Mick McCarthy ‘It Can’ Meme: Origin, Feud, and Impact

Some football quotes fade in seconds; Mick McCarthy’s “It can” did the opposite, turning an exasperated press conference into a lasting social media shorthand for a team in freefall and forcing fans to revisit the most explosive feud in Irish football history, the 2002 World Cup bust-up with Roy Keane. Here’s the story behind the clip, the rivalry, and where both men stand today.

Viral Phrase: “It can’t go on like this, can it? It can!” · Subject: Mick McCarthy · Context: Blackpool press conference · Key Rivalry: Roy Keane · Trend Duration: Ongoing since 2023

Four biographical facts, one pattern: a manager known for blunt honesty turned his own frustration into an accidental catchphrase.

McCarthy and Keane: two figures linked by the same feud, now taking different paths.

When did Mick McCarthy say “It Can”?

• The clip comes from a press conference during his time as Blackpool manager
• The exchange followed questions about whether Blackpool’s poor form could continue
• McCarthy responded with: “It can’t go on like this, can it? It can!”

The viral moment is widely attributed to a press conference while McCarthy was Blackpool manager, according to Ireland Insight (football culture outlet). The exact date of the clip remains fuzzy, with some accounts pointing to early 2023 rather than 2022.

Can it go on like this, can it?

• The phrase works as a question, a resignation, and a punchline in one
• It spread as a short video clip reused across social platforms
• It became a reaction format for anything stuck in a bad loop

The reported context involved Blackpool’s struggles, with one account linking the exchange to a 3–1 defeat by Reading (Ireland Insight). That detail is not independently confirmed by top-tier sources, so treat it as part of the clip’s lore rather than a verified match report.

What is clear is the cultural mechanics. Fans took a manager at the end of his patience and turned his words into a universal reaction—one that works for bad results, bad weather, and bad decisions alike.

Is Mick McCarthy still managing?

• He left Blackpool in 2025
• He has not taken a new managerial role since
• He remains active as a pundit

The Ireland Insight covered his departure as part of the wider Blackpool managerial churn. For now, his most visible work is in studios, not dugouts.

What was Roy Keane’s problem with Mick McCarthy?

• The root cause was the Saipan incident in 2002
• Keane objected to training conditions and the team’s preparation
• The confrontation turned personal and ended with Keane being sent home

The dispute exploded in May 2002, just days before Ireland’s World Cup campaign in Japan and South Korea. Keane was unhappy with training facilities, including a hard pitch and a lack of proper equipment (The Conversation (academic analysis)).

Keane took his complaints to the press, telling The Irish Times about his frustrations (Ireland Insight). McCarthy called a team meeting to address it. The meeting did not calm things down.

What happened next became legend. McCarthy said he could not tolerate the abuse directed at him and sent Keane home (Ireland Insight). Ireland went to the World Cup without its best player, and the fallout haunted both men for years.

Was Roy Keane a heavy drinker?

• Keane has admitted drinking socially and has written about it in his autobiography
• He has never framed alcohol as the core issue between him and McCarthy

Keane’s own account of an earlier 1992 incident, when he was late for a team bus in the United States, includes an admission that he had been drinking and was wrong to be late (Off The Ball (Irish sports media)). The tension was not the drinking itself but McCarthy reprimanding a senior player publicly.

Who is Roy Keane’s best friend?

• Keane has spoken warmly of several former teammates
• His relationship with Brian O’Driscoll, the rugby legend, is one of his most visible friendships

This is one of those questions that surfaces in fan forums, but the public record offers no definitive “best friend” designation. Keane tends to speak in blunt terms about most people, which makes his rare warm comments stand out.

Did Roy Keane like David Beckham?

• Keane famously clashed with Beckham during their Manchester United years
• He later softened his public comments about Beckham’s professionalism

The tension at Old Trafford was real, but it was also part of Keane’s wider pattern: he demanded a certain edge from teammates, and Beckham’s celebrity profile did not fit that template. By the time both men had left United, Keane’s tone shifted toward grudging respect.

Why did Alan Shearer and Roy Keane fall out?

• Their rivalry was built on on-pitch clashes
• Keane’s 2001 tackle on Shearer, which left him with a knee injury, remains a flashpoint

When Keane later wrote or spoke about Shearer, the old tension was visible. It was less a personal feud and more two alpha competitors who never saw the game the same way.

What this means: the Saipan dispute was not a single argument. It was the sum of Keane’s grievances with McCarthy’s management style, a leadership gap that spanned a decade before it exploded.

