Next Senior Men's Team Manager - Runners and Riders

[JR89]

They won 1-0 in the end; 96th minute winner. He may be a lucky general too :)

Rajo Razafindraibeharimihanta got booked for Madagascar. Madagascan names are great!

His full name is Soloniaina Rajo Nirina Razafindraibeharimihanta

[seanfhear]

His full name is Soloniaina Rajo Nirina Razafindraibeharimihanta
I assume the Ref just wrote his number down !

[CSAD]

Okay, fair enough, The stat came from something I read on The42 a while back, which was obviously BS, and I didn't check it.

Still, between 2014 and 2017, our first-choice team was generally Randolph; Coleman, Brady/Ward, Duffy/O'Shea, Clark/Keogh; McCarthy, Whelan/Meyler, Hoolahan/Hendrick, McClean, Walters, Long/Murphy.

We consistently had a core of well-established EPL players, or players with significant EPL experience, starting for us. The others were at the top end of the Championship (Murphy was the top scorer in the Championship, with 27 goals, in 2015/6). It was a far, far better squad than we have now.

As good an example of grass is greener syndrome if ever I’ve seen it!

[Razors left peg]

Did Hughton pee in your cornflakes Razor? I know JRG is at one end of the spectrum but you seem to be firmly entrenched at the other end and I'm not sure its as black and white as either of you making out. Given the constraints we are working within, he has a case to be considered. Decent, if imperfect, track record as a manager, Irish, respected coach. He'd also be our first black manager which would be pretty cool (but shouldnt influence the choice if there are better candidates).

Ah my comment today was a little tongue in cheek, but no I dont rate him. Ive heard a few people say that we should go for a manager with international experience. I think Hughtons International managerial experience has been awful.

[Jolly Red Giant]

This is why we shouldnt want him



They won 1-0 in the end; 96th minute winner. He may be a lucky general too :)


This thread shouldn't be solely about the merits or not of Chris Hughton - he is one potential candidate - not the only one - but one with better track record than most of the names mentioned.

Yes Ghana won today 1-0 scoring late on - and to a team ranked well below them. They peppered the Madagascar goal in the second half and should have scored 4 or 5 - but they had to wait until the 96th minute to win the game. Hughton himself said that they were very nervous in the first half (that they were feeling the pressure after all the controversy over the past couple of weeks) and they didn't play well. He got them settled at half time and they were very good in the second half, moving the ball quickly, getting the ball in the box, forcing the goalkeeper to make several good saves, had a goal ruled out for a dubious offside - and eventually scored. Football can be like that sometimes.

Now - here is the important thing - Hughton's record with Ghana in competitive internationals - P5 - W3 - D2 - L0 - GF5 - GA1

[Jolly Red Giant]

I know JRG is at one end of the spectrum
I would actually dispute this - my argument has consistently been that of all the names mentioned who are realistic prospects Hughton has a much better track record than all of them. This shouldn't mean that is automatically made the manager - but that he should be given serious consideration if he wanted the job.


Decent, if imperfect, track record as a manager, Irish, respected coach.
There are few managers with a perfect track record - although I would argue that Hughton is actually a better coach than his record suggests. But I still would rank him below Liam Touhy and Johnny Giles as Irish managers and you have to give Jack Charlton major credit for what he achieved (even if very lucky with the players he had available) - but that couldn't really be judged until he got the job and proved that he could do it better than other potential candidates.

Now - there are certain guys that I would be absolutely hopping if they got the job because I think they would be a disaster - Neil Lennon, Roy Keane, Robbie Keane, Steve Bruce, Keith Andrews, Mark Kennedy, Damien Duff (or any other LOI manager).

I don't think Anthony Barry or John Eustace are realistic options but would be okay with either. I would also be okay with Lee Carsley or Brian Barry Murphy (who I think could be good - but its only a hunch). John O'Shea I am meh about. Poyet I could get on board and I think Jim Goodwin warrants a look. Someone mentioned Vladimir Petkovic and he is an interesting option - and I do think that Stephen Reid should be considered if he put his name forward.

[SkStu]

Wasn’t meant as a dig at all! To either of you… just two very different takes! (great respect for both of you)

FWIW, he’s in my top 3 realistic candidates (Carsley and Poyet the others). None of them are actually available though and all of them are something of a risk - in different ways. No perfect candidate indeed. Will be interesting to see it play out. There’s a good chance we go from the frying pan to the fire.

[MylesNotMiley]

Thomas Christiansen currently managing Panama (had a brief spell at Leeds back when they were a basket case).

Got Panama to the Gold Cup final and has probably turned them into one of the best sides outside of the big 3/4 in North America.

It's likely they'll qualify for WC26 and already have one foot in the CopaAmerica24 after beating Costa Rica 3-0 away from home a few days ago.

