Manchester United Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - 2013/14 mod warning post#7259

Your Airbag

Winston Payne wrote: »

I wonder if I'll see an Irish player that I want in United's first team again in my lifetime.

McCarthy after a few years at Everton might turn into something.


Sam Byrne the young lad from Dublin is a striker in the U21's but a bit down the pecking order I think and didn't we snap up a young lad from Dundalk recently?

Its more than likely could be a vice-versa situation, if a young kid from the Belfast based academy makes good and gets a few starts in the first team he will be selected for Ireland.

mike65

kryogen wrote: »

You have a habit of posting a slanted version of something that has already been posted in this thread ya know.....

Apologies that this did not reach your required level of input - hang on its the Guardian wot wrote it. E-mail them

kryogen

Your Airbag wrote: »

McCarthy after a few years at Everton might turn into something.


Sam Byrne the young lad from Dublin is a striker in the U21's but a bit down the pecking order I think and didn't we snap up a young lad from Dundalk recently?

Its more than likely could be a vice-versa situation, if a young kid from the Belfast based academy makes good and gets a few starts in the first team he will be selected for Ireland.

Just on McCarthy, I don't think he is ever going to get beyond the level of everton tbh, he lacks pace and still hides from the ball.

Edit: would be happy to be proven wrong in time though!

kryogen

mike65 wrote: »

Apologies that this did not reach your required level of input - hang on its the Guardian wot wrote it. E-mail them

If you must pop in with updates on United related news, as a courtesy you may perhaps read the last few posts before yours to check if it has already been posted?

As I said, its a habit you have.

yabadabado

Winston Payne wrote: »

I wonder if I'll see an Irish player that I want in United's first team again in my lifetime.

If Jack Grealish from Villa turns out to be as good as predicated,he could be one a lot of clubs will try to sign.

Jimmy Iovine

kryogen wrote: »

If you must pop in with updates on United related news, as a courtesy you may perhaps read the last few posts before yours to check if it has already been posted?

As I said, its a habit you have.

It's a habit a few 'Pool fans on here have.

It's almost always bad news as well. Pretty sad.

Quandary

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

It's a habit a few 'Pool fans on here have.

It's almost always bad news as well. Pretty sad.

A bit like when you're playing golf and you hit a slightly wayward shot and that asshole guy in your group almost enjoys saying " ah yeah, that looks like it went in the water/sand" or "ah yeah, that's definitely stuck behind one of those trees"

Pj!

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/10/alex-ferguson-manchester-united-blueprint

Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson gives blueprint for success
The former manager at Old Trafford reveals his secret in a series of interviews with a Harvard Business School professor


Sir Alex Ferguson has unveiled his managerial blueprint – while admitting the conditions that allowed him to be so successful at Manchester United are unlikely ever to be replicated.

Over a series of interviews with the Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse in 2012, Ferguson went into detail about what he believed to be the eight key elements of his job.

In doing so, Ferguson said he did not believe a manager would be given four years to achieve success, as he was at United, and that the manager should always remain in control of the dressing room, a situation that does not apply at all clubs.

He also outlined his natural instinct for taking risks, which led to so many dramatic late victories and, in direct contrast to his successor David Moyes, said he felt observing training sessions, rather than running them, was essential to his own managerial ability.

This is an edited version of his theories, which appear in full in the October edition of the Harvard Business Review.

1 Start with the foundation

"From the moment I got to Manchester United, I thought of only one thing: building a football club. I wanted to build right from the bottom. The first thought of 99% of newly appointed managers is to make sure they win – to survive. They bring experienced players in. At some clubs, you need only to lose three games in a row and you're fired. In today's football world, with a new breed of directors and owners, I am not sure any club would have the patience to wait for a manager to build a team over a four-year period. Winning a game is only a short-term gain – you can lose the next game. Building a club brings stability and consistency."

2 Dare to rebuild your team

"We identified three levels of players: 30 and older, 23 to 30, and the younger ones. The idea was that the younger players were developing and would meet the standards the older ones had set. I believe that the cycle of a successful team lasts maybe four years and then some change is needed. So we tried to visualise the team three or four years ahead and make decisions accordingly. Because I was at United for such a long time, I could afford to plan ahead. I was very fortunate in that respect. The hardest thing is to let go of a player who has been a great guy – but all the evidence is on the field."

