Mick McCarthy says he put his hat in the ring for the Sunderland manager’s job after Lee Johnson’s departure but he never got a response from the club. The 63-year-old wanted the job until the end of the season but was not considered for the role as Alex Neil was ultimately appointed on a 12-month rolling contract.
McCarthy seemed to be surprised that he was contacted by the job in response to his application for the job. However, on the back of his most recent spell with Cardiff, which ended just a couple of months into this season, it was hardly a shock that he wasn’t in contention to take over at the Stadium of Light.
He has, of course, got history with Sunderland after guiding the Black Cats to the Premier League in 2005 but it didn’t help his application. Speaking on the Stronger with Sport Podcast, the former Republic of Ireland boss said: “I applied for it this time around. As soon as Lee Johnson — sadly for him — got the sack, I stuck my name in straight away.
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“I said ‘oh I’ll take it to the end of the season.’ I did not even get a call back!”
It’s clear that, by appointing Neil, future planning was at the heart of the decision made by the Sunderland hierarchy. Despite only offering an initial 12-month contract, the plan will be for the ex-Norwich boss to stay for an extended period if he enjoys success during his tenure.
Even though he was unsuccessful in his application for the job, McCarthy still claimed it ‘would be brilliant’ if Sunderland could earn promotion back to the Championship this season. He also looked back fondly on his time at the club.
“It was such a big club, such a big job,” he added. “I thought I was blessed getting that. It is great. If you get the chance to manage Sunderland, all day long.”
