Republic of Ireland Team 2023/24 [old thread]

tigger123

Is it still April 12th for the announcement of the Men's Senior Manager? Or has that moved?

Guffy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121995859#Comment_121995859

Open to correction, but i dont think the 12th has been set by the FAI. It just happens to be the next board meeting. Although they did indicate early April

franglan

So Anthony Barry into 1/4 with Bet Victor and other bookies have moved him to favourite as well. Betting market as we've seen for the past 6 months is no indication of imminent appoint but would happily take him tbh, has zero managerial experience but comes with a good coaching pedigree. We were simply better with him around as well from my memory. Would be surprised if we nab him tbh, he'll have better paying suiters I would have thought.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121996239#Comment_121996239

Unless something's changed over the weekend it was mentioned by one journalist before the France game that there's no board meetings scheduled till the end of the month. Obviously things can change on that front within a couple of hours and you'd assume that some meeting would happen this week after the England game is over. Early April will have and come gone by Friday and if nothing is announced come Friday then the three amigos really have some explaining to do. Kilbane didn't hold back in his recent article about the FAI.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121996459#Comment_121996459

Barry is on the shortlist to replace Ruben Amorim when he leaves Sporting this summer.

Liam O

I'd have thought Barry would be getting quite handsomely paid by his other ventures. I guess with the club job going it might make sense for him now.

Someone with no experience of a top job is a bit of a risk though. Still think someone like Bruce who knows how to set up teams at upper Championship/lower PL level would have been the best way to go.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121996502#Comment_121996502

There's likely as much a chance of Carsley changing his mind about the Ireland job as there is Barry being announced. Even with the lack of managerial experience we're beneath him when he's being linked with the likes of Sporting Lisbon.

Guffy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121996472#Comment_121996472

Just off a very half listening memory to a podcast here, that was the journo wrote that they haven't talked to the board yet and wont have by the 12th where they are due to meet and are next to meet at the end of april so the journo put a story together to get clicks.

Imo if they are ready to talk to the board re an appointment an egm would be called irrespective of scheduled board meetings.

McFly85

Really can’t see it being Barry, unless the FAI allow him to work in a coaching role alongside the job with us.

He’s too highly regarded and would imagine he’d have plenty of offers, to the point where if it’s not going well with us he could just up sticks in the middle of a campaign for somewhere else.

But, if he were to accept the job on condition that he could continue coaching somewhere else, would I still be happy to take him? Considering our options, probably. Seems the type to be constantly in work mode, I don’t think he’d be the type to consider it an afterthought or not devote that much time to it.

SaoPaulo41

FAI make fresh approach for Anthony Barry to fill vacant Ireland manager role

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/fai-make-fresh-approach-for-anthony-barry-to-fill-vacant-ireland-manager-role/a1522251375.html

TheCitizen

so he was talking nonsense when he said we had someone lined up for April. They’re starting from scratch again.

Mars Bar

Pretty decent start from Ireland so that goal just there is disappointing.

callaway92

George Hamilton calling the decision extremely harsh multiple times without actually seeing a replay of it

Eventually changed his tone a bit when he saw it

mayordenis

First one, yea that's probably a pen, second one absolutely never a penalty hand in a very natural position for someone who is jumping.

A little justice served, ref delighted to give the penalties, seemed to take some satisfaction in it.

kowloonkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121996841#Comment_121996841

Best case scenario there is he does a good job and goes off somewhere else after a year. I'd say he never puts the phone down.

SaoPaulo41

Beyond ridiculous

https://www.thesun.ie/sport/12720408/anthony-barry-next-ireland-manager-fai-damien-duff/

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121997625#Comment_121997625

Anyone that bought the FAIs bullsh1t are clearly new to football in this country. They've also back tracked on the whole "head coach" and based in Ireland stuff.

There are some truths that make the whole process farcical. Carsley said no at an early stage and the FAI really were watching the Georgia v Greece playoff ready to give the Ireland job to the loser. They seem to have thought Poyet would take it and that's where the "early April" and contractual obligation stuff came out of.

