New Irish manager

[eekers]

Really?

I think the FAI have already made their appointment. They put in place a selection committee for cosmetic purposes only.

i got it from http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2007/11/30/story49237.asp



They are also likely to be told that a minimum annual salary of €1m will be on offer to the boss.

[Dotsy]

The Irish Times are reporting that the Korean FA have said their next manager will be Mick McCarty or Houllier.

Even if neither of them would be your choice for Ireland manager the longer the FAI delay the process the smaller the pool of potential managers becomes. They need to get their finger out unless it's already a done deal with TV:mad:

[NeilMcD]

Really?

I think the FAI have already made their appointment. They put in place a selection committee for cosmetic purposes only.

I actually dont believe that to be honest.

[Deckydee]

For me it has to be Kenny Dalglish.

Get him!

[ifk101]

I actually dont believe that to be honest.

The FAI do love a game of charades.

Names are coming and names are going. One name persits.

[Dr. Ogba]

For me it has to be Kenny Dalglish.

Get him!


i really hope that comment is laced with sarcasm...

[eekers]

i really hope that comment is laced with sarcasm...

be careful what you say about dagleish he might get one of gangster mates after you
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,1329327,00.html

as dodgy as tel he is and hasnt done anything in football of note since the mid 90s either

[NeilMcD]

FAI chief embraces Houghton
Wednesday, 5 December 2007 22:57

Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney has welcomed Ray Houghton as the third member of the three-man committee tasked with selecting Steve Staunton's successor.

Delaney also insists Terry Venables has not been consulted over the vacant manager's job.

Houghton joins Under-21 boss Don Givens and former Arsenal coach Don Howe.

The trio will recommend the next manager and Delaney hopes to have his man in place before the friendly with Brazil in Croke Park on 6 February.

'I'm pleased about it. I'm pleased with Don Givens and Don Howe and I'm pleased that Ray has joined that team,' Delaney said in Dublin at the official launch of the FAI's new headquarters at the National Sports Campus.

'I'm very pleased about it and the process has now moved on. The guys will go about interviewing whoever is in their plans and their sights and I'm sure they will get about that over the coming weeks.

'I am pretty certain in my own mind that they will come back with one name. It's a matter of the chairperson of the committee of three explaining the decision behind the person they are going to recommend and I couldn't see a circumstance where that couldn't be ratified.

'It's preferable for me as chief executive that we would have a manager in place for the Brazil game, that's preferable, but I think everybody understands this time round we have got to get the right appointment and I think everyone understands that.'

Delaney was happy to speak out on the speculation that has occurred over the past month since the process began.

'I think there has been a lot of speculation and there also has been a lot of inaccuracies, it has to be accepted, over the last period,' he said.

'We've tried to go about it quietly and privately. We've met a number of people and I'm pleased that the team is now the one that we set out to put in place the night that Stephen Staunton was no longer manager of Ireland.

'We set out a process. The process is in place and we never deviated from it. There was a lot of inaccuracies and I can speak about it now because I've handed over the process if you like.

'There was never an intention to meet anyone down in South Africa and there was never any intention to meet anyone in relation to the vacant manager's job. Terry Venables was never spoken to by the FAI or by myself.'

[Paddy Garcia]

Where is Terry Venables on the poll ?

It's ridiculous to exclude him & undermines the results.

[eekers]

Where is Terry Venables on the poll ?

It's ridiculous to exclude him & undermines the results.

the poll dates back to october and is irrelevant
the only way to have an accurate poll is to do a new one every week as candidates emerge and others fall by the wayside

[Paddy Garcia]

the poll dates back to october and is irrelevant
the only way to have an accurate poll is to do a new one every week as candidates emerge and others fall by the wayside

Ok, fair enough

[bohsRap]

The FAI do love a game of charades.

Names are coming and names are going. One name persits.

Come on outta that. Do you really think the advisers would play any part if the someone was picked for the job already. Thats one big charade!

[tetsujin1979]

McDonnell again in today's Indo: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/nowhere-to-hide-at-fais-new-hq-1239003.html

The problem for Delaney is that there are certain candidates who he will be inextricably linked with if appointed and that could pose difficulties for him should they prove to be the wrong choice. And yes, that means Terry Venables

One thing that would strike me about McDonnell's articles is that he's so vested in making sure Venables does not get the job (no bad thing) is that he's written very little about the other candidates.