3 Set high standards – and hold everyone to them

"Everything we did was about maintaining the standards we had set as a football club – this applied to all my team building, my team preparation, motivational talks and tactical talks. I had to lift players' expectations. They should never give in. I said to them all the time: 'If you give in once, you'll give in twice'. I used to be the first to arrive in the morning. In my later years, a lot of my staff members would already be there when I got in at 7am.

"I expected even more from the star players. Superstars with egos are not the problem some people may think. They need to be winners because that massages their egos, so they will do what it takes to win. I used to see Ronaldo, Beckham, Giggs, Scholes practising for hours. They realised that being a Manchester United player is not an easy job."

4 Never, ever cede control

"If the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the players – if the players decided how the training should be, what days they should have off, what the discipline should be and what the tactics should be – then Manchester United would not be the Manchester United we know. I wasn't going to allow anyone to be stronger than I was. Your personality has to be bigger than theirs. There are occasions when you have to ask yourself whether certain players are affecting the dressing-room atmosphere, the performance of the team and your control of the players and staff. If they are, you have to cut the cord. There is absolutely no other way. It doesn't matter if the person is the best player in the world. Some English clubs have changed managers so many times that it creates power for the players in the dressing room. That is very dangerous. If the coach has no control, he will not last."

5 Match the message to the moment

"No one likes to be criticised. Most respond to encouragement. For any human being – there is nothing better than hearing 'Well done'. Those are the two best words ever invented. At the same time you need to point out mistakes when players don't meet expectations. That is when reprimands are important. I would do it right after the game. I wouldn't wait until Monday and then it was finished. My pre-game talks were about our expectations, the players' belief in themselves and their trust in one another. In half-time talks, you have maybe eight minutes to deliver your message, so it is vital to use the time well. Everything is easier when you are winning. When you are losing, you have to make an impact. Fear has to come into it. But you can be too hard; if players are fearful all the time, they won't perform well. You play different roles at different times. Sometimes you have to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a father."

6 Prepare to win

"Winning is in my nature. There is no other option for me. Even if five of the most important players were injured, I expected to win. I am a risk taker and you can see that in how we played in the late stages of matches. If we were still down with 15 minutes to go, I was ready to take more risks. I was perfectly happy to lose 3-1 if it meant we'd given ourselves a good chance to draw or win. So in those last 15 minutes, we'd go for it. We'd put in an extra attacking player and worry less about defence. We knew that if we ended up winning 3-2, it would be a fantastic feeling. And if we lost 3-1, we'd been losing anyway. All my teams had perseverance – they never gave in. It's a fantastic characteristic to have."

7 Rely on the power of observation

"Observation is the final part of my management structure. One afternoon at Aberdeen I had a conversation with my assistant manager and another coach who pointed out I could benefit from not always having to lead the training. At first I said no but deep down I knew he was right. So I delegated training. It was the best thing I ever did. It didn't take away my control. My presence and ability to supervise were always there and what you can pick up by watching is incredibly valuable. Seeing a change in a player's habits or a sudden dip in his enthusiasm allowed me to go further with him. Sometimes I could even tell that a player was injured when he thought he was fine."

8 Never stop adapting

"When I started, there were no agents and although games were televised, the media did not elevate players to the level of film stars and constantly look for new stories about them. Stadiums have improved, pitches are in perfect condition now and sports science has a strong influence on how we prepare for the season. Owners from Russia, the Middle East and other regions have poured a lot of money into the game and are putting pressure on managers. And players have led more sheltered lives, so they are much more fragile than players were 25 years ago."

kryogen

The Guardian re hashing stories from last year now

Interesting of course

Hank Scorpio

If Anderson was 100% fit and playing well, what would United's strongest CM pairing be? A combination of Anderson/Fellaini would work fantastic IMO but it's all if's and buts. Don't mean to discredit Carrick with this, he was great last season

Red Crow

Carrick is a fantastic player and is a good CM. However, he's also a weak link. He's not great under pressure, although he's improved greatly as he's matured, he can be pedestrian on the ball but that's kind of his style and lastly he's fairly weak defensively. He is poor at pressing but he has a natural instinct to move into positions to intercept the ball.

