McCarthy: No place to hide

The Molineux outfit snapped a miserable run of eight top-flight games without a win, during which they had bagged just two points, with a crucial victory over Wigan last time out. McCarthy and his players had come under fire from sections of their own supporters during that torrid spell, with the out-spoken boss branding some fans as 'mindless idiots'. The former Republic of Ireland, Sunderland and Millwall boss makes no apologies for his blunt approach and insists he relishes the pressure-cooker atmosphere of top-flight football. "The Premier League is without doubt the best in the world but it's remorseless, relentless and so unforgiving. If you make a mistake you get punished," he told The People. "My emotions are there for everyone to see. I don't hold back, what's the point. Because I send out pragmatic teams who try to stop other teams playing that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the other stuff, the excitement and the wonderful football. "I love it. I thrive on it. And although it might not look like it some weeks, I really do. Competing in the best league in the world is fantastic. "There are wonderful players in the Premier League and they aren't all foreign. There are really good, influential English players, too." McCarthy, who spent a spell in France with Lyon in his playing days, believes the Premier League has benefited hugely from an influx of overseas talent on the field and in the dugouts. He added: "People forget I played at Lyon because in those days Lyon weren't in the Champions League. Now, people can't believe a big centre-half like me really played for Lyon. "But going abroad to play was a great experience and one I would recommend to any English player. "We have a lot of foreign players and managers here and like a lot of other people I probably thought that was a negative thing - but it's not now. "Guys like Carlo Ancelotti and the other foreign managers and players have made our league the best in the world."