[eekers]

Come on outta that. Do you really think the advisers would play any part if the someone was picked for the job already. Thats one big charade!

the fai are going about this in exactly the right way.
people are having to come up with more and more left of field ways to discredit the fai. "the selectors are just pawns" "my mate in the fai told me venables has the job already" "thats not delaneys real hair"

[harps1954]

Lets look at all our recent previous managers. Big Jack aside, how many of them had done anything before they came to us? And what have many of them done since they left us? Why, all of a sudden, do we think we should be getting someone "World Class".

Roy Hodgson does seem to be the best of what's been talked about, but I have just one question about him. Someone mentioned that his last three management jobs have been Finland, UAE and some team in Norway. Why, if he is such a great manager/coach, are these the teams he has managed. Why has he never managed the English team? If he was such a great manager/coach, why did he not get the England job ahead of Steve McClaren? Why has he never managed one of the other "bigger nations". And, when manager of Blackburn, he made a bit of a balls at that.

Anyhow, look where all our previous managers have come from:

Eoin Hand - combined the role of International Manager with that of managing Limerick.
Jack Charlton - had limit success with quite a number of teams in England, and he wasn't even the FAI's first choice. Both Bob Paisley and John Giles were favourites ahead of Jack, but they made a balls of the selection process.
Mick McCarthy - only job prior to the Ireland one was Millwall in what is now known as the Championship. Joe Kinnear was favourite to get the job at the time and McCarthy received the job on a split decision.
Brian Kerr - From the FAI's youth ranks, via St. Pat's. Again, got it on a split decision with John Delaney voting against him in favour of Bryan Robson.
Stephen Staunton - Bottle carrier with Walsall was his only experience of the dugout outside of playing.

So, in the past, our managers haven't exactly had a great track record or a great CV. What's to make people think that it will be any different this time.

Would O'Leary not be better than any/most of the above. At least he done something of note at both Leeds and Villa. Or what about Venables. At least he was managing / coaching at some capacity at International level in the last ten years. The same with Hodgson - he has been managing at International level at some level up until recently. Or Dalglish. He hasn't been doing much for the past ten years, but at least he has a CV that is better than most if not all of our previous six managers.

I don't know who we'll end up with, but if the past six appointments are anything to go by, god only knows who we could get. To tell you the truth, I'd take any one from O'Leary, Venables, Hodgson or Dalglish at this stage. But we'll probably end up with someone like Kenny Cunningham or Bryan Robson!!

[Stuttgart88]

The three 'kingmakers' are now likely to meet tomorrow to discuss the logistics of the interview process.

Givens expects to meet between 12 and 16 candidates but denied their was a cut-off time with which potential candidates must signal their interest.

"Well if it gets near the end of January and Jose Mourinho phones then we'll have to see him," he joked.
"But we'll start with the people who have expressed an interest in the job."

When asked if the panel would be in sole charge of the selection process, Givens was less emphatic than Delaney but suggested the FAI would ultimately ratify their candidate.

"I cant speak for the FAI but having gone off an interviewed everyone I'd be surprised if they say 'no, we don't want that'," he said.

Starting with people who have expressed an interest? That's not headhunting, that's just interviewing.

Would that include Coppell or Hodgson?

Will they approach people to see if they're interested?

[Paddy Garcia]

The problem with a panel is that the need for consensus will drive a conservative decision. Much less likely to get a bold, imaginative appointment.

Ideally leave to one person, as long as its not whoever choose Stan.

[NeilMcD]

But who chooses that person, it really is a no win situation with these things unless you get the right man, there is no perfect process and to be honest there has been an awful lot of speculation in relation to this and an awful lot of bull****. The standard fo journalism has been terrible. Only Malone, McDonnell Mackey have been pretty good on this. Not too much hyperbole and good rational debate. The Sunday papers are really terrible.

[Superhoops]

The problem with a panel is that the need for consensus will drive a conservative decision. Much less likely to get a bold, imaginative appointment.

Ideally leave to one person, as long as its not whoever choose Stan.

The real problem of course is that whenever someone eventually is appointed by whatever process, there will be those on here and elsewhere who won't agree with the choice or the method of selection.