Anderson is a natural passer. He's a great mover of the ball and is what id describe an intense passer where he likes to keep the ball rolling as quickly as possibly. He has great vision but sometimes he over hits passes but you can see the killer instinct that he has. He can press but his ability is rather limited in this area, albeit a level above Carrick. He has a questionable fitness record and is probably a slight bit too unreliable to play against the big CL teams but you'd imagine he would of become a more matured player had he been given more of a chance.

Cleverley is the most limited player we have in the first team squad IMO. He's an ordinary passer, has a poor first touch and has very little technique and vision. What he can do is that he can press. He can stay in the face of his opponent and press quite well in comparison to Anderson and Carrick. He's a safe passer and won't make that killer pass but will generally retain the ball well and not attempt any daft it silly passes. He's probably a good stats player as in when Moyes gets the facts and figures after the game he won't lose the ball much and will have quite a high pass completion percentage. His abilities are limited but his head never goes down and is a good player to have in the squad.


For the above reasons I'd like to see Fellaini and Anderson get a chance in the middle. Over the next 18-24 months we'll have to sign 2 CM's as Carrick is getting older and there is an obvious current open space for a CM in the side.

Paul Tergat

Carrick is not a weak link imo.

First choice pick in CM

The_Kew_Tour

I think Carrick is superb defensively.

Think its one of his strong points..Position wise he covers very well.

I might be in a minority on that not sure.

Red Crow

Paul Tergat wrote: »

Carrick is not a weak link imo.

First choice pick in CM

It's a bit strong but I think we can definitely improve on Carrick in the middle. I don't mean he's a weak link in our side conventionally. I mean that if we could bring in two new players into the squad the two CM positions would be my choice.

I think he's also weak under pressure but has improved over the years. I think he can be dominated too easily.

Paul Tergat

Eli Manning wrote: »

It's a bit strong but I think we can definitely improve on Carrick in the middle. I don't mean he's a weak link in our side conventionally. I mean that if we could bring in two new players into the squad the two CM positions would be my choice.

I think he's also weak under pressure but has improved over the years. I think he can be dominated too easily.

I think we agree on the first bit. He is a good player and the best of what we have but its definitely still the weak area of our team/squad.

I believe the second bit is something that's somewhat exaggerated. Any decent midfielder in the top teams have good players in with them and I dont think Carrick has had that since Scholes has no longer been a regular. Other teams playing 5 in the midfield is a factor imo too

Fenix

Ando is so frustratingly one footed. He will, and does, hold up play to position the ball on his left rather than play the often better pass with his right. In the grand scheme of things, it's only one of the gripes I have against him. His apparent lack of maturity / motivation, injury proneness to name a few, have left me incredibly frustrated with a player I was hugely excited about when we signed him.

I'm glad to read encouraging comments from him and no one would be happier to see him succeed more than myself. But excuse my scepticism, after 6 years this has to be last chance saloon. He can blame injury all he wants, it's down to him.

Carrick has been outstanding over the past 2 seasons, and at least solid previous to that, while he's performing like that he's the first name on the team sheet for me along with RVP. I think himself and Fellaini will create a very good partnership, with the latter providing a versatility we simply haven't had for years.

Hank Scorpio

Nice goal by RVP, got 2 tonight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvIgetkCOPk

Giggsy11

Eli Manning wrote: »

Carrick is a fantastic player and is a good CM. However, he's also a weak link. He's not great under pressure, although he's improved greatly as he's matured, he can be pedestrian on the ball but that's kind of his style and lastly he's fairly weak defensively. He is poor at pressing but he has a natural instinct to move into positions to intercept the ball.

Anderson is a natural passer. He's a great mover of the ball and is what id describe an intense passer where he likes to keep the ball rolling as quickly as possibly. He has great vision but sometimes he over hits passes but you can see the killer instinct that he has. He can press but his ability is rather limited in this area, albeit a level above Carrick. He has a questionable fitness record and is probably a slight bit too unreliable to play against the big CL teams but you'd imagine he would of become a more matured player had he been given more of a chance.

Cleverley is the most limited player we have in the first team squad IMO. He's an ordinary passer, has a poor first touch and has very little technique and vision. What he can do is that he can press. He can stay in the face of his opponent and press quite well in comparison to Anderson and Carrick. He's a safe passer and won't make that killer pass but will generally retain the ball well and not attempt any daft it silly passes. He's probably a good stats player as in when Moyes gets the facts and figures after the game he won't lose the ball much and will have quite a high pass completion percentage. His abilities are limited but his head never goes down and is a good player to have in the squad.


