Trapattoni - who would you replace him with?

[Stuttgart88]

Walford, Guppy and Seamus McDonagh (goalkeeper coach) to be the coaching staff.

[DannyInvincible]

Dion Fanning also saying O'Neill sees this as a long term thing.

Danny will post the link!

Duly obliged: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/robbie-keane-said-last-month-that-he-wanted-a-manager-who-had-balls-now-ireland-have-two-29722171.html ;)

It's worth a read; features some interesting past quotes from O'Neill in relation to Keane's record and character.


ROY Keane won’t be a silent partner in the new Ireland managerial dream team, according to his former international team mate Lee Carsley.

The 40-times capped midfielder is excited by the pairing of Martin O’Neill with Keane as his no.2, with the pair set to be officially announced today, almost eight weeks after Giovanni Trapattoni departed.

Carsley says the €2m-a-year pair will thrill Ireland’s players and boost the nation’s chances of qualifying for Euro 2016 - and he believes Keane’s decision to take the assistant manager’s position is a sign of how much he values the job.

“Roy is passionate about football, so the job title won’t bother him,” Carsley insisted.

"He won’t care whether he’s a no.2 or a no.4 - he’ll get his points across no matter what.

"I think it’s a perfect pairing. It definitely says that the FAI mean business, it’s a fantastic choice.

“Martin is very passionate about what he does in the game, he really gets players to play to the best of their potential, while Roy is an iconic figure in Irish football.

“It’s a very forward thinking approach to get two big personalities, two people with such high standards.”

Carsley insists the FAI’s decision to shell out for two of the biggest names in Irish football is a major signal of intent to get back to the big time.

“It will send out a statement to people, especially to the players that this is a new dawn. The players will be excited,” he said.

“It says a lot that they’re both, with great standing in their own right, willing to get involved together - it says how good a job it is.

“We should definitely be excited about Euro 2016, this could be a fantastic appointment if it comes off. There’s good times ahead.”

...

"I think Keane's a very, very interesting character," O'Neill said in 2010. "He would look through you with those eyes as if you didn't exist and he can be as warm as the next man if he feels comfortable in the surrounds – maybe that's part of the thing I like about him."

...

More importantly, however, the FAI have got the man they wanted and, to his credit, John Delaney has kept his word that the past would have no bearing on anything the association would do for the good of Irish football. An O'Neill/Keane partnership may or may not work but nobody could accuse the FAI of not being bold in pursuing what they believe is best for the game in Ireland.

...

O'Neill might have been weakened by Robertson's absence at Sunderland. But their struggles since he departed have confirmed the view stressed by sources close to the club when O'Neill was dismissed that there were many factors in his relative failure and not all of them were caused by the manager.

Keane and O'Neill have got to know each other better in the years since O'Neill gave that interview three years ago and, while they are not close, they have always got on well. They may also find that Ellis Short, Sunderland's owner, is a subject on which their views overlap.

Both feel they have something to prove and the FAI, backed by the financial contribution from Denis O'Brien, were always keen to secure a manager who would capture the imagination. Robbie Keane said last month that he wanted a manager who "had balls". Now Ireland have two.

Once the management team is confirmed, the financial package for O'Neill and Keane is expected to be more than the salary paid to Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli by the time of their departure.

It would be easy to see Keane as O'Neill's long-term successor but Marco Tardelli was once viewed as the next in line so the FAI will know that everything is dependent on success and ongoing success.

"I don't think any international manager has to concern himself with a long-term future," O'Neill said in September. "If he's part of something that he sets up, well and good, but he has to win football matches."

O'Neill is believed to be interested in winning matches in the long-term for Ireland.

In the short-term, there will be the unusual situation where the media might be more interested in hearing from the assistant rather than the manager. O'Neill is an intelligent man but Keane has been central to so much in the story of Irish football and the story of Ireland.

Yet it will be O'Neill's management that ultimately decides if they are a success, although his relationship with Keane will be fascinating.