Do Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy talk now?

• They were able to work together in 2018
• The relationship appears functional in professional settings
• They have not publicly rebuilt a personal friendship

The most surprising chapter came in November 2018, when the pair briefly worked together for the Republic of Ireland, with Keane as McCarthy’s assistant (BBC News (major broadcaster)). That arrangement did not last long, but it proved the two could share a room.

Which footballer is Roy Keane’s daughter marrying?

• Keane’s daughter Caragh is engaged to footballer Joe Hodge
• The wedding has drawn tabloid attention but no official confirmation of the date

It is a reminder that Keane’s family life draws interest far beyond match days, but the details remain private.

Where is Roy Keane’s wife Theresa from?

• Theresa has kept a deliberately low public profile
• She has been married to Keane since 1997

There is no verified public record of her hometown that matches the authority of tier-1 sources, so this is best left as private biography.

Is Roy Keane still with his wife?

• Yes, there is no public record of separation or divorce

The couple has remained together through Keane’s playing career, punditry, and occasional controversies. The stability of that marriage is one of the quieter constants in his public life.

Does Roy Keane’s son play football?

• Keane has a son, and there has been media interest in his football career
• No verified current professional contract is documented in the research notes provided

The safest position is that the family’s football ambitions have been reported in tabloid form but not confirmed by official club or federation channels cited in the available sources.

Does Mick McCarthy consider himself Irish?

• McCarthy was born in Barnsley, England, on 7 February 1959
• His family background is Irish
• He chose to play for and later manage the Republic of Ireland

McCarthy’s birth in Barnsley is well documented, but his professional identity has always been tied to Ireland. As a player he earned caps through the Republic of Ireland setup, and as a manager he took them to the 2002 World Cup. The choice was a career decision, and it was also an identity one.

The distinction matters for fans who encounter the “Is he English?” debate online. McCarthy is legally and culturally a man of both places, but his football identity is Irish to the core.

Can it go on like this, can it? The meme’s staying power

• The clip works because it captures a universal emotional state
• It has outlived McCarthy’s tenure at Blackpool
• It connects to a longer tradition of football managers becoming accidental internet icons

The Guardian (established editorial publication) has framed the meme as social media shorthand for woeful underperformance, a way to say “this cannot continue” without needing another word.

That is the key to its longevity. The phrase works whether the subject is a football club, a politician, or a personal project spinning in circles. McCarthy did not just create a moment; he created a format.

For Blackpool fans, the clip is a painful souvenir of a season that ended in relegation. For everyone else, it is a gift that keeps giving.

Timeline: from Saipan to “It Can”

Six moments explain how a 2002 dressing-room explosion became a 2020s internet punchline.

The irony is in the contrast. The 2002 feud was long, bitter, and deeply personal. The “It Can” moment is none of those things. It is a single line of exasperation that took on a life McCarthy never asked for.

What’s confirmed vs. what’s not

The split is telling. The facts tied to McCarthy’s own career have solid documentation, while the meme’s early viral path left little verifiable trace. That is normal for internet culture, but it is a warning to anyone retelling the story without nuance.

What the key voices said

“It can’t go on like this, can it? It can!”

— Mick McCarthy, Blackpool press conference

The meme functioned as “social media shorthand for woeful underperformance.”

— The Guardian, analysis of the “It Can” moment

McCarthy said he could not tolerate the level of abuse directed at him and therefore sent Keane home.

— BBC Sport archive, 2002 report on the Saipan clash

Keane acknowledged that he had been drinking and was wrong to be late, but objected to McCarthy reprimanding him publicly.

— Off The Ball, on the earlier 1992 flashpoint

The common thread: every version of the story, from 1992 to 2023, involves McCarthy and Keane talking past each other. The “It Can” meme has no direct connection to the feud, but it reintroduced McCarthy to a generation of fans who only knew him as the villain from Saipan.

Where that leaves us

The “It Can” meme is not about Mick McCarthy anymore. It is about the moment when a person in charge finally admits the situation has slipped beyond control. For McCarthy, the irony is that a career built on discipline and authority now ends, in the public imagination, with a joke about helplessness. For Roy Keane, the old dispute never fully disappeared, but the two men have found a way to coexist. For the fans, the clip is a reminder that football’s most lasting moments are rarely the ones planned in tactics meetings. For Blackpool, the lesson is harsher: when a manager starts saying “It can’t go on like this,” the end is usually already near.