Delaney will be criticised for either getting involved or not getting involved. The Board of Management will be criticised for either accepting or not accepting the recommendation of the selection panel or for being too easily influenced by Delaney and if in 2 years time we have not qualified to the WCF the 'I told you so' brigade will be out in force, regardless of who is appointed.

[Paddy Garcia]

I agree, the more I read the more nervous I get!

For the Irish fan ignorance is bliss. However bad your imagination can be, I'm sure it's not as bad as the speculation we have been subjected to.

[Paddy Garcia]

The real problem of course is that whenever someone eventually is appointed by whatever process, there will be those on here and elsewhere who won't agree with the choice or the method of selection.

Delaney will be criticised for either getting involved or not getting involved. The Board of Management will be criticised for either accepting or not accepting the recommendation of the selection panel or for being too easily influenced by Delaney and if in 2 years time we have not qualified to the WCF the 'I told you so' brigade will be out in force, regardless of who is appointed.

I agree, but the appointment should at least allow us to all get behind someone once appointed. The problem with Stan is that he lost the confidence of the fans from the moment he took the podium. The background also being the promise of a world class player. He was never even considered the sharpest knife in the draw.

There will be pros & cons for all, and we should accept that. If there is not even one pro (as with Stan) then it really makes it difficult to build confidence or faith.

[Ireland4ever]

Lets look at all our recent previous managers. Big Jack aside, how many of them had done anything before they came to us? And what have many of them done since they left us? Why, all of a sudden, do we think we should be getting someone "World Class".

Roy Hodgson does seem to be the best of what's been talked about, but I have just one question about him. Someone mentioned that his last three management jobs have been Finland, UAE and some team in Norway. Why, if he is such a great manager/coach, are these the teams he has managed. Why has he never managed the English team? If he was such a great manager/coach, why did he not get the England job ahead of Steve McClaren? Why has he never managed one of the other "bigger nations". And, when manager of Blackburn, he made a bit of a balls at that.

Anyhow, look where all our previous managers have come from:

Eoin Hand - combined the role of International Manager with that of managing Limerick.
Jack Charlton - had limit success with quite a number of teams in England, and he wasn't even the FAI's first choice. Both Bob Paisley and John Giles were favourites ahead of Jack, but they made a balls of the selection process.
Mick McCarthy - only job prior to the Ireland one was Millwall in what is now known as the Championship. Joe Kinnear was favourite to get the job at the time and McCarthy received the job on a split decision.
Brian Kerr - From the FAI's youth ranks, via St. Pat's. Again, got it on a split decision with John Delaney voting against him in favour of Bryan Robson.
Stephen Staunton - Bottle carrier with Walsall was his only experience of the dugout outside of playing.

So, in the past, our managers haven't exactly had a great track record or a great CV. What's to make people think that it will be any different this time.

Would O'Leary not be better than any/most of the above. At least he done something of note at both Leeds and Villa. Or what about Venables. At least he was managing / coaching at some capacity at International level in the last ten years. The same with Hodgson - he has been managing at International level at some level up until recently. Or Dalglish. He hasn't been doing much for the past ten years, but at least he has a CV that is better than most if not all of our previous six managers.

I don't know who we'll end up with, but if the past six appointments are anything to go by, god only knows who we could get. To tell you the truth, I'd take any one from O'Leary, Venables, Hodgson or Dalglish at this stage. But we'll probably end up with someone like Kenny Cunningham or Bryan Robson!!

Regarding the first point, we should hope to get a 'world-class' manager because for the first time in history we are able to pay the manager world-class wages....

And the point regarding Venables coaching at international level in the last ten years doesnt really add up. For Gods sake Stan was coaching at international level, doesnt make him a world class manager, and what about McClaren, he's an abysmal coach, yet he had the biggest job in England. Just goes to show that managing one of the larger nations (Im not including Stan & Ireland) doesnt equate to being a great manager.

[geysir]

I agree, but the appointment should at least allow us to all get behind someone once appointed. The problem with Stan is that he lost the confidence of the fans from the moment he took the podium. The background also being the promise of a world class player. He was never even considered the sharpest knife in the draw.