Three years ago, O'Neill was full of insight and admiration for Keane, even if he understood his struggles as a manager. "He's putting pressure on himself because he wants to succeed. He was such a wonderful player and everything happened because he could dictate on the field what happened. You lose that power as a manager. It's not as if this game is like American football and every play you can go back to the coach and the coach can set something up because the game's stop-start."

O'Neill expressed regret that Keane had left Sunderland when he did. "I was disappointed he left Sunderland. Yeah, of course, you can be arguing with a lot of people and maybe at some stage you think enough is enough. I was disappointed because I thought he had been doing very, very well there. You'll get hiccups along the way and maybe things weren't happening for Roy as quickly as he wanted things done. In management you sometimes have to plateau a little bit and there can be a downside before you go up."

The idea of Keane learning from O'Neill in the job is intriguing but it will be secondary. O'Neill was the man the FAI wanted and, at the end of a frustrating public search, it will all seem worthwhile.

Why the FAI needed any public process is unclear. "It hasn't been conducted in a very dignified way," Eamon Dunphy said on RTE yesterday and he wasn't alone in feeling that way. "Ridiculously frustrating," said one source close to Mick McCarthy before adding: "To ask Mick McCarthy how he would manage Ireland is a load of old ********." McCarthy was understandably unwilling to meet with Dokter and Houghton as he was a manager under contract but he might also have sensed that the FAI were hoping to land O'Neill.

...

O'Neill has known how wounding the job can be and how there can be moments of doubt. "I'm sure there isn't a person in this life who outwardly exudes great confidence like a Brian Clough but doesn't sit in of an evening on his own and actually wonder and concern himself. I'm quite sure that's the case. I'm actually even sure that it's the case with Mourinho," he said three years ago.

There has always been more to both men than the public perception. In 2010, O'Neill reflected on Keane's struggles with management and provided a perceptive analysis. "You're depending on other people. Roy has to depend on people which has not always been in his nature."

Irish football is now depending on O'Neill and Keane. How they depend on each other will be the next great intrigue of Irish football.

[DannyInvincible]

Some further opinion on the appointment...

Lee Carsley: http://www.ciarano.me/post/65882473548/carsley-keane-wont-be-a-shy-little-roy


ROY Keane won’t be a silent partner in the new Ireland managerial dream team, according to his former international team mate Lee Carsley.

The 40-times capped midfielder is excited by the pairing of Martin O’Neill with Keane as his no.2, with the pair set to be officially announced today, almost eight weeks after Giovanni Trapattoni departed.

Carsley says the €2m-a-year pair will thrill Ireland’s players and boost the nation’s chances of qualifying for Euro 2016 - and he believes Keane’s decision to take the assistant manager’s position is a sign of how much he values the job.

“Roy is passionate about football, so the job title won’t bother him,” Carsley insisted.

"He won’t care whether he’s a no.2 or a no.4 - he’ll get his points across no matter what.

"I think it’s a perfect pairing. It definitely says that the FAI mean business, it’s a fantastic choice.

“Martin is very passionate about what he does in the game, he really gets players to play to the best of their potential, while Roy is an iconic figure in Irish football.

“It’s a very forward thinking approach to get two big personalities, two people with such high standards.”

Carsley insists the FAI’s decision to shell out for two of the biggest names in Irish football is a major signal of intent to get back to the big time.

“It will send out a statement to people, especially to the players that this is a new dawn. The players will be excited,” he said.

“It says a lot that they’re both, with great standing in their own right, willing to get involved together - it says how good a job it is.

“We should definitely be excited about Euro 2016, this could be a fantastic appointment if it comes off. There’s good times ahead.”

Neil Lennon: http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/3942/ireland/2013/11/03/4379977/god-help-the-players-neil-lennon-excited-by-ireland


Neil Lennon believes that the prospective appointment of Martin O'Neill as manager of the Republic of Ireland, with Roy Keane as his assistant manager, will be "exciting to watch."

...

