The Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy may have suffered disappointment at going out of the World Cup but he has another chance yet with a new contract on the table.
McCarthy has agreed to stay on as manager of the Republic of Ireland for a further two years.
The 43-year-old Yorkshireman has renewed his contract and will remain in charge for the forthcoming Euro 2004 qualifying campaign.
McCarthy took over from Jack Charlton in February 1996 and, in the past, he has hinted that he would one day consider a return to club management.
After the Roy Keane fiasco, McCarthy was reported to be considering his future as Ireland boss but the backing for the Irish FA (FAI) supported McCarthy over his decision to make Keane return to Britain.
McCarthy was also moved by the support he received from the travelling Irish fans throughout the tournament, particularly in the opening group match against Cameroon in Niigata.
More importantly, however, his young team's efforts against Spain and against three tough opponents in the group stages of the finals were enough to encourage the big ex-Barnsley defender to try and take the squad into the European Championships campaign.
An FAI spokesman said: "We are delighted that Mick has agreed to stay in charge for another two years.
"We were aware that he was seriously considering his position after the Roy Keane affair, and it is good for Irish football that he is staying on."
McCarthy's record as manager is an impressive one. Since the early part of 1999 he has suffered just two defeats in 23 competitive matches, away to Iran and Croatia, and the Iran loss was the second leg of a play-off in which Ireland won the first leg.
After elimination from the World Cup at the hands of Spain, McCarthy said that
"Matty Holland has been one of the players of the tournament for me. He has been outstanding throughout this tournament and he's been an inspiration in the middle of the park because of what happened prior to the competition.
"So for him to miss was so sad for him. He's heartbroken as is Kevin Kilbane, David Connolly also, and I just feel so sorry for those guys.
"Ian Harte didn't mean to miss his and he's scored enough before. Practising taking penalties is garbage. We practised taking penalties two nights before, but it's about standing up and doing it at the end of the day.
"So there's no criticism from me for the lads who took those penalties.
"I've nothing but admiration for the 22 players and the 10 staff. We've every reason to be proud of a performance like that.
"We've gone out of the tournament unbeaten in my opinion, even though we've lost here on penalties.
"It's hugely disappointing to be out of the competition. I thought we did enough to win the game and to lose is not a nice feeling, but that feeling is also mixed with immense pride."
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