Well, we all knew it was coming. Giovanni Trapattoni is out as Irish manager by mutual consent. Who should replace him? My opinion: Martin O'Neill is the bookies' favourite. He has an impressive CV, and was superb with Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa. Less so at Sunderland, however. He is essentially a domestic candidate (though our Northern friends might disagree), which for many would be a refreshing change post-Trapattoni. Still, like Trap, he is a notoriously defensive coach. As one journalist posted on twitter last night "same tactics, different accent." Under O'Neill, Ireland would remain a well-organized, hard-to-beat side, but our football would likely remain cagey and unattractive. I'm also never too sure about an English-based manager taking over an international side, as I believe international football to be technically and tactically quite different from the Premiership. There would be a steep learning curve, even for someone as experienced as O'Neill. I would have similar reservations regarding Chris Hughton or McDermott. Mick McCarthy is another name being bandied about. I'm not so sure. It would certainly be an emotional choice, and no one can doubt Mick's passion for Irish football. Certainly, McCarthy's Ireland 2000-2002 team were a lot more entertaining than this current squad, but it could be argued he had much better players. We can't forget the dismal WC98 and Euro 2000 campaigns, and Mick has been out of international football for so long that he might face a similar learning curve to O'Neill or any of the other English-based coaches. Finally, part of my believes that he has had his chance as Ireland manager, and the position should go to someone new. My own personal choice, though I have only seen one or two people mention his name, is Guus Hiddink. An expensive option, but Denis O'Brien is again willing to fund the position, making it one of the better-paid in Europe. He is not necessarily "out of Ireland's League" as one journalist tweeted me yesterday. Hiddink is one of the best international managers around, and he is currently out of work. He succeeded with Australia, Korea and Russia. Tactically minded, I have no doubt that he would bring the best out of this group of players. Yes, he failed with Turkey, but I believe there was a lot going on behind the scenes in Turkish football that contributed to that. He would, admittedly, lack the passion for Irish football of a McCarthy or O'Neill. That said, though, I believe we will end up with Martin O'Neill. Most supporters would accept it, I think.
I would accept O'Neill and if I had to give an answer now, I think it will probably be him. I've read that McDermott and Hughton have both ruled themselves out and of the rumored names that leaves us with O'Neill, O'Leary and Coyle. Of course there's always the chance that someone else could show up on the radar and Hiddink would be welcome in my book. While McCarthy's name is thrown around here and there, he's too emotional of a choice and nostalgic returns most never produce quality results. Despite having plenty of detractors, as a coach and a competitor, I do think Keano would light a fire under under the team which we haven't seen since his days as captain. Yes, he's kind of a dick, but he is serious about winning and about holding quality to a standard. A better question than who will be Ireland's next manager is "guess who is getting gloriously drunk this evening?". Guess me. You won't be wrong.
Qualities he was singularly lacking in his times at Sunderland and Ipswich. He's also a crap pundit, so that pretty much rules out any future in football; farming is something he hasn't tried yet.
I think you guys should take a look at Bob Bradley, he's done a hell of a job in Egypt and got every ounce of performance out of his players in the U.S.
McCarthy is backing O'Neill (read here). O'Neill claims he hasn't been approached as of yesterday. I think O'Neill would be the best choice, but a concern could be raised that he be would too similar to Trapattoni. Hiddink I feel has lost some of his gloss in recent years. He wasn't able to repeat his successes with Russia for a second time, nor did he deliver for Turkey. It's hard seeing him do much better with Ireland. The years are beginning to pass him by. He no longer has that golden touch. But he's still an interesting choice and someone whom I sure the players would get excited about. Plus, regardless of recent failings, he has the pedigree, the experience. He has gone to the semi-finals in three major tournaments with three different teams. He could give the team renewed ambitions. Trapattoni was the right coach at the time of his appointment, but as of now he can't take Ireland in the direction they need to go. He's achieved a couple of successes and, in fairness, EURO 2012 was extremely harsh on him and his team. They were in the toughest group. It contained both finalists and a Croatia side that featured players talented enough to play for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich the following season. The criticisms of Trapattoni are not misplaced, but had Ireland been handed a different lot, things, perhaps, would have been not so bad.
The trouble with Bradley is that like Trapattoni, he plays favorites with his squad. He's also similar to Trap in that he's not an inspiring man at all. He relies to heavily on counter-attack and his biggest flaw when he was with the USA was whenever they scored, he'd immediately have everyone drop back and they'd most always give up the goal. I couldn't see him being hard-nosed enough to coach in Europe.
He's coaching a country in the middle of Jihadist chaos right now, as an American. Dude is tough as nails. Bob would not be a bad choice. Emerald green track suit and Joe Lapira jokes aside he isn't a bad manager for a team that needs to punch above its weight, which is what Ireland is in today's Europe. Though if you are looking for a hard-nosed Irish fellow who can punch above his weight, there's only one... Keano
You apparently didn't watch his time at Sunderland and Ipswich. If anything, his desire to hold people to a high standard sabotaged his runs there. Spoiled players whining when he pushed them too hard. His biggest flaw as a manager is actually his ability to know when to ease up a bit.
Yes, I did watch his stints in Sunderland and Ipswich. Hence my comments about winning and quality. Traits which were singularly lacking in both of his tenures.
Bob Bradley had the same basic set-up with USA as Trap did. 4-4-2 with 2 CDM's (empty bucket), two attacking wingers. I know nothing of what he's done with Egypt.
Say what you want but I'd really like to see Keane as boss. He's obviously a bit of a wildcard, but I think we have a young squad that would look up to him and needs some motivation. I like O'Neill but I just feel like its more of the same old same old. My dad mentioned Harry Redknapp the other day. What would people think of that?