Celtic boss Lennon played under O'Neill during the Derry native's five-year tenure as Hoops boss, as well as alongside Keane for one season in 2005-2006 and noted that the pair were "great characters" who will "have the players on their toes."

"It'll be very interesting," Lennon told reporters. "They're two great characters with a vast knowledge of the game, two very proud men as well. God help the players!"

He continued: "I'm surprised because I didn't realise there was a connection between the two but Roy has a great knowledge of the game, he was a magnificent player, one of the best of his generation and he'll lift any team walking into that dressing room.

"He'll have the players on their toes, as will Martin and it'll be exciting to watch."

Richard Sadlier's outlook is gloomier: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/keane-must-now-prepare-to-change-or-prepare-to-fail-29722169.html


Draw up the job description of an assistant manager. Outline what the role requires and what qualities are needed to make it work. Now make a case for Roy Keane to perform it.

Specify it to international football if you like, but the result will be the same. It's hard to think of a candidate less suited to the job he is about to be given.

He is surely not being brought onto the back-room staff for his coaching ability. Keane did very little coaching at Sunderland, preferring instead to hand that responsibility to his assistant Tony Loughlin.

The role of assistant manager is often described as a link between the playing squad and the manager, a buffer between factions which can at times seem worlds apart. Keane has not yet shown the flexibility to resolve conflict when it arises or negotiate peace when it is required. How he would perform that aspect of the job given his own personality is beyond me.

Is he there to lighten the mood, or help players to relax between training sessions and prior to games? That hardly requires an answer. If, as it would appear from the outside, this Ireland squad needs its collective morale boosted after the last 12 months of the Trapattoni era, what role could Keane play in that? Particularly after his comments about the players from the ITV studios during the Euros. His assessments made for good television but the reaction within the dressing-room would differ greatly from the response he got from some of the public. And if bridge-building is required on the back of it, is he really the man to begin the process?

Sound bites work great on television, but players require more. Not all of Keane's motivational methods are available to him now either. It's fine to put Gary Neville up against the wall during half-time for delaying a cross but more subtlety will be required in his new role. The moody stare won't work now. Criticising players in public will only alienate him from the squad. Leading by example was something he could do better than most on the pitch, but new tactics are required when you're wearing a tracksuit. Keane had a playing career that probably no other Irish player will achieve again. He has an aura that few in the game will ever match.

But he is no longer known within football just for his extraordinary performances for Manchester United and Ireland. His playing career should guarantee him the respect of every dressing-room in the world, but it will be his performance in the job that matters now. His recent performances at Ipswich and Sunderland are what the players will be concerned about rather than the many heroic displays of the past.

Supporters will be amused to hear he physically challenged players at both clubs during his time as manager, but inside the dressing-room that would have been dismissed as weakness.

And that's the point in all of this. Keane's greatest strength was his ability to lead from the field but that's not available to him as someone's assistant. His reputation as a manager is what goes before him now, not the fact that he was one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the game. And that's without questioning how such a controlling personality would enjoy assisting somebody else.

His appointment as assistant to Martin O'Neill is difficult to make sense of from any number of angles. Fail to prepare or prepare to fail? Unless Keane is prepared to change, then he is a certainty to fail.

[DannyInvincible]

'Why Keane and O’Neill’s coalition is the Metal Machine Music of Irish football': http://thescore.thejournal.ie/roy-keane-martin-oneill-metal-machine-music-irish-football-1158400-Nov2013/


THE TRAPATTONI ERA, as has been pointed out before on this site, was like a bad cover version of the Charlton years.

Sure, we reached the Euros, we watched the countless player fallings out and acquired a certain amount of success playing a very basic style of football, but unlike Charlton’s time in charge, there was almost always a sense of irrevocable joylessness characterising the Italian manager’s tenure.

Whereas under Charlton, the highpoint was qualifying for a major tournament in the form of Italia 90, with Trapattoni, making the Euros was arguably the most depressing experience of his entire time in charge.