There will be pros & cons for all, and we should accept that. If there is not even one pro (as with Stan) then it really makes it difficult to build confidence or faith.
I don't dissagree with you.
The pain threshold is quite low. Faith only gets you so far, fans have to see some evidence.
Lets pretend Hodgson gets the job and mid campaign experiences the equivalent of what happenned to Finland in the EQ, lose away to Montenegro followed by a loss at home to Bulgaria. Then see how deep that faith goes.

[geysir]

Strange twist at Ladbrokes, Brady down to evens fav. TV at 6/4 there.
Maybe some pennies are dropping that Brady is the best connected manager to the selection panel.

[Noelys Guitar]

Strange twist at Ladbrokes, Brady down to evens fav. TV at 6/4 there.
Maybe some pennies are dropping that Brady is the best connected manager to the selection panel.

Brady's refusal last week to answer questions from the RTE reporter about the job was very strange. He must have been told by somebody (Giles?) that he has a real chance of getting the job. Otherwise why we would suddenly refuse to answer questions considering the week before he was only too willing to talk about the job. If he gets the nod then say goodbye to us qualifying.

[SuperDave]

Strange twist at Ladbrokes, Brady down to evens fav. TV at 6/4 there.
Maybe some pennies are dropping that Brady is the best connected manager to the selection panel.

bookmakers odds always follow the money. the prices are indicative only of the money placed, not the probability of the person getting the job.

a prime example is the market for big brother evictions. they are never accurate to the odds of eviction and a lot of money could be made by backing the bookies outsiders.

[NeilMcD]

Brady cannot be the next manager of Ireland but I think he may have a job in there somewhere. THere is no way they can go for an ex player with very little experience of achieving anything in the game.

[SUB of the day]

Brady cannot be the next manager of Ireland but I think he may have a job in there somewhere. THere is no way they can go for an ex player with very little experience of achieving anything in the game.
Chippy would be a great number 2.Dream ticket ,Houllier and Brady?

[Schlooooomp]

Chippy would be a great number 2.Dream ticket ,Houllier and Brady?

Yeah, that might work, prefer Hodgson and Brady though.

[NeilMcD]

Hodgson with Brayd maybe, but then again a number 2 should never be imposed on a manager. But jesus those two would know about the italian game and the British game and the Irish game between them all.

[EalingGreen]

Regarding the first point, we should hope to get a 'world-class' manager because for the first time in history we are able to pay the manager world-class wages....

Not really - it's the clubs (in England esp, but also Italy, Germany and Spain) who are paying "world-class wages", and so attracting the top managers.

For example, Ramos at Spurs - an average English club - is pulling in over €6 million (£4m stg) per year! Eriksson could easily have got a leading international side to manage post-England, but ended up at another mediocre English club.

Or look at the Scottish FA, who are certainly a wealthier Association than the FAI, with the National Coaches job also being "bigger". They appointed Walter Smith - a very sound manager with Rangers and Everton, but hardly "world class" a la Lippi or Capelli, for example. But despite his being very successful for his own National team, when Rangers came calling, off he went. His successor, McLeish, was equally successful, with the prospect of making a name for himself should Scotland qualify for WC2010. He's now at Birmingham City.

Mark Hughes left a promising Wales set-up for Blackburn.

And when the English FA finally appoints its replacement for McLaren, whether the new man is "World Class" or not, he will be on a fee that the FAI couldn't even dream of, simply because they feel compelled to compete with their domestic clubs.

Having said all that, people shouldn't confuse "world class" with "competence". When Sanchez took over NI, it was on around £100k p.a. and he seemingly only got the job because Aberdeen's Assistant Manager (Nicholl) wouldn't do it for that price. Yet Sanchez was an inspired (lucky!) choice. Even his likely replacement, Worthington, is likely only to be on around £200k p.a and if confirmed, I feel he'll do a sound enough job for a couple of years

The other thing to be said is that even if the FAI should get a "World Class" manager, and he's correspondingly successful, there's every chance his enhanced profile will lead to his being poached by a club (especially if he's not native Irish?)

As with certain top players who don't much care for international football, so it is increasingly with coaches - the clubs are exerting ever more influence. :(

[RogerMilla]

For example, Ramos at Spurs - an average English club - is pulling in over €6 million (£4m stg) per year! Eriksson could easily have got a leading international side to manage post-England, but ended up at another mediocre English club.

