[Sport] Mick McCarthy ’appointment 'same old, same old' for Cardiff City - Walsh'

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Mick McCarthy's appointment as Cardiff City's new manager has been criticised by former Bluebirds striker Ian Walsh.

Ex-Republic of Ireland boss McCarthy has taken charge for the rest of the season after Neil Harris was sacked.

"I think it's same old, same old, when are they going to learn? Where is the plan for Cardiff City moving forward?" Walsh said.

"No new players coming through from the youth system and the manager might be sacked one or two times."

Harris, who took over from Neil Warnock in November 2019, departed after six straight defeats had left Cardiff 15th in the Championship, closer to the relegation zone than the play-offs.

Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan said the board had been left with "no choice" to let Harris and assistant manager David Livermore go as "sadly we are in a result-orientated business".

McCarthy has almost two decades of managerial experience, including Millwall, Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town and Cypriot side Apoel - as well as two spells as Republic boss.

Former Cardiff and Republic midfielder Graham Kavanagh believes his former international boss will have an impact at the club.

"With regards to him as a man, as a coach and as a manager, for me he's been top-class," Kavanagh told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"The modern game has moved on... but Mick understands the game completely, he's proved that down the years.

"At this point in time he's a very steady pair of hands and I do think with Mick he has a point to prove because it hasn't necessarily gone so well for whatever reason, and he wasn't able to finish the job he set out to do the second time with Ireland."

'Where's the plan?'
But Walsh believes that Cardiff need more than a safe pair of hands if they are to evolve towards being a club that can sustain success.

"I think it's terrible, it's all short-termism, where's the plan for Cardiff City these days? It's ridiculous, they have to change the attitude of the owners about where Cardiff City are going to go," added Walsh, 62, who won 18 Wales caps.

"He's a great guy, Mick McCarthy, he's had a great career, but for Cardiff City they need a plan for the whole club and it's just short-termism again and it doesn't do anybody any good.

"The problem is you have to build a future for the football club from the ground upwards and you have to have a philosophy of playing.

"I speak to thousands of Cardiff City fans and even though under Warnock they were winning games it was a boring brand of football, they've got to come up to the 21st century and start to play a brand throughout the football club.

"Cardiff City might have to go down a division or stay horizontal for another couple of years and have the bravery to say to a young manager 'ok, we're going to stick with you through thick and thin to change this football club'.

"At the moment they are throwing Mick McCarthy in there for six months. That doesn't do anybody any good, they are frightened of going down, that shows naivety at the higher ranks of Cardiff City and I honestly believe that they've gone about it in the wrong way.

"They don't plan for the future, it's here and now and things won't change in the future if that's their attitude.