have a go to a point, but then it just faded out unfortunately.”
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Controversial decision key factor in result
McCarthy was not convinced his side deserved to concede a penalty in the first-half against Boro.
Referee Jeremy Simpson pointed to the spot as he judged Mark McGuiness to have illegally blocked a goal-bound shot with his hand.
However many fans on social media felt the penalty was harsh given the position of his arm, and McCarthy seemed to agree.
“I’m not certain it’s a stone-wall penalty. But it got given against us.
“The new rules are just different… I don’t know. Let’s not get into it.”
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