Or look at the Scottish FA, who are certainly a wealthier Association than the FAI, with the National Coaches job also being "bigger".



you are dead right there EG , we cannot hope to compete with even an "average" ( spurs are your team right?) premiership outfit in terms of wages for a manager , we are looking for a fallen angel like o'leary or houllier , fellas with something to prove who would like to get back in the premiership and a good showing with us would propel them back into the thoughts of premiership chairmen.

As for the SFA being wealthier than the FAI , I'd like to see your stats on this one and would beg to differ and as for the coaches job i really dont think scotland manager is any bigger a job than wales or NI or ours , Its only when you make something of the International manager job that it becomes prestigious. Otherwise very few are interested as you can see from all the has-beens and non entities who get quoted as being interested when the posts become available.

[gspain]

We are not in aposition to afford a world class manager even an out of work one like Jose Mourinho. That is even if they'd take the job.

We are in a position to get a competent manager who knows how to get organsie a team, motivate a team and get results. If they are successful and get us to the WC and make a decent showing then we'll probably lose them to a Blackburn or Birmingham.

My concern is that the guys being mentioned for our job (apart from Souness) were not even good enough to be considered for Derby, Wigan, bolton and Birmingham. Venables ok because of his age but if O'Leary or Brady are decent managers then why are they not on the short list for even Derby.

We are not going to get somebody already in a job

I'd like to see us get somebody with a track record of being successful even if it's with a mediocre premiership side and preferably with International experience. Hodgson seems an obvious choice. Frankly nobody else mentioned (apart from Jewell who is now gone) seem capable of doing the job.

I'd also consider Billy Davies who was probably unfortunate to bring Derby up too soon but has still got a decent track record.

I'd love Sam Allardyce if Newcastle would only sack him. We had him in Limerick for a year. This is from the club that turned down Martin O'Neill.

[NeilMcD]

The SFA are not wealtheir than the FAI and they are certainly not going to pay more money than than us on a manager. Anyway I think people have missed the point. The Premiership is an inflated market so that is why we are better off looking outside of that and looking for an international manager in the bracket of Hodgrson, Beenhakker etc. THat is why all along I have said Hodgson. I was not confident that he would get it but you never know, I actually think he has a better chance that I thought when I said it. For some reason his name has become more and more popular on this site and other media outlets,.

[geysir]

Brady cannot be the next manager of Ireland but I think he may have a job in there somewhere. THere is no way they can go for an ex player with very little experience of achieving anything in the game.
That's about it, too many unknowns with Liam. Part of me would would love if we had such a committed Irish team manager like Brady as opposed to Hodgson, who it could be said wanders around from job to job, 8 or 9 jobs in 10 years.

[btid1]

Or look at the Scottish FA, who are certainly a wealthier Association than the FAI

Simply not true!

Have you seen the latest accounts for the FAI....never in the history of Irish football have they been so wealthy.

€10m taken form the game at home to Germany this year alone
Numerous attendances of over 70,000 in last 12 months also.

[NeilMcD]

That's about it, too many unknowns with Liam. Part of me would would love if we had such a committed Irish team manager like Brady as opposed to Hodgson, who it could be said wanders around from job to job, 8 or 9 jobs in 10 years.

I think people are overplaying this thing to be honest. Two years etc suits us at the moment. We all did not agree with the 4 year plan for Staunton and I would not agree with a 4 year contract for anybody. Just give the new manager a 2 year contract and if he is doing well

[jmurphyc]

I think people are overplaying this thing to be honest. Two years etc suits us at the moment. We all did not agree with the 4 year plan for Staunton and I would not agree with a 4 year contract for anybody. Just give the new manager a 2 year contract and if he is doing well

I agree. I don't mind that much if we lose our next manager after the qualifiers/finals so long as he makes us 'competitive' again (ie. gives us a good chance of qualifying for a finals). I'd rather that than someone who is willing to stay on further but won't increase our chances of qualifying. If Hodgson was given the job, took us to the finals and then left afterwards I wouldn't have a problem with this and wouldn't think it was a mistake appointing him.

