Paddy McCarthy is in Dublin with Crystal Palace, just a few weeks after he returned to the capital in the wake of Ireland’s World Cup win in Hungary.
21:26, 10 Dec 2025Updated 21:26, 10 Dec 2025
Paddy McCarthy and Oliver Glasner at training ahead of the Shelbourne game(Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
Oliver Glasner gave his assistant coach Paddy McCarthy an extra day off after hearing that Ireland secured a World Cup play-off spot with last month’s sensational win in Hungary.
The Crystal Palace manager was expecting McCarthy to return to club duties as soon as he returned from Budapest.
But upon hearing the result, Glasner decided to give the Dubliner an extra day to recover from the celebrations with Heimir Hallgrímsson, hat-trick hero Troy Parrott and the rest of the Ireland players and backroom staff.
“Yes, I had to give him one more day off and he was really pleased,” he said.
“Usually the players get off and they’re there the next day, but when I saw they scored the winner in the 97th minute in Budapest, I texted him during the night and thought, maybe he needs another day.
“He was really grateful for this, he needed it I think!
“But he deserved it. Now Ireland is facing, hopefully, two big games in March.
“It looks like we have at least 10 players playing at the World Cup, and hopefully Paddy will be involved there with Ireland.
“We have Justin Devaney also in the qualification with Northern Ireland, so a few players and staff members who could qualify, it’s big for Crystal Palace. In March, my fingers will be crossed for Ireland.”
McCarthy was already on the coaching staff at the Premier League side when Glasner came into the job in 2024.
“He’s great, I didn’t know him before, but he was already at Crystal Palace and he’s been at Palace for many years,” said the Austrian.
“He’s a great guy, not just a great coach. He was a great player, and he can always talk about everything.
“He knows Crystal Palace, great insights, which always helps when you come to a club, being new there.
“He knew the players, and he understands football. That’s the most important thing, to understand not just the tactical part of football, to understand the dynamic in football, the dynamic in the dressing room.
“Also of course, [he understood] the English or the UK mindset and this helped me a lot, and it’s still helping me a lot.”
Palace’s US international Chris Richards also hailed McCarthy for helping him through his early struggles in England.
“I think it’s no secret that for my first probably year and a half at Palace was a bit of a struggle for me,” said the former Bayern Munich defender.
“Paddy, one day, grabbed me and really asked me what my ambition was, what did I want to do with my career and it was kind of a wake-up call because I felt I was doing everything I could but clearly he saw in me.
“That’s one thing I like about Paddy, he’s a straight-shooter and he calls it like he sees it, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s done so well with the staff as well because he kind of understands the DNA of not just UK football but Crystal Palace.
“For me, Paddy has been great, he’s helped me a lot. He’s also just a good guy to have around, he’s good to crack a joke with.”