Millwall still facing one of their former managers at Cardiff City this weekend – with Mick McCarthy happy to take job on short-term deal

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Millwall will still come up against one of their former managers this weekend at Cardiff City – despite Neil Harris’ sacking last week.

The Welsh club moved quickly to appoint Mick McCarthy on Friday. His second match at the helm is a home game against the Lions on Saturday.

The no-nonsense Yorkshireman had four years managing Millwall up until 1996 and also ended his playing days at The Den.

Harris, who won promotion as a player and as a boss with the Lions, was dismissed after six staight defeats left City 15th in the Championship table. Assistant David Livermore also departed.

McCarthy, 61, has agreed a short-term deal until the end of the campaign.

The former Republic of Ireland and Ipswich boss aid: “If I earn a longer-term deal then good for me, if I don’t then it’s my fault.

“The first thing I did when I got the call is to look at the squad, like most managers and coaches would go and do. I thought ‘wow’. I think there is a good opportunity here with good players.

“I don’t know what’s gone wrong here, but you can’t lay the blame at any one person’s door – because they got in the play-offs with Neil Harris last season and everything was great. So where does it all go wrong? Can we blame covid? Can we blame somebody else? Or shall we all look at ourselves, accept responsibility and try to improve on results?

“It’s about whether we can create some consistency.”

McCarthy’s appointment was met with a mixed reaction by Cardiff supporters.

“Everyone is entitled to an opinion,” said McCarthy. “I’m sure if you asked every Cardiff City supporter you’d get a long list of people they’d like to employ. Maybe a lot of them in front of me. I can’t do a lot about that.

“The club have entrusted the job to me to improve them – someone who has a lot of experience in this league and had sustained success at it. Maybe that is what they are thinking.

“I just want to come in, enjoy these 22 games and do as well as I possibly can.

“Hopefully the ones who didn’t want me here say: ‘You know what, it was a fair decision by the club and we want to keep Mick’. If it’s the opposite way around they can pick somebody else. If you form a committee to design a horse, you get a camel. Someone has got to make a decision and that’s what they’ve done.”

Harris stepped down as Millwall manager in October 2019 and was named Neil Warnock’s successor at Cardiff a month later.

Chopper won 24 and drew 18 of his 62 matches at the helm.