[geysir]

I doubt anyone would have any regrets about whatever it took to get to the Finals :)

He did well by standards in Finland, they seriously wanted him to continue on with the job, he resigned after 15 months for a reported ambassadorial upstairs role at Inter.

[NeilMcD]

We do not know the ins and outs of the FInnish FA or anything like that so I think it would be unfair to judge from afar without any of the appropriate information. Also Hodgson has seriously hinted he will take an international job in my view so I don't think he will be at Inter long if he is offered a decent international job.

I think he probably left Finland because he felt he had taken them as far as he could.

[Noelys Guitar]

Brady cannot be the next manager of Ireland but I think he may have a job in there somewhere. THere is no way they can go for an ex player with very little experience of achieving anything in the game.

Funnily enough if this was Delaney choosing the manager then Brady would have no chance. The FAI would not hire another ex-player with little management experience. But the 3-man committee might choose him. The list of realistic candidates is small and Brady will make a very persuasive case when he is interviewed. And he knows Howe, Givens and Hoighton very well. Hodgson does not. Nor does Haan. Nor does Houllier. And if Brady starts gaining momentum in the media then he might get the job.

[Stuttgart88]

I just read that Javier Clemente has been sacked by Serbia for not qualifying. They came third to Poland and Portugal, just ahead of Hodgson's Finland (equal on points?).

[osarusan]

Part of me would would love if we had such a committed Irish team manager like Brady as opposed to Hodgson, who it could be said wanders around from job to job, 8 or 9 jobs in 10 years.

Commitment is something we should be looking for, but not at any price. Hodgson stayed with the Swiss for only 3 years, but took them to 2 major tournaments.

I'd take the same results with Ireland, even if Hodgson left after 3 years.

I'd say that at the end of his tenure the job of Irish manager would be a more prestigious position, attracting a wider and better range of managers, than it is now.

[ruben_sosa]

I just read that Javier Clemente has been sacked by Serbia for not qualifying. They came third to Poland and Portugal, just ahead of Hodgson's Finland (equal on points?).

they've got (arguably) a better replacement in Raddy Antic, shame we didn't get to speak to him first. His wiki entry makes for interesting reading, managing Barca and Real Madrid, but also signing Stan Collymore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radomir_Anti%C4%87

[NeilMcD]

Soccer
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Three wise men won't find a miracle worker



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YOU'VE heard the one about the Englishman, the Irishman and the Scotsman doing the rounds then?

About how they've been put in charge of selecting the new Irish football manager, what with Don Howe, Don Givens being added to by Ray Houghton's name during the week.

Those who scout for such possibilities might add to that the very real scenario where three of the main candidates are an Englishman (Terry Venables), an Irishman (Liam Brady) and a Scotsman (Graeme Souness). We can but hope that's the end of the buffoonery.

Right now, let's be honest, the three wise men's list of names most likely reads closer in profile to what the Scottish FA are putting together than what the English FA have on their shortlist. (The Scots have the likes of Billy Davies, Graeme Souness, Mark McGhee and Craig Levein while the English are fluttering eyelashes at Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello and Jurgen Klinsmann. ) It'd be pushing things to talk about damaged good perhaps, but if there's one element of consistency running through the majority of the candidates being mentioned right now for Ireland, it's that they've all got some serious flaw in the locker, some outstanding argument not to offer them this job. As much as employing anybody has an element of risk to it . . . yes folks, even a Martin O'Neill or a Jose pacing the lines at Croke Park doesn't guarantee qualification or success . . . this decision may well be about limiting that risk and trying to ensure the pros outweigh the inherent gamble.

For example, Terry Venables has been top of the tree for a few weeks now and appears a bona fide contender. He's got experience at some big clubs and international knowhow, a reputation for tactical awareness and a good name among any player who's ever worked under him. Yet he's also got a pretty horrid recent record (Leeds, Australia and Crystal Palace all ended badly), his first time with England has been overplayed and overhyped, his second stint with Steve McClaren was downright poor, and that's before the additional baggage of business dealings and a strong suggestion that it's awfully hard to hold his attention for any great length of time. Add to that the fact he isn't exactly Mr Popular among the Irish football public and it's tough to make a case for going down that road.