So in musical terms, if Charlton was Lou Reed’s original 1972 version of ‘Perfect Day,’ Trapattoni was the star-studded but ultimately hollow remake that topped the charts in 1997 — orchestrated by an individual with a great track record, but whose best days were now patently behind him.

And if anything, the soon-to-be-appointed Roy Keane/Martin O’Neill coalition is Irish football’s equivalent of the late singer’s Metal Machine Music album — it’s a bold, experimental, somewhat baffling, last desperate bid at greatness, whose key figures have enjoyed highly successful careers that sadly appear to be winding down.

Granted, it’s hugely risky appointment, but be honest with yourself. Would you really rather see anyone else get the job? Fans complained that the Trapattoni era lacked entertainment value, so Keane and O’Neill look like the perfect antidote to the predominantly bland style imposed by the Italian, where the only thing more tedious than watching the team play was spending time listening to his half-baked jargon during press conferences and post-match interviews.

Of course, Keane and O’Neill could be complete failures, but so could Guus Hiddink or anyone else brave/crazy enough to accept a job that even one of Ireland’s own players has gone so far as to label a “poisoned chalice”. Hence, if Graham Taylor thought the England position was an “impossible job,” then surely the Irish role must, by comparison, seem suited solely to people willing to offer themselves up as a form of human piñata.

There have been several fans and commentators very quick to cast aspersions, in particular, on Keane’s lack of success as a coach, but can his time at Sunderland really be considered an outright failure? People are very eager to focus on the negative elements of his tenure there, but it’s often overlooked that he took a side short on confidence in the Championship relegation zone and promptly got them promoted to the Premier League. Granted, he was far from spectacularly successful thereafter, but Sunderland haven’t exactly thrived since he left. In fact, they have steadily gotten worse and this year, are strong candidates for relegation back to the very position from which Keane rescued them.

Admittedly, his subsequent time spent as Ipswich boss was an unequivocal disappointment, marred by a series of transfer flops, in which he took a side pushing for promotion and turned them into relegation candidates.

So Keane failed at Ipswich. Just as Brendan Rodgers failed at Reading. And Harry Redknapp failed at Southampton. And Mauricio Pochettino came a cropper at Espanyol. Yet the latter three managers are still considered highly astute, whereas somehow Keane’s name is mud in British football. He’s known as a coach who “needs money,” as Alex Ferguson recently stated, to have any hope of thriving in management.

Nevertheless, Keane’s prospective appointment is not the first time a big decision made by Martin O’Neill has been doubted. One of his first orders of business as Celtic boss was to sign Chris Sutton. The Englishman had previously been bought for £10million by Chelsea in 1999 (a lot of money in those days) and flopped so badly that he now makes the same club’s infamous £50 million purchase of Fernando Torres look unbelievably astute by comparison.

O’Neill, however, was adamant that he was signing the striker. Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, on the other hand, was reluctant to part with the £6million required for Sutton’s services, just as the FAI are now presumably unsure whether the Keane appointment is a good idea. But O’Neill told Desmond in no uncertain terms whose judgement mattered the most in that instance, and he was ultimately proven right, with the English forward going on to enjoy a highly successful career at Celtic Park.

So if given a choice of whether to listen to the doom-and-gloom merchants or O’Neill, I know who I’d trust, and it’s likely many fans would also back the 61-year-old.

Yet perhaps most importantly of all, for the first time arguably in years, there is a sense of excitement and optimism surrounding the Irish team. Perhaps it will turn out to be misplaced, but even the most hard-hearted cynic would struggle not to be somewhat enticed by the inherent romance emanating from this latest improbable development.

And my advice for those people that are still unmoved by this prospect? Take a walk on the wild side.

I find myself agreeing with much of that.

[rebelmusic]

I second that. I'm really excited about this now

[Crosby87]

Is there a sense of excitement and optimism?

[SkStu]

I thought this was a mad wind-up when I first heard. But I've come round to the idea in a 'it's just so crazy, it just might work' sort of way. It certainly isn't boring.