[JR89]

Whoever the next manager is will hopefully be someone that can react to in game situations and make the changes when needed. The two games against the Dutch in particular showed Kenny's lack of tactical nous.

In the first game we put it up to them for the first 45mins but at the start of the second half they went 3-4-3 which freed up the FB/WBs to now get high and cause us issues.

Last night they lined up 3-4-3 on paper but in game at times their front three you could say were Weghorst and the WBs they were often so high up the pitch. Gakpo and Simons were often dropping between the defence and midfield so their midfield four were now outnumbering us centrally which is why maybe Scales found himself so high up the pitch for the first goal.

The half time change of Idah for Robinson showed either he and the staff were oblivious to what the Dutch were doing or he didn't feel the need to adapt to how they were playing.

[zero]

Ah they haven't a notion, SK / Andrews both. Decent guys and they are passionate but it's been clear from early on they're miles out of their depth
If we do hire a proper manager and results improve there'll be rampant revisionism and kenny lauded for bringing players through.

He shouldn't be. His tenure has been pretty much a disaster.

[Dermobohs]

Years back when sk was bohs manager he had a great start, then flaws became apparent, especially when pressure came on.
He was overly loyal to a few lads even when they under performed.
He was slow to make changes in games, and frequently waited till last 10 or so to change it.
Didn’t really vary it tactically, played a nice brand of ball but it rarely changed if not working.
I still see those flaws in him now.

[Razors left peg]

When Roberto Martinez was appointed Portugal manager I was extremely annoyed. I thought that he underachieved with Belgium and his record at club level was pretty mediocre. I really thought he was massively over rated as a manager.... 10 wins straight, playing some great stuff and Im happily wrong.

Goes to show for all our pi$$ing and moaning about candidates we dont want or hyping up our own favorites we really dont know how it'll work out. If Neil Lennon gets the job he could spark something in players that has been lacking from an energy point of view, we dont know.

[Razors left peg]

Years back when sk was bohs manager he had a great start, then flaws became apparent, especially when pressure came on.
He was overly loyal to a few lads even when they under performed.
He was slow to make changes in games, and frequently waited till last 10 or so to change it.
Didn’t really vary it tactically, played a nice brand of ball but it rarely changed if not working.
I still see those flaws in him now.

You could be describing his time with Ireland there. This is exactly what he has been summed up nicely!

[ltfc_2004]

Just been reading Kevin Palmer in the indo and the most depressing line in the piece

"Sadly, the Ireland job is one of the least attractive in international football right now, as it comes with high expectations and limited chances of success."

although JRG and Kevin are on the same page !

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/the-race-to-succeed-stephen-kenny-who-will-be-irelands-next-manager/a1083884558.html

[zero]

Hughton's Ghana trailing 1-0 to lowly Comoros. About 35 left to play.

edit: ended 1-0. could spell the end of Hughton's reign.

[brine3]

Romania showing that you don't need an expensive manager to win your group with a squad of journeymen.

[SkStu]

Difficult to see where we go from here. No doubt we can expect slightly more from this crop of players in terms of overall results but the problems in Irish football run so deep and go beyond just Kenny. It’s a shambles off the pitch, really, as well as on it and I think it’s a long way back to us being contenders. The change in management will be good in terms of putting the last few years in the rear view, fresh start etc… but the replacement pool is full of candidates that represent another gamble at a time when the decision is critical. The lack of depth on the pitch in midfield and at full back is also seriously concerning. Hopefully we can produce another gem or two to build a team around Ferguson and figure out how to get the most out of him.

[Razors left peg]

I think Evan Ferguson still makes the Irish job attractive. We are also at such a low ebb that the only way is up, so a manager with a bit of ambition could look at it as it can only get better. Having Ferguson shows we have a future, one or 2 top class players can bring along a team of decent players. Wales with Bale, Poland Lewandowski, Denmark with Erikson... the list goes on.

The right manager has some good raw materials to work with I believe. Kenny made a decent start to his tenure from a new players point of view, he was brave and blooded some lads early. The results were poor though and as time went on I think he lost his bottle a bit... but the upside is that there are bunch of lads under the age of 23 that have 10 caps and more, and you'd hope the right man can kick them on.

We are slow and ponderous bringing the ball out from the back, that has to change immediately. Movement off the ball and some quick one and 2 touch football is what any coach worth his salt needs to add to this squad.

I hope that we dont have to wait until just before the games in September for an appointment in order for the FAI to save a few quid, John O'Shea as caretaker for the friendlies in the mean time or something.