That's not to say others don't have the same bitty CVs. If we're just going on the names being bandied about, Liam Brady has emerged as a serious prospect . . . especially with Howe, Givens and Houghton all knowing him. He clearly has knowledge and is respected but there's little getting away from the fact that his managerial record stands at two failed stints with Celtic and Brighton over a decade ago, even if he was operating with no money in those jobs.

Graeme Souness can hardly point to too many successes in recent times and he has a reputation for falling out with bigname players. Arie Haan hasn't done anything with a club recently, or with China or Cameroon, to suggest he could justify a go at this. Dave O'Leary seems to have dirtied his bib beyond repair at Leeds and Aston Villa and doesn't have a feelgood factor to fall back on. Kenny Dalglish is out of the game for too long (as, by the way, is Howard Kendall). Gerard Houllier and Steve Coppell have genuine calls for consideration but it seems unlikely either would leave their current positions for the Irish job. Martin Jol could be an interesting option but is thought more likely to head to Holland or opt for a club role in England at this stage. After that it's mainly a mix of those who are out of our league and those who are out of work for a reason.

Except for one. Roy Hodgson may be a name near the top that convinces more than most. He's the only one who's qualified a team for a major tournament (he did it twice with Switzerland in the mid-90s) and if that seems all too long ago, he did a hell of a job at making an average Finland side hard to beat in the qualifying rounds just gone and he was just a goal away from bringing them through. He's won a Uefa Cup with Inter and had a great season with Blackburn before a dodgy four months got him the sack. Problems? He's meant to head back to Inter in some capacity, though he has stated he'd be open to job offers until he makes that move. The riskometer doesn't quite rattle to the same extent as with many of the other candidates.

Much depends on these famous boxes which need to be ticked and what importance is weighted on each attribute. After the Staunton era a rookie manager would be an impossible sell for the FAI, so management experience at a relatively high level would seem a must to have at the head of any list. That experience being fairly recent and/or largely successful would be a preferable aside, a detail that rules out plenty of names linked right now. It might be the detail that does for Liam Brady.

An ability to organise a team well and send out 11 players with a good idea of their jobs would be a given this time, as would a freshness and energy and a sense of purpose. A history or background in getting the most from a bunch of players from below the top tier would be a grand bonus . . . remember, Ireland are currently on a one from seven qualification record for major tournaments.

So that's where we're at. Unless the headhunters can somehow convince one of the top boys that this gig is worth a whirl, or they come up with a name out of left field (a Foppe De Haan, who's favourite for the Dutch job after next summer, or a Roger Lemerre, currently doing a decent job with Tunisia and winner of Euro 2000 with France), it's more likely that what we have now is what we're going to have. A strong salary may sway one or two heads in this direction, but then is that the ideal hook to catch a big name on?

There's rarely a safe option in picking an international manager but making sure it's a gamble worth taking is down to the three lads.

[geysir]

Roy Keane
Keane dismissed the idea that an English manager would struggle to gain acceptance.
"I think most fans would be more interested in the results than what nationality a manager was. But, then again, if things didn't go well, unfortunately that would be the first thing thrown at him." :D

Roy is pumping his veins for Venables
"I've been told he has a very good chance -- and why not? He has vast experience," Keane said. "I know there have been complaints and different people have opinions, and that's the beauty of football.

"If someone was to tell me that Terry Venables could help improve Irish football, then why not? He has good experience. People keep talking about experience. Steve Staunton was criticised for not having the experience, so some people are never going to be pleased, no matter who you employ. But if Terry Venables was to get it, with his vast experience, you can't buy that. Obviously I've heard some feedback from one or two of the players that they fancy him, then why not?"

[NeilMcD]

I would say he was asked about Venables. I am sure if he was asked about Hodgson he may say something similar. Just usual banal rubbish

[Stuttgart88]

Roger Lemerre is yet to be discussed here. Interesting name to drop in.

If you dissect Keane's comments above he didn't really say much did he? His views would carry more weight if he was asked to pick the best from a bunch of names. That'd be a proper endorsement.

[geysir]

Obviously Roy's comments are not an endorsement but
you's are both in denial, being dismissive of Roy's positive comments about Venables made in the context of his acknowledgement of the complaints.

[eekers]

keane wanted o leary for the job three weeks ago.

so roy what do you think of the favourite?
"yes, the favourite could definately do a good job. why not like?"