That's how we felt about Stan and Bobby Robson...

[Stuttgart88]

Jeepers, Sadlier needs a ride soon.

[shakermaker1982]

Sadlier would moan if we appointed Mourinho or Guardiola.

[tricky_colour]

Is there no role for Manuela at all?

[ArdeeBhoy]

To answer your question,

http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1385178_611708462224980_303317371_n.png

[geysir]

If only he was being paid the same as the dearly departed Manuela.

[ArdeeBhoy]

For me it's less about the money, more about the potential 'disruption factor' ​that a certain individual brings...

[geysir]

The Shining is on RTE tonight,
perhaps synchronicity personified?

[SkStu]

For me it's less about the money, more about the potential 'disruption factor' ​that a certain individual brings...

Let's leave talk of James McClean for his own thread.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hmm, nice try. See #1411.
:)

[SwanVsDalton]

That's how we felt about Stan and Bobby Robson...

Maybe but Stan and Bobby are like Pablo Honey to Martin and Roy's Kid A (to borrow the musical analogies above).

[tetsujin1979]

Maybe but Stan and Bobby are like Pablo Honey to Martin and Roy's Kid A (to borrow the musical analogies above).
didn't Thom Yorke say Kid A was for the fans, or something along those lines, after it was panned by the critics?

[tetsujin1979]

few more mentions of current Ireland players who've played under Keane: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/players-may-live-to-regret-shooting-from-the-lip-against-keane-29723539.html
I'd forgotten about Walters actually.

[ArdeeBhoy]

John Walters is a 'Scouser'​ ? Well I never.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hmm.

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/sport/ireland-set-to-break-bank-to-secure-oneill-and-keane

[Razors left peg]

Hmm.

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/sport/ireland-set-to-break-bank-to-secure-oneill-and-keane

Non Story, not much different from what Trap and Tardelli were on and its being funded by Denis O Brien anyway!

[geysir]

Getting close now
irish examiner -breaking news - fai board approve package (http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/fai-board-approve-package-for-oneill-and-keane-612086.html)
The Republic of Ireland's new management team of Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane is expected to be confirmed tomorrow.

Reports this morning say that the FAI board approved the package to bring the duo on board at an informal meeting after the FAI Cup Final yesterday.

The deal should officially be announced tomorrow, with a press conference due later this week.

It is believed O'Neill will also bring in a new backroom team to the set-up.

He will claim a salary of around €1.2m, with an €800,000 bonus should Ireland qualify for Euro 2016 in France.

The salary offered to MON is at the top end, the assistant's salary is rumoured to somewhere between a (drunken sailor) generous 500k -700k. The bonus for qual for euro 2016 is way over the top.
It would be harder not to qualify, if we are to believe 10% of the magic that will be brought to our set up.
Are we not assume that we are going to qualify with these two on board? are the FAI preparing for failure with a bonus for actually doing the job as expected?

[BonnieShels]

Jeepers, Sadlier needs a ride soon.

Yeah, he needs to get back in the sadlier.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIIuR-HjFho

[tetsujin1979]

Getting close now
irish examiner -breaking news - fai board approve package (http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/fai-board-approve-package-for-oneill-and-keane-612086.html)
The Republic of Ireland's new management team of Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane is expected to be confirmed tomorrow.

Reports this morning say that the FAI board approved the package to bring the duo on board at an informal meeting after the FAI Cup Final yesterday.

The deal should officially be announced tomorrow, with a press conference due later this week.

It is believed O'Neill will also bring in a new backroom team to the set-up.

He will claim a salary of around €1.2m, with an €800,000 bonus should Ireland qualify for Euro 2016 in France.