I got a Whats App voice message today that seems to be doing the rounds. Basically the gist of it was that at a meeting at Sporting Fingal there was a bunch of FAI Junior Development Officers and the word on the ground was that Roy Keane has been lined up by the FAI for the job, hes box office and will sell tickets. If that happens we may as well pack it in for the next 4 years

[elatedscum]

I got a Whats App voice message today that seems to be doing the rounds. Basically the gist of it was that at a meeting at Sporting Fingal there was a bunch of FAI Junior Development Officers and the word on the ground was that Roy Keane has been lined up by the FAI for the job, hes box office and will sell tickets. If that happens we may as well pack it in for the next 4 years
Can’t be real, surely

[Razors left peg]

Can’t be real, surely
Hope not... but would you trust FAI?

[seanfhear]

From desperate to despair.

[weldoninhio]

I think Evan Ferguson still makes the Irish job attractive. We are also at such a low ebb that the only way is up, so a manager with a bit of ambition could look at it as it can only get better. Having Ferguson shows we have a future, one or 2 top class players can bring along a team of decent players. Wales with Bale, Poland Lewandowski, Denmark with Erikson... the list goes on.

The right manager has some good raw materials to work with I believe. Kenny made a decent start to his tenure from a new players point of view, he was brave and blooded some lads early. The results were poor though and as time went on I think he lost his bottle a bit... but the upside is that there are bunch of lads under the age of 23 that have 10 caps and more, and you'd hope the right man can kick them on.

We are slow and ponderous bringing the ball out from the back, that has to change immediately. Movement off the ball and some quick one and 2 touch football is what any coach worth his salt needs to add to this squad.

I hope that we dont have to wait until just before the games in September for an appointment in order for the FAI to save a few quid, John O'Shea as caretaker for the friendlies in the mean time or something.

I got a Whats App voice message today that seems to be doing the rounds. Basically the gist of it was that at a meeting at Sporting Fingal there was a bunch of FAI Junior Development Officers and the word on the ground was that Roy Keane has been lined up by the FAI for the job, hes box office and will sell tickets. If that happens we may as well pack it in for the next 4 years

A meeting at Sporting Fingal, the club that dissolved in 2011??

[brine3]

Henrik Rydström

[NeverFeltBetter]

FAI's financials getting worse and worse everyday, with millions in funding suspended this morning. Who are they going to be able to afford? Roy Keane's probably making more at Sky than he'd get from the FAI.

[Larry 'da' Wyse]

Just adding another name into the ring: Jesse Marsch!

[Jolly Red Giant]

Hughton's Ghana trailing 1-0 to lowly Comoros. About 35 left to play.

edit: ended 1-0. could spell the end of Hughton's reign.
Yea - a bad loss. Ghana dominated the game, gave up a poor goal just before half-time and just couldn't score despite peppering the Comoros goal in the second half (indeed pretty much throughout the game). In the second half Comoros had two attempts on goal - both attempts to lob the Ghanaian goalkeeper from inside their own half. Comoros are a bit of a bogey team for Ghana - they knocked Ghana out of AFCON in 2021 - and the pitch was liked trying to play football on a country gravel pot-holed road. But that doesn't take away from the fact that they lost and it could cost Hughton his job. I suppose the one difference between Ghana and Ireland last night was that Ghana clearly played way better than Comoros - Ireland were second best for 75mins of the game.


Romania showing that you don't need an expensive manager to win your group with a squad of journeymen.
True - you need a competent manager and a squad of players willing to buy into the project and do their best.

[Jd2793]

oh imagine the beatings we'd get with marsch. no thanks!

[pineapple stu]

FAI's financials getting worse and worse everyday, with millions in funding suspended this morning. Who are they going to be able to afford?
Yep - and looking at last night's crowd, the financials aren't going to get any better any time soon...

[Jolly Red Giant]

Difficult to see where we go from here. No doubt we can expect slightly more from this crop of players in terms of overall results but the problems in Irish football run so deep and go beyond just Kenny. It’s a shambles off the pitch, really, as well as on it and I think it’s a long way back to us being contenders. The change in management will be good in terms of putting the last few years in the rear view, fresh start etc… but the replacement pool is full of candidates that represent another gamble at a time when the decision is critical. The lack of depth on the pitch in midfield and at full back is also seriously concerning. Hopefully we can produce another gem or two to build a team around Ferguson and figure out how to get the most out of him.
Here is the problem - hiring a manager is always a bit of a crap-shoot - most of the time you don't know what you get until they actually start doing the job. There are dozens of managers who have done very well at clubs and then move and turn out to be a disaster (recent times - Potter - Nuno - spring to mind). It is more a case of weeding out the candidates that can't do the job and then hoping you pick the right one from what is left of your list. Of course you need at least one competent candidate on the list to start with and you need to be able to eliminate the ones that are a waste of time.

[Jolly Red Giant]

Roy Keane has been lined up by the FAI for the job, hes box office and will sell tickets. If that happens we may as well pack it in for the next 4 years
Wouldn't want Keane - but aside from that - hiring a coach to sell tickets and get sponsorship is a recipe for disaster.