The most likely thing now is JOS gets the next set of friendlies as an interim coach and the FAI sift through a list of our of work international managers after the Euros and see if any of them fancy it. It's also possible they just bite the bullet now and give it to JOS.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121999780#Comment_121999780

Stevie Wonder would have seen that coming. He's linked to bigger and better jobs plus has the chance of being a part of a Euros winning team this summer.

pjohnson

John O'Shea reappointed caretaker for the next batch of games?

If he refuses maybe Keith Andrews/Dean Kiely could be caretaker?

tigger123

Just give it to John O'Shea.

They haven't the budget for anyone else, and he'll do a decent job.

Their best bet was always to identify someone on the rise, and catch them at the right point in their career before they kick on and go out of budget. Someone like Carsley or Barry.

Hasn't panned out, but I'd be happy with O'Shea.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121999841#Comment_121999841

But But they’ve changed according to at least one regular poster on this thread.

I think a good few did buy it, and then they were saying “Canham’s position is untenable and he should resign if we don’t appoint a manager in April etc. etc.” That won’t happen either, Canham will just say oh, we had to make different arrangements as things didn’t pan out as expected. If Canham does go it’ll be with a golden handshake. Some things don’t change despite the way some people try to convince themselves or others that it has.

At this stage, they should appoint O’Shea and give him a 2 year contract and ask Kerr to work with him for the two years. Continuing with an interim appointment at this point is just kicking the can down the road again. The players need a manager who has a mandate. O’Shea should have been made the interim manager towards the end of Kenny’s failed tenure, but that was just another example of the “new” FAI’s chronic indecision.

They need to make an appointment now. If it’s the case as it appears to be that they have no one else give it officially to O’Shea with a contract and Kerr in an advisory role and over the next two years that board need to be rooted out as well. Hill, Canham etc., get them out.

McFly85

May as well give it to O’Shea at this stage but would prefer to see Kerr nowhere near it. Hes been out of the game so long I can’t imagine he’s going to bring any new ideas to the table.

The FAI have made a complete balls of the process though. Fair enough, I understand they wanted Carsley or Barry but once it’s clear that’s not the case they should have just moved on. We’re not an attractive prospect for a lot of managers so it can’t be too surprising if we can’t land our top choices.

tigger123

I'd be critical of the FAI to a point with this, as we don't know what has gone on behind the scenes, but we don't have anything approaching a decent budget for the appointment.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000304#Comment_122000304

Money is the bottom line here. Years ago we would never have got high profile managers like Trap or MON if their salary wasn’t subsidised by tax exile Denis O’Brien. Don’t know where they got the money to pay Jack back in the day?

A manager worth his salt would look at our squad and fancy his chances of making us competitive in trying to qualify for tournaments especially Euros. We’re not the same quality as years ago but we’re not as bad as we ended up being towards the end of Kenny’s time.

Neil Lennon wanted it, they should have appointed him. He has experience and would have got a performance out of the players in the short to medium term. The FAI moved on from him, was it because of some tabloid story from his personal life from several years ago? Whatever happened they moved on from him anyway which was their decision and prerogative. However they didn’t move on from Carsley or Anthony Barry it appears and stalled hoping they’d change their minds or something? I don’t get that.

Appoint O’Shea and give him a contract. No more of this interim stuff.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000177#Comment_122000177

No the caretaker thing has to stop. Appoint O’Shea.

topmanamillion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000374#Comment_122000374

The FAI deserve every criticism they get. Appointing a senior men's international manager is one of their main duties and they've ballsed it up.

Chiefly, they've brought it all on themselves. Every step of the way they've managed it p1ss poorly.

They went into a competitive managerial market with a miniscule budget but yet changed and enhanced the remit of the role from what it had been when it was paying 4 times as much.

They've transparently been bullsh1ting the public since the new year. Firstly by saying an appointment was imminent and then actually telling us they'd name a manager by early April which has been and gone now. All the more astonishing when you think their head of PR is a former journalist.