For the above reasons I'd like to see Fellaini and Anderson get a chance in the middle. Over the next 18-24 months we'll have to sign 2 CM's as Carrick is getting older and there is an obvious current open space for a CM in the side.

Carrick is not fairly weak defensively. He is very good. Yeah he won't press like Fletcher, Cleverley but he holds the shape of the team and is very reliable defensively.

Would love to see Anderson-Fellaini patnership at some time, probably against Crystal palace and smaller teams at home. Anderson is lot better player than given credit for, shame about his injury record though.

homerjay2005

this should give us more of an idea who will play saturday assuming no injuries.

Positive night for international Reds

It was a positive night for the majority of the Reds on international duty on Tuesday, with Robin van Persie once again shining for his country.

Having netted a vital equaliser in the draw in Estonia last Friday, the Dutch striker was on target again, netting both of the Netherlands' goals in the 2-0 victory away to lowly Andorra which sealed qualification for next year's World Cup.

Elsewhere, Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young both came off the bench to help England claim a point in Kiev after a 0-0 draw against Ukraine. Young replaced Jack Wilshere soon after the hour-mark, while Cleverley came on for the injured Theo Walcot in the final few minutes of the match. Michael Carrick and Chris Smalling were both unused substitutes, while Danny Welbeck missed the game through suspension following his caution in Friday's win over Moldova.

It proved to be a disappointing evening for Jonny Evans and Northern Ireland who lost 3-2 away at Luxembourg. It was only Luxembourg's fourth ever win in a World Cup qualifier and it was thanks to Mathias Janisch's winner three minutes from time.

Patrice Evra was an unused substitute in France's come-from-behind win away to Belarus. The French fell behind twice in the match, but recovered well to claim a 4-2 victory - former United midfielder Paul Pogba netted France's fourth.

Over in La Paz, Antonio Valencia played the full 90 minutes of Ecuador's 1-1 draw away to Bolivia, while earlier in the day, Shinji Kagawa scored Japan's opening goal in the 3-1 friendly win over Ghana.

Lovely Bloke

Why is Carrick not getting picked for England?

He should retire.

Giggsy11

homerjay2005 wrote: »

this should give us more of an idea who will play saturday assuming no injuries.

Kagawa won't play and media will have a field day again sadly.

Would love to see Nani playing as RW and as Valencia played on Tuesday in South America he might be rested/dropped.


My team would be:

De Gea

Fabio Evans Vida Evra

Fellaini Anderson

Nani Kagawa Welbeck

RVP

Would love to see Hernandez starting but I don't think he will after playing for Mexico against USA yesterday(Assuming he played 90 mins).

kryogen

Carrick will start, I expect Giggs to start too sadly

s_carnage

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Would love to see Hernandez starting but I don't think he will after playing for Mexico against USA yesterday(Assuming he played 90 mins). [/LEFT]

He played the full game and the game wouldn't have been over until about 3 this morning so it will be this evening at least before he gets back to Manchester so very doubtful he could feature. I'd say Kagawa landed back some time last night so should have a decent enough chance of seeing some game time.

The_Kew_Tour

Im looking forward to seeing Fellaini.

FutureGuy

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Im looking forward to seeing Fellaini.

+ a gazillion

Macca07

Think it'll be

---

DDG

---

---

Fabio----Rio----Evans----Evra

---

---

Fellaini

---

Carrick

---

---

Nani

---

Giggs

---

Young

---

---

Welbeck

---

Originally I thought it would be Fellaini and Ando, but I think Carrick and Fellaini will need a couple of games together with City coming up. Kagawa could come in for Giggs, doubt Hernandez will play with playing last night for Mexico. Is Smalling fit at the moment?

jaykay74

Has there been some indication that Fabio will play? I've seen him in a few lineups but haven't noticed him even on the bench... except for Swansea now that I check back on it.

Mars Bar

ManUtd.com
And after France turned around a 1-0 half-time deficit to beat Belarus 4-2, Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery revealed Les Bleus were inspired by a pep talk from Patrice Evra, who was an unused substitute.

