Mick McCarthy: Who is Blackpool's new manager?

The club sacked Michael Appleton on Wednesday afternoon, following a 10-game winless run in the Championship, with last week’s 2-0 defeat to Watford proving to be the 47-year-old’s last match in charge.

McCarthy, 63, was immediately the clear favourite to takeover the role, and has joined the Seasiders on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

A key area for the new manager will be fixing the defence, with the club conceding 40 goals so far this season, which is the second-worst record in the division.

His first game in charge will be against Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon (K.O. 3pm).

McCarthy is certainly experienced, with this role being his 10th job as a manager.

His previous clubs include Millwall, Sunderland, Wolves, Ipswich, Apoel FC, and Cardiff.

He has also managed the Republic of Ireland on occasions, guiding them to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup during his first spell.

McCarthy knows the Championship well, and has enjoyed promotion to the Premier League on two occasions.

His most recent managerial stint came to an end in October 2021, as he was sacked by Cardiff after nine months at the helm.

He initially took over the role on a short-term basis in the January of the same year, and took the Bluebirds on an 11-game unbeaten run, guiding the club to an eighth place finish.

Unfortunately, Cardiff made a poor start to the following campaign, managing only 11 points in 14 games.

After an eight game losing run, McCarthy was sacked alongside assistant Terry Connor.