THE LAST TIME Mick McCarthy was out of work on the opening day of the football season, he was 16-years-old.
Now older and wiser at the age of 53, the fear of going into the autumn with an uncertain future hanging over his head won’t persuade him to take a job unless it’s the right one.
McCarthy joined the jobless list back in February when Wolves decided to cut their losses after a string of poor results, a 5-1 defeat to bitter rivals West Brom in the Black Country Derby the final nail in his coffin after almost six years of service.
A quick return to club management was on the cards when managerless Nottingham Forest came knocking on the door of a man who has made a habit of getting clubs promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.
But McCarthy said no. Asked if there are any fresh prospects on the horizon now, the former Republic of Ireland boss is unequivocal in his response: “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
A move to Forest simply wasn’t the right fit at the right time, he explains to TheScore.ie.
Nottingham Forest was an opportunity but it wasn’t for me for a number of reasons. I spoke to the guys there — the chairman of the club, the owner of the club, some really nice guys — but I’d just moved out of the West Midlands and back down South. Lots and lots of little reasons but it just wasn’t for me.
“I think it’d be unfair to go to a club and go back in if it wasn’t for me. They deserve 100% commitment.
“I’ve done it before when I’ve gone back in straight away — Sunderland, Wolves, got them promoted — and I enjoyed that but I’m just going to sit and wait and see what happens.”
Crucially McCarthy still sees himself as a man with unfinished business in English football’s top flight, wherever that may lead him.
“I’d like to get back into the Premier League. That’s my primary reason, I see myself as a Premier League manager.
“I know there’ll be some jobs that I just won’t get and there’ll be some clubs that I just won’t want to go to, but I can’t fit myself in. It’s not like a set of golf clubs, I can’t get measured for it.
Something will happen and I’ll be ready to go back. Once the season starts, I’ll be chomping at the bit. I’ll have to bide my time.
Mick McCarthy was speaking at the launch of ESPN’s Premier League coverage for the 2012/2013 season. For more information, visit www.espn.ie.
