Lord of the Dance
Ireland's Paddy McCarthy will take charge of Crystal Palace when they play Arsenal on Sunday
Sport

Ireland's Paddy McCarthy will take charge of Crystal Palace when they play Arsenal on Sunday

DUBLIN NATIVE PADDY McCarthy will manage Premier League side Crystal Palace this coming Sunday when the side take on league leaders Arsenal.  

On Friday Patrick Vieira was sacked by Palace for a string of poor results. Palace have 12 games without a win and managed 1 shot on target in four games.  

The statement from Palace on Friday read: "“It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status. 

"That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival. 

"Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service. 

“We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Saïd the very best for their futures.” 

The process to appoint a new manager is underway, and updates will be provided in due course. 

McCarthy, who is a former Ireland B international and former Palace player will be in the dugout until the south London club find a replacement for Vieira.  

Dean Kiely, who is a goalkeeping coach with Stephen Kenny's Ireland will also help McCarthy this weekend.  

A follow-up statement read: " Paddy McCarthy led first-team training this morning and will manage the side against Arsenal on Sunday. 

"The former club captain, and current U21s Head Coach, will be joined by U21s Assistant Coach Darren Powell and goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely." 

McCarthy started his career at Manchester City and moved to Leicester City and Charlton before landing at Palace in 2008. 

McCarthy then left Palace in 2008, but joined their coaching staff in 2016 and has been there ever since.  

Palace play Arsenal at 2pm on Sunday.