The salary offered to MON is at the top end, the assistant's salary is rumoured to somewhere between a (drunken sailor) generous 500k -700k. The bonus for qual for euro 2016 is way over the top.
It would be harder not to qualify, if we are to believe 10% of the magic that will be brought to our set up.
Are we not assume that we are going to qualify with these two on board? are the FAI preparing for failure with a bonus for actually doing the job as expected?
not really, the money that will come in from UEFA for qualifying will more than pay for it.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Meanwhile, a Special Agent continue their good works...
http://www.irishpost.co.uk/sport/michael-oneill-agrees-new-two-year-deal-with-northern-ireland

[Crosby87]

Fire and Ice:
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/02/martin-oneill-roy-keane-republic-of-ireland

[DeLorean]

The bonus for qual for euro 2016 is way over the top.
It would be harder not to qualify, if we are to believe 10% of the magic that will be brought to our set up.
Are we not assume that we are going to qualify with these two on board? are the FAI preparing for failure with a bonus for actually doing the job as expected?

Well maybe don't look at it in bonus terms, see it as an €800,000 deduction should he not meet the target set out.

I find the 'easy qualification' talk for Euro 2016 a bit unnerving to be honest. Our goal has generally been to finish second and make a playoff. We have quite regularly fallen outside of that and even managed to fall outside the top 3 twice in recent times.

[paul_oshea]

"Back in Dublin Ed O'Loughlin said it will at least galvanise supporters after the failure to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil. "They say O'Neill can deliver a bollocking with the best of them. Imagine having him giving out to you at half time and you look past his shoulder and there's Roy Keane too, staring wordlessly back at you. It'd be like Goldfinger and Oddjob. There'd be no problems with players not tracking back."

I find that very funny.

[DeLorean]

few more mentions of current Ireland players who've played under Keane: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/players-may-live-to-regret-shooting-from-the-lip-against-keane-29723539.html
I'd forgotten about Walters actually.

If Keane can kiss and make up with Quinn, McCarthy, Delaney, etc I think these relative minor scrapes will be thrust into the non-issue category quite easily.

[geysir]

not really, the money that will come in from UEFA for qualifying will more than pay for it.
To be on a bonus of 800k to qualify for a tournament that it would be harder not to qualify for, is way OTT. Doesn't matter what comes in from UEFA for qualifying. The basic 1.2m, is a perfectly decent salary for a manager like O'Neill, in fact it's more than decent. And there's a fat fee for the assistant manager.
It's also irrelevant imo if 50% of the salary is sponsored, the 1.2m is perfectly adequate for a top manager for the Irish team to get qualified out of the group without throwing on a bonus on top for a basic performance figure being reached.
The salary more realistically is 2m for MON and 1.2m if he fails miserably to hit the barn door from 10 paces.

[paul_oshea]

Slight over-reaction but the bar is now set for Ireland managers unfortunately.

Its way too high alright, for a part time job. However it's not a normal part-time job in that full jobs come up at lower pay but probably more appealing.

[Stuttgart88]

It's only a part-time job is the holder makes it that way. I don't think Brian Kerr could be accused of treating it as a part time job, for example.

[Razors left peg]

The money being paid is being focused on a little too much today in my opinion. Does it really matter? Its not much different that the previous management team and its not coming out of tax payers pockets so I dont see the big deal. If they are successful and get the nation behind them again then that is priceless

[tetsujin1979]

what he said, if you're complaining about how much someone is being paid, your real problem is with capitalism and the open market.

[Stuttgart88]

But is the market for well paid jobs truly open? Oh, that's another debate. One I'd be happy to have elsewhere if anyone's interested!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Except in the context of what these two are doing, none of us would come close.

[DannyInvincible]

few more mentions of current Ireland players who've played under Keane: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/players-may-live-to-regret-shooting-from-the-lip-against-keane-29723539.html
I'd forgotten about Walters actually.

Real brass neck on Damien Delaney trying to blame Roy for his speeding. He was late for work; it's his responsibility to be there on time. Perhaps ensuring he was in a position to leave for work a bit earlier would have been the more appropriate option.

I think Daryl Murphy's offering is worth highlighting:


"Playing under Roy Keane is easy," said the Ipswich and former Ireland striker Daryl Murphy. "If you work hard, he praises you. If you don't, you get criticised. He's a fairer man than people give him credit for."

