Irish faith in McCarthy falls

The pollsters are having a busy time in the Republic of Ireland at present and their work on two bitterly decisive issues is being analysed more keenly than usual. As the country prepares to vote tomorrow on whether to accept the Nice Treaty the personal popularity of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has dipped to a new low. He is not alone.

Ahern was booed as he met the teams before Wednesday's Group 10 European Championship game at Lansdowne Road. So, after a second successive Irish defeat, 2-1 to Switzerland, was Mick McCarthy. Another poll earlier in the week had put Ireland's manager only a few points ahead of Roy Keane in a popularity contest, and an update this weekend would almost certainly reverse their standings.

Many of the Irish World Cup heroes are out of form with their clubs and McCarthy may have stuck with some of them out of a misplaced sense of loyalty. His most damaging admission, however, was that the feud with Keane, which will be bought to the fore again by publication of McCarthy's unnecessary World Cup Diary, is having an adverse effect on performances.

"I feel sorry for the players because my situation has affected them,'' he said. Asked about the crowd's reaction, he added: "It was going to happen if we got the wrong result. But I've got a thick skin and a brass neck.''

A combination of pride and Yorkshire stubbornness means that McCarthy's instinctive reaction is to beat his critics; it was the same combative instinct that prompted him to take Keane on at the infamous team meeting in Saipan. But having set his own deadline of summer 2004 to take up a new challenge, it remains to be seen whether he can stomach a prolonged and probably losing battle.

Ahern's popularity may also be on the wane, but at least his team is set to achieve the result they want tomorrow.