[Stuttgart88]

Getting a manager choice right means getting the right man for the right team at the right time. A lot of the names mentioned won't be great with a young squad lacking leaders imho (Keane especially, probably also Lennon and Bruce). I can't see beyond Carsley though I can see someone like Sagnol or Poyet making an improvement. Anthony Barry would be a curious one. Is he a technician rather than a leader?

[Philly]

I am pretty torn on Carsely. He seems a great coach but hard to gauge too much from his success with the England U21s as they have probably got the best pool of young talent in World Football. Kenny also has Ireland performing well at that level, but that did not translate into senior football. I think he is clearly one of the stronger candidates, but it could backfire just like Kenny.

Someone who has a history of making a team achieve more than the sum of its parts would be key for me.

[backstothewall]

Thank christ that's over.

Didn't go to the game yesterday. Didn't watch it on telly. It never even occurred to me that it was on.

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for Kenny at all, regardless of his crocodile tears. He must know as well as anyone else that he isn't up to the job. If it meant as much to him as he's trying to suggest he would have done the decent thing and walked a long time ago.

As for the future, it seems unlikely the FAI will do anything this side on the New Year. Given their financial situation I imagine they will be happy to save on the wages for a few months.

[Razors left peg]

A meeting at Sporting Fingal, the club that dissolved in 2011??

I went back and listened to it again after this. It actually said Sports department in Fingal... don't know if that makes a difference.

Is there any way to post audio here?

[tetsujin1979]

I don't think so, maybe upload it to soundcloud and link here?

[seanfhear]

Find the next Postecoglou :cool: ~ ~ OK, you'd need to be lucky but Celtic managed to find him !

[Razors left peg]

I don't think so, maybe upload it to soundcloud and link here?

Good idea! So on the caveat it's probably sh1te, here is the audio I was sent about Keane being lined up for the job....https://on.soundcloud.com/N8s7C

[CraftyToePoke]

So here we are ;) the guy who was assistant manager and therefore central to the pass free zone unwatchable muck our game descended to, to an extent that it led directly to having a punt the size of Donegal on Stephen Kenny, is now being touted as the cure. Only in Ireland lads.

This smells of PP driving money into their account to me, market manipulation. But I'll be having a tenner on Keano just in case obviously.

[Exgrad]

Sounds like absolute horse sh*t all right.

[elatedscum]

€100 on that being made by paddy power's marketing department

[JR89]

1727409357900710054

These were Bruce's comments from the interview.

"I've stated before that I'd like to get back into
management, but I find speculation when there's a manager in place to be very disrespectful.

The current manager had a big game against New Zealand, and
hearing speculation about him being sacked is really disrespectful. I've been there myself.

I'm looking to get back into football, whether that's an
international job, a director of football, an assistant to an
up-and-coming manager, or a consultation role.

I'm open to anything as I miss the game. International
management would appeal to me at my age, but I find speculation
disrespectful while a manager is in place. Once the manager position is
free, then they (FAI) can give me a call."

[SkStu]

I'm looking to get back into football, whether that's an
international job, a director of football, an assistant to an
up-and-coming manager, or a consultation role

It’s the desperation that makes this so appealing.

[JR89]

It’s the desperation that makes this so appealing.

He knows his days are numbered. Championship clubs are often turning to coaches now rather than pick lads like Bruce off the merry go round.

[brine3]

Find the next Postecoglou :cool: ~ ~ OK, you'd need to be lucky but Celtic managed to find him !

Come on now, when have the FAI ever looked past the names on the Paddy Power odds list.

[Thewhitepele]

Come on now, when have the FAI ever looked past the names on the Paddy Power odds list.
I don't think Trap was on anybody's radar...Charlton was also supposed to be an also ran and then got the job. The Kenny & Mick thing was also weird. So quite often they give us the unexpected.

[EAFC_rdfl]

I don't think Trap was on anybody's radar...Charlton was also supposed to be an also ran and then got the job. The Kenny & Mick thing was also weird. So quite often they give us the unexpected.

Not to mention ' I'm the gaffer' and Bobby Robson

[nigel-harps1954]

Roy Keane and Steve Bruce double team. You heard it here first.

[Razors left peg]

Not to mention ' I'm the gaffer' and Bobby Robson

I made money on Staunton at 50/1 at the time

[Razors left peg]

Roy Keane and Steve Bruce double team. You heard it here first.

I just threw up in my mouth a little

[samhaydenjr]

Find the next Postecoglou :cool: ~ ~ OK, you'd need to be lucky but Celtic managed to find him !

Found him! It's Kevin Muscat! A-League champion with Melbourne Victory and J1 League champion with Yokohama Marinos, Ange's former club - he's basically Ange, three years behind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Muscat

Alternatively, Ross Aloisi, current Brisbane Roar Head Coach and Muscat's assistant at Yokohama last season: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Aloisi