"The match was a little weird, especially after the first half," Ribery said. "But then Pat gave a real speech at half-time and that was good for everyone."

Good stuff from Evra!

Fenix

No idea why anyone would leave a fully fit Carrick out of any of our starting 11's, bar being rested.

The_Kew_Tour

Mars Bar wrote: »

Good stuff from Evra!

and some wanted him out:o

Thank God he stayed.

Mitch Connor

Fenix wrote: »

No idea why anyone would leave a fully fit Carrick out of any of our starting 11's, bar being rested.

Rested is the only reason for me.

With CL and the derby coming up - Palace at home is as good a time as any to give a few of the squad players a run out. Anderson and Fellaini would be an interesting combo.

At the same time, with the CL and the derby coming up Palace at home should also be a good time to give Fellaini and Carrick some playing time together - as I would assume Moyes has them down as the first choice pairing.

tallaghtmick

http://www1.skysports.com/football/player/102667/harry-maguire

Linked with this 20 year old defender, anyone know if hes any use?

TheDoc

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Why is Carrick not getting picked for England?

He should retire.

Gerrard and Lampards reputation is proceeding them.

The game was screaming for Carrick. Gerrard is playing this Quarter back role that he is utterly terrible at. He picks the ball up from the CB's and then instantly looks to spray a fancy ball out side, instead of a simple 10 foot pass into a midfield colleague.

It's gas when you look at our national team who are void of any sort of class what so ever, then you look at England, and their best CM is sitting on the bench more often then not : /

Carrick has had a torrid time for England in terms of falling prey to typical media assumption. Carrick has been class for a number of years, not just this year. His game is very specific, and what he does isn't fancy, but critical.

He is composed, has an amazing defensive positioning and smells danger, and he just controls games beautifully with composed build up play. You'll never see him freak out and start launching balls up front.

Seems to be a pretty common thing for England, criminally under utilising United players, until they retire and then the FA will spunk millions on training centres and this and that to try figure out the problem.

The problem being for a decade England coaches have picked players based on reputation, rather then actual form and ability.

TheDoc

BTW from a United and Ireland perspective

Would anyone be willing to let their brain expand to the thought of Meulenstein being approached for the Irish job? Clearly looking to break into management, experienced working with the best manager of the game at one of the biggest clubs, and there are countless reports and commendations for his ability to work with players and to set them on a path to improve dramatically.

At this point I'm fearful for Martin O Neill coming in, as Kew described a sidestep, if not a step backwards. This is a fella who is out of the game, hasn't being hands on involved with the transition to possesion based football, and has nothing on his CV that would spark confidence.

Would appreciate the FAI thinking outside of the box, and not going for populist choices, based from clueless football fans on this isle

The_Kew_Tour

TheDoc wrote: »

BTW from a United and Ireland perspective

Would anyone be willing to let their brain expand to the thought of Meulenstein being approached for the Irish job? Clearly looking to break into management, experienced working with the best manager of the game at one of the biggest clubs, and there are countless reports and commendations for his ability to work with players and to set them on a path to improve dramatically.

At this point I'm fearful for Martin O Neill coming in, as Kew described a sidestep, if not a step backwards. This is a fella who is out of the game, hasn't being hands on involved with the transition to possesion based football, and has nothing on his CV that would spark confidence.

Would appreciate the FAI thinking outside of the box, and not going for populist choices, based from clueless football fans on this isle

Be delighted for Rene to get it.

Be a 1000/1 though

I dont think FAI can afford a top class manager.

Brian McDerrott could be as good as we get:o

Vic Vinegar

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Brian McDerrott could be as good as we get:o

Nah, you'll get Harry Redknapp.

Headshot

DJ Evra strikes again

Kerrydude1981

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Be delighted for Rene to get it.

Be a 1000/1 though

I dont think FAI can afford a top class manager.

Brian McDerrott could be as good as we get:o

Wouldnt mind McDerrott myself as manager

Hughton or O Neill will probably get it though

Your Airbag

As Saturday draws nearer am I the only one really hyped about seeing Fellainin kick off his UTD career? Sometimes one player, the right player in the right position can add much more than two or three wrong players and unlock a teams full potential. We have one of the best defenses in football imo. No lack of wingers and a world class striker with two excellent number 10's (Rooney and Kag)

If Fellaini turns out to be Keane like in midfield and can solve the lack of control we have in their, everyone ahead of him and Carrick could benefit and shine a lot more. If Moyes can accommodate Kagawa and Rooney into the starting XI also this would be awesome.