Here's another update. (source: Irish Central) Another name I've seen flown around is Hector Cuper. He had taken Valencia to the Champions League final on back-to-back occasions in 2000 and 2001, having lost both times. The last I'd seen of him was during his time at Aris FC, one of Greece's bigger clubs. He managed some very impressive results during that period, including Europa League wins against title holders Atletico de Madrid in both home and away games.
Strong rumours today that Noel King (U-21 manager) will take charge for Germany and Kazakhstan, and that the FAI will take their time in appointing a new manager.
if it was up to me i'd go with either Murphy,O'reilly or Doyle. someone with a strong irish identity, a fella who's not afraid to whack an Englishman in the knee
Primarily because he probably won't be accompanied by John Robertson who is recovering from a heart attack and might be retiring. The word is that for all O'Neill's achievements (and I don't rate him), he's rather out of his depth without Robertson.
Too many enemies in the Irish establishment to get the job. However they will not mind his name being floated and will do nothing to stop that because it gets them press.
This. Though it says something about his relationship with the players when Robbie Keane says he'd be happy with him as boss.
I'd rather have Keano than McCarthy myself. Not just because I sided with him during the Saipan incident (of which I arrived for the tournament just a few days after no less), but also because I fear we might be wearing some rose-tinted hindsight glasses in regard to Mick's tenure. His tenure also ran parallel to having Keane as captain which had a lot to do with the successful run up to 2002.
I'll have to completely disagree with Keane over McCarthy for a number of reasons, but primarily that Keane has shown himself to be a shite manager whereas McCarthy's record, at least at international level, is quite good. The splitting of Portugal and Holland in the 2002 WC qualifying group just might be the high point of McCarthy's reign. Even today, Portugal and Holland are about where they were then internationally (Holland probably better due to a WC final in the interim), but the notion that Ireland could now somehow finish second to Portugal, ahead of Holland is preposterous. Yes, better players, different times, tactical advantages, I get all that, but the fact remains that the world hasn't changed so much. What McCarthy did then was remarkable. Now, when you ally that to what he did in previous qualifying campaigns, when we examine his record, it's better than Trappatoni's and does stand the test. McCarthy made a very good point at the time, not a million miles away from Allardyce's comments recently. Just after Holland failed to qualify for the 2002 WC, the Barcelona job came top and Van Gaal (the just fired Dutch manager) got the job. McCarthy wondered if McAteer had not scored in the Lansdowne Road end that day, and it had been to Dutch heading East instead of Ireland, what were the chances that he would have landed or even been considered for the Barca job? McCarthy came on board after the Dutch had humbled Ireland and Charlton at Anfield in a playoff for the 1996 Euros. His first job was clearing out the 'over-the-hill' gang from the Charlton era, the likes of McGrath, Bonner, etc. As good as they were, time had to be called there. Equally he needed to assert his authority over many players he had played alongside up to the '92 Euro qualifiers. Keane, Irwin, Staunton, Quinn, etc. He threaded that needle reasonably well, though the Keane imbroglio would come back to haunt him. (In fairness, that had begun in Boston in 1992, when he was captain and Keane was an up and coming young pup who was battling the demon drink). His first campaign was to qualify the team for the 1998 WC. McCarthy blooded or embedded the likes of McAteer, Kelly, Babb and so on, while blending them in with the old guard. Second in a group won by a running-away Romania wasn't too bad, but then again the opposition under them wasn't the best - Lithuania, Iceland, Macedonia. In the playoffs, they fell to a marginally better Belgium side 3-2 on aggregate. The 2000 Euros saw the qualifiers again when they were dead certs to qualify; Macedonia with a last minute goal to deny Ireland the 3 points to top the group. What would be now Serbia, qualified a point ahead and Ireland went out to Turkey again in the qualifiers, this time on away goals. Unlucky again. But McCarthy had Ireland playing good football, mixing it up with the upper echelons of European football. WC '02 was what it was and we all know how a row in a Boston bar room and parking lot in 1992 came back to haunt an Irish side that really had a legitimate shot at the WC semis that year. At club level he has not been as successful and there's a serious case to be made that the day to day, week to week football required in club football doesn't suit him as well as international football does. But even still, he has a better record in cub football than Keane. Because fate is an ironic mistress, needless to say Keane and McCarthy have managed more or less the same clubs - Sunderland, Ipswich, though McCarthy will probably be best remembered to date for Wolves. Still, there's a sense with McCarthy that he understands human frailty and potential, that he knows that players have good days and bad, that some are better than others, that some are stick people, others, carrot. Roy Keane? I'm not certain that Keane even understands himself; he certainly has yet to face down his demons. The recent Ferguson autobiography may not make pretty reading in Mayfield, but the reason why it damages his case is not for what it said about Keane (though rather damning), but more about how he reacted. Still out there on the battle field, in the center circle, looking to exact revenge on the Haalands of this new world that he now inhabits. But all of this supposes that the choice is a straight one between two devils the FAI knows, but I suspect it's not. There is enough non-Irish interest and supposed candidates out there for us to believe that if the FAI had a legitimate option not to relive Saipan everyday, they just might choose it. Then again, it's the FAI; we've seen them once, all too recently, lurching for the cheap option (Staunton/Robson). And there is a certain comfort in the devil you know. But for me Keane is not proven, too volatile and lacks the human understanding to make a decent manager. McCarthy does have the pedigree, or rather did, 10 years ago. The biggest question perhaps is does he still? If so, then he's by far the better option than someone who keeps his grudges in formaldehyde.