The end of the season cannot come quickly enough for McCarthy, who has lost eight successive games since becoming the club’s third manager of the campaign, but he wants to end on a positive note to give disillusioned fans hope for the future.

“There is no magic wand to go straight back up,” he said. “We have to hope this run has bottomed out and we have to make sure this spiral downwards has come to an end. It would be great to get something out of tomorrow’s game with Arsenal.

“We want to beat them but because they have an important FA Cup Final coming up, don’t let anybody think it will be any easier for us.

“We have a lot of pride and personal things to play for and I would expect a performance like our last home game against Newcastle United.”

Several players could be playing their last game for the club as McCarthy sets about the task of wheeling and dealing at the expense of his prize assets.

“The club has not gone stale, perhaps the team has,” he added. “Everything about the club is reflected by the performances of the first team and sadly because of how the first team has done, it needs freshening up.

“The league table does not lie. We have finished up the worst team in the Premiership this season and while I don’t like it, it won’t concern me at all if we win our first game next season. That has to be the focus.

“We had been playing like a relegation team before I came here and relegation was almost a foregone conclusion. We had to win six out of nine games after winning only four all season prior to that, so relegation was inevitable.

“There is now an opportunity to try and change personnel and if we can get a few new faces in, freshen the place up and start with a smile on our face, it will give the place the lift it needs.

“If the team doesn’t get broken up my message to the players is they could be coming back here, and the target has to be to win the First Division Championship, and the very least, promotion.”