I'd have sympathy for them if they'd actually handled the thing professionally. Said from the outset that it would take time and fans might need to hold on until after the Euros for an appointment.

Also, Hill worked for the FA. Surely he could have sussed out Carsley's interest or lack there of early on. Tuchel ruled Barry out of it last December. Both he and Carsley should have been ended as part of the conversation at that point.

Then our realistic manager pool was: JOS, Bruce, Lennon, Duff or Stephen Bradley. It would have boiled down to Bruce or Duff then and I think Duff would be most peoples pick out of that. Some random shining light from the continent coming in to save the day isn't realistic on 550k/year.

SaoPaulo41

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000402#Comment_122000402

You mean appoint the assistant coach to the worst manager in Irish football history?

If FAI do that we can just forget it.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000702#Comment_122000702

It wasn’t O’Shea’s fault that Kenny was terrible. Anyone else that was kind of interested the FAI either couldn’t afford them or stupidly burned their bridges with them.

Need to move on. Appoint O’Shea. The team needs a manager.

SaoPaulo41

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000739#Comment_122000739

Ah we were brutal v Swiss under JOS he isn't ready at all

Pawwed Rig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000883#Comment_122000883

No experience other than the 2 friendlies. I cannot see any reason to appoint O'Shea other than that he wod be willing to take it. If that is the only criteria then I can't see why Lennon was turned down.

A third coming of Mick McCarthy is looking more and more attractive as this drags on

roverjoyce

Willing to give the FAI the chance until they announce the manger

Paddy Power still have odds which means there is no leaks etc..

They were never going to appoint this week to take away from the Womens match

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000883#Comment_122000883

I agree he wouldn’t be ready for it. He has no experience, he’d be learning on the job. The boys on YBIG are saying journalists are saying there will be an announcement next week. LOL. They’ve made such a mess of it that whoever it is it’s clearly not someone any where near the top of their wish list. Everyone one of them presiding over this debacle should resign.

If I was O’Shea and they came to ask him to stay on as interim manager for another couple of games I’d say he might tell them to eff off. Where would they be then?

Pauliedragon

People will probably hammer me but why not Alardyce? If he's interested. His teams play to our strengths. I followed him at Blackburn and they punched above their weight and made them hard to beat which is what we need now. Back to basics

SaoPaulo41

Now next week!!!! Farce ,if they have their man just sat it ,instead if kicking can down the road

FAI set to announce new Ireland manager next week

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/fai-set-to-announce-new-ireland-manager-next-week/a1708005019.html

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000919#Comment_122000919

I seen this before a few months ago I think and now like Groundhog Day it’s back again, what has the women’s team to do with it? Their games are finished anyway

TokTik

I don’t get the urgency. We don’t have a competitive game for months. Yes it would be nice to get the best manager in as soon as possible, but if he’s not currently available I don’t see why we should just get someone in for the sake of it to having a manager.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000257#Comment_122000257

O'Shea with Kerr advising sounds like Staunton/Robson again.

YTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002333#Comment_122002333

Sounds way worse actually. At least Robson was a very accomplished manager having won multiple honours in different countries including European trophies and individual honours throughout his career.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002366#Comment_122002366

I'm not inspired at all. O'Shea was assistant to Kenny, is too close to the squad, and was uninspiring in the 2 recent dour games.

If he gets the job we are making no improvements at all on the Kenny era.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002392#Comment_122002392

You’re not inspired? LOL. Have you not being paying attention. They’ve been trying to appoint someone for months and have gone through a list as long as your arm of candidates that either turned them down or they burned their bridges with. They may end up appointing O’Shea because they can’t get anyone better.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002514#Comment_122002514

I was at the Belgium and Switzerland games

It was like Stephen Kenny never left. Same players, same formation, same tactics, same crap play, same crap results.

If O'Shea gets appointed it'll be more of the same for another 2 - 4 years.