[bennocelt]

The money being paid is being focused on a little too much today in my opinion. Does it really matter? Its not much different that the previous management team and its not coming out of tax payers pockets so I dont see the big deal. If they are successful and get the nation behind them again then that is priceless

Cough, Denis O Brien is so kind to us:p

[shakermaker1982]

Roy Keane doesn't suffer fools. That's a good quote from Murphy, put the effort in & the players have nothing to worry about.

The FAI on the other hand....it'll be top hotels, 1st class travel, expensive training camp locations & Michelin chefs from now on.

Just need to find the players now!!

[paul_oshea]

But is the market for well paid jobs truly open? Oh, that's another debate. One I'd be happy to have elsewhere if anyone's interested!

Me too, you Commie.

[geysir]

The money being paid is being focused on a little too much today in my opinion. Does it really matter? Its not much different that the previous management team and its not coming out of tax payers pockets so I dont see the big deal. If they are successful and get the nation behind them again then that is priceless
Has there been any focus on the salary, apart from the reporting of the rumours of the amounts involved?
Is finance (the lack of it) not an major issue in Irish football? Why not discuss it? I do have opinions about money and where it goes in Irish football.
It's all fine and well for the FAI to put resources into an international team and get a good managerial team.
But for a piddly little football association, in a country with one of the poorest leagues in Europe, yeah I think it does look a bit weird when there is a Eur2 -3 m golden chariot made available for the management of the senior team. It's out of proportion to the state of the football nation.
As I wrote, I don't at all begrudge MON getting paid, by any standards in intl football, a substantial salary of EUR 1.2m, but the 800k bonus part is way over the top. Mick would have had us to 3 out of 3 tournaments with a top 2 finish. A top 2 finish is the minimum standard of expectation for a team who are more than likely to be 2nd seeds.

[Drumcondra 69er]

http://afalsefirstxi.blogspot.ie/2013/11/the-keane-edge.html?m=1

Blog on upcoming appointments for those interested....

[ArdeeBhoy]

The opening shot from the initial can of the worms being squeezed open...
http://balls.ie/football/eamon-dunphys-talking-martin-oneill-pain-arse/

[Razors left peg]

Has there been any focus on the salary, apart from the reporting of the rumours of the amounts involved?
Is finance (the lack of it) not an major issue in Irish football? Why not discuss it? I do have opinions about money and where it goes in Irish football.
It's all fine and well for the FAI to put resources into an international team and get a good managerial team.
But for a piddly little football association, in a country with one of the poorest leagues in Europe, yeah I think it does look a bit weird when there is a Eur2 -3 m golden chariot made available for the management of the senior team. It's out of proportion to the state of the football nation.
As I wrote, I don't at all begrudge MON getting paid, by any standards in intl football, a substantial salary of EUR 1.2m, but the 800k bonus part is way over the top. Mick would have had us to 3 out of 3 tournaments with a top 2 finish. A top 2 finish is the minimum standard of expectation for a team who are more than likely to be 2nd seeds.
It was a topic talked about quite a bit on other forums and was mentioned here, my point was just that I dont care what they are being paid as long as they are successful

[DannyInvincible]

if all else fails....

http://balls.ie/football/weve-let-science-decide-next-irish-manager/

Maybe we'd have been better going with either one or the other actually: http://balls.ie/football/how-oneill-and-keane-will-get-on-with-ireland/

Or with Marcus Sorg!


Cough, Denis O Brien is so kind to us:p

The media mogul might be a fan of the team himself, but he's not the selfless philanthropist either.


my point was just that I dont care what they are being paid as long as they are successful

Would such success ultimately be to the long-term benefit of Irish football as a whole though? Would it be sustainable? Arguably, and it's the point I think geysir articulates rather well above, throwing such a disproportionate wad of cash at the senior team managerial duo in the short term, to the neglect of the various other limbs of Irish football, could prove detrimental to the broader game and its future.