TheDoc

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Be delighted for Rene to get it.

Be a 1000/1 though

I dont think FAI can afford a top class manager.

Brian McDerrott could be as good as we get:o

Would Rene demand high wages? I'd suspect someone like him would be flexible as they build their managerial CV.

I just dont want to see another appointment based of some ropey achievement they did 20 years ago, in a total different world of football.

I'm reading the general forum there with people recommending the likes of Veneables and Hoddle, absolutely shocking stuff.

The annoying thing is that the FAI are a popularist organisation, and they will appoint what they feel is the popularist opinion. At present that is M.O.N, which is just scary if I'm honest.

I was hoping that the end of Trap would mean I could get back fully supporting the team with interest, but jesus looks like my self-imposed exile may well continue.

homerjay2005

Rene would be a very decent choice for Ireland. i assume he got a big pay off from Anzi, so not necessarily that bothered about wages.

doubt he would go for it though.

Fenix

Regardless of glowing references from sources inside old trafford, Rene would be a big gamble for any said to take, hes not done anything as a Manager yet. That's not to say he can't go on and have a great career, all I'm saying is the side that gives him his chance initially would be taking a risk.

TheDoc

Fenix wrote: »

Regardless of glowing references from sources inside old trafford, Rene would be a big gamble for any said to take, hes not done anything as a Manager yet. That's not to say he can't go on and have a great career, all I'm saying is the side that gives him his chance initially would be taking a risk.

There is a big assumption that we should be, and are entitled to, top class managers.

The reality is we are a low population country with a poor squad, but has potential to be decent if nurtured properly.

I think something that should be strongly considered as we going to hire a "coach" who can work and improve our players and have them learn and adapt to a progressive tactic

Or will we hire a "manager" who will analyse the players and then build a tactic to suit their strengths and weakness'

There is a big difference between the two, and I think at this point we need a coach

Fenix

TheDoc wrote: »

There is a big assumption that we should be, and are entitled to, top class managers.

The reality is we are a low population country with a poor squad, but has potential to be decent if nurtured properly.

I think something that should be strongly considered as we going to hire a "coach" who can work and improve our players and have them learn and adapt to a progressive tactic

Or will we hire a "manager" who will analyse the players and then build a tactic to suit their strengths and weakness'

There is a big difference between the two, and I think at this point we need a coach

Fair point, I do think however, the FAI will opt for the latter.

Mitch Connor

Rene is a fantastic coach, apparently, and I simply don't know if International football would provide him with enough exposure to the players to give him the time required to really benifit the players as he could do.

I just don't think an international manager has the time to work with players - and has to trust them and their coaching from club level.

TheDoc

Mitch Connor wrote: »

their coaching from club level.

I always bang this point home when people keep bringing up "Trap has to work with what he has"

He took a squad of players being trained and educated in possession football, and does the exact opposite, in something that they arnt trained

ericzeking

Anyone think Keane would work in the Ireland job? I think the fact he wouldn't have to deal with the day to day drama of prima-donna footballers would suit him.

He would garner instant respect and guys would actually show up when required as all the current dicking around wouldn't be tolerated.

Keano as manager with Rene as no2.... Euros here we come.....baby!!!

The_Kew_Tour

I love Keane, but he aint no manager.

Not now.

We need somebody who is confident and will bring a bit of arrogance to the team.

They will be hard to find though I know that.

Irish football is rotten at the core. FAI needs out, grassroots needs improving.

If things are done right now then we could look back in 10 years as this episode as being a good thing long term.

Sadly I be here in 10 years time(touch wood) and it will be same old same old.

TheDoc

I don't think Keane would go near the FAI with Delaney still at the helm?

What's Dennis Irwin up to these days >:P

Macca07

Why would Rene even consider taking the Ireland job? Name one manager that has managed Ireland and has left on a positive note and went onto better things.

It's a dead end for most managers, best we could get is someone coming to the end of their career, who is up for a challenge. And then the wages would be another problem. I see MON is favourite at the moment, I'd seriously question why he would even take the job.