The FAI need to try harder.

Xander10

Rrmember, Lennon was told he was turned down because they wanted someone with International manager experience. So how do you go from Lennon to JOS?

~Rebel~

If whatever plans they felt confident about have fallen apart (presumably Poyet backing out), I'd much rather we wait until the summer when there's a larger pool of options available. We've no competitive games until September - last thing we should do is jump into the wrong appointment right now just for the sake of it. And I really think O'Shea is the wrong appointment.

It's just way too soon for him - a few short stints as 3rd or 4th assistant in unsuccessful teams is all he has behind him, and he's never even managed an underage side so has zero experience with in-game changes etc, which really showed in those two friendlies. Even his assistant in the friendlies, Paddy McCarthy, is a far better option - a far more highly rated coach, and has managed both Palace's U-18s and U-21s with impressive results.

I'd really fear if we just went with O'Shea it would be - at best - a sideways step from where we were, and likely a step backwards.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122000702#Comment_122000702

It's gas the amount of people that are just like let O'Shea have the job. FAI need to forget about this head coach nonsense for awhile. Just let the manager of the senior team focus on the senior team. They're wanting a full-time manager but only offering part-time wages. I don't think this idea is bad in general just think the timing is wrong as we're coming out of one of our worst periods as a team.

I'd be offering the job to ex Sweden manager Janne Andersson. He mentioned Latvia offered him a job but the timing wasn't right because he just had knee surgery. But I don't see him having an interest in the job if the FAI want someone that's gonna do some work out of Abbotstown with the other FAI coaches. Like a draw and a lose in the recent friendlies has seen us jump from 30th to 28th in the UEFA rankings though Russia are still included so we're 27th really. We only need to jump three more places to become second seeds for the upcoming WC. Think a pragmatic manager like Andersson could get some results between now and then to possible sneak in as second seeds.

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002546#Comment_122002546

They can try as hard as they like. If they get someone better and more experienced great. If they can’t in my view they can’t ask O’Shea to continue as interim manager. They’ll have to offer him a contract, because if I was him I’d tell them to eff off if they came along with another request to continue to caretake.

Just my opinion, maybe they have someone lined up but it really doesn’t look like it.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002904#Comment_122002904

Rock and a hard place. Or giant douche versus turd sandwich.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002904#Comment_122002904

I know what you mean, but I don't see O'Shea turning them down if he was offered another 2 friendly games. He's got nothing else going on anyway, and at this state of the season won't be getting another assistant gig until next season. Given the sour note of the Swiss game, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he'd quite fancy another whack at raising his profile a bit.

17togo

Playing devil's advocate her a bit.... But could the fai be allowed some slack?? It seems they have attempted to get an appointment in place, but their main choices have either backed out or couldn't be afforded!? Has poyet signed a new contract with Greece? If he has he may have been using the fai as a bargaining tool.

They obviously don't have the budget so are scrabbing the barrel now. They're still being hamstrung by the years of delaney. If they had appointed lennon at the outset we'd have been going nuts. Now if it comes out after everything's done that carsley/poyet/Barry had told them months ago they weren't interested but they still pursued them, then it'll be incompetence.

I'm not involved in any fai or local soccer settings so don't know the ins and outs of how they operate, just a fan.

HalloweenJack

I don't see the need to get a manager in ASAP just because. We have no competitive fixtures until September and with most season's coming to an end and the Euros, there'll be plenty more names available come July.

However, the FAI should be ridiculed after their 'manager announcement in April' talk when it seems like no such agreement was every fully agreed. I really am beginning to believe they were waiting to see who'd lose the Georgia-Greece game and expect the losing manager would be open to an approach. It is a disastrous approach, especially with confidence of the April announcement.

Still twenty days to go but the silence doesn't bode well.

glenjamin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002682#Comment_122002682

Spot on!

I just hope the FAI don't try and save face with the promise of this April appointment and announce O'Shea or some other poor candidate just for the sake of it.