In saying that, it is O'Brien's donation (or investment, to look at it from another perspective) and the FAI are free to spend whatever cash they have as they wish so long as people are happy to give it to them. As interested and/or contributing Irish football fans though, we should still care and be prepared to cast a critical eye upon those with whom responsibility of governing the Irish game has been entrusted.

[Razors left peg]

Of course success with the national team has a long term benefit to Irish football as a whole, look at the level of interest young lads have in rugby in recent years after the successes of the national team.It far greater than it was when I was growing up. Football competes with all the other sports in the country and so a successful national team is vital.

I dont want to get into a debate about where the money should be going because Im sure there are plenty of lads much more knowledgeable than me but say for example we offered 1 million to the management team rather than the reported 2 million. We certainly wouldnt have attracted managers of the stature of Trapattoni or O'Neill. So we have 1 million left over, where does that money go that would give the same impact for inspiring young fellas anywhere close to watching their heroes do well in a green shirt. I know when I was young I was hooked on the buzz of international football after watching Euro 88 and Italia 90.

And by the way Im sure theres some economist somewhere who will be able to say how good it is for the national economy to have successful national team,look at all the merchandise the Joe Duffy brigade buy when the team qualifies for a tournament :p

Now I know that we might have got a manager cheaper who might do well with us, I dont see any outstanding candidates though and I believe that you in general get what you pay for,I believe that we have done great business getting O'Neill and co on board.

[SkStu]

I'm happy with this appointment. There will be ups and downs of course but I think this will work. Interesting times ahead. Seems like we're stuck with 4-4-2 for a while though.

[DannyInvincible]

Of course success with the national team has a long term benefit to Irish football as a whole, look at the level of interest young lads have in rugby in recent years after the successes of the national team.It far greater than it was when I was growing up. Football competes with all the other sports in the country and so a successful national team is vital.

I dont want to get into a debate about where the money should be going because Im sure there are plenty of lads much more knowledgeable than me but say for example we offered 1 million to the management team rather than the reported 2 million. We certainly wouldnt have attracted managers of the stature of Trapattoni or O'Neill. So we have 1 million left over, where does that money go that would give the same impact for inspiring young fellas anywhere close to watching their heroes do well in a green shirt. I know when I was young I was hooked on the buzz of international football after watching Euro 88 and Italia 90.

And by the way Im sure theres some economist somewhere who will be able to say how good it is for the national economy to have successful national team,look at all the merchandise the Joe Duffy brigade buy when the team qualifies for a tournament :p

Now I know that we might have got a manager cheaper who might do well with us, I dont see any outstanding candidates though and I believe that you in general get what you pay for,I believe that we have done great business getting O'Neill and co on board.

I'm not saying there is no benefit to the broader game when the senior team succeeds. There unquestionably is. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing, however. It is important to note that the senior team isn't the be-all and end-all of Irish football. I'm just asking the question as to what respective distribution of funds between the various limbs that make up the game in Ireland might bring the greatest long-term benefit to Irish football as a whole. Throwing everything into the one basket whilst neglecting other modes of breeding success and development - perhaps more organic, self-perpetuating and sustainable modes - isn't necessarily the best way forward. It is only right for a supporter to cast a critical eye.

[Razors left peg]

I'm not saying there is no benefit to the broader game when the senior team succeeds. There unquestionably is. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing, however. It is important to note that the senior team isn't the be-all and end-all of Irish football. I'm just asking the question as to what respective distribution of funds between the various limbs that make up the game in Ireland might bring the greatest long-term benefit to Irish football as a whole. Throwing everything into the one basket whilst neglecting other modes of breeding success and development - perhaps more organic, self-perpetuating and sustainable modes - isn't necessarily the best way forward. It is only right for a supporter to cast a critical eye.

You have a fair point, and it would be a much more important point if Denis O Brien wasnt funding the national management team. The FAI are not blowing all their funds on this and while maybe people think that O'Brien should be putting his money into the youth structures I think that is a whole different argument.