The selection team

[Superhoops]

giles didnt want to be involved in the decision making process. becasue he'd be compromised as a pundit (which is his livelyhood). he wouldnt be able to give impartial critical analysis on the manager if he helped select the manager.
Giles is a close confidante of John Delaney and you can bet he has had his input into the process even though it may not be through 'official' channels.

[HolylandsMan]

giles didnt want to be involved in the decision making process. becasue he'd be compromised as a pundit (which is his livelyhood). he wouldnt be able to give impartial critical analysis on the manager if he helped select the manager.

Was that not what he said before he approached Jewell? Surely a bit of a contradiction? Although i suppose if he may feel willing to approach a candidate when asked to do so rather being involved in choosing the actual candidate.

[Bondvillain]

As with even the simplest of actions involving the FAI, it's all a bit murky and unclear.

I was under the impression initially that Giles was to assist in 'headhunting the headhunters', as it were, and would not be involved in the actual managerial selection process, However, his conversation with Jewell , and subsequent alleged interactions, make me believe otherwise. Similar , in fact to John "I'm not getting involved in contacting candidates" Delaney getting involved by contacting a candidate.

The whole scenario leads me to think that if an FAI officer were to accidently tell the truth, they would immediately outstretch their suddenly-shaking hands, emit an ear peircing shriek, and collapse into dust.

[Stuttgart88]

Could it be that Giles was just so convinced about Jewell and he was so frustrated by the FAI's lethargy in the face of one or two imminent club job offerings that Giles felt compelled to try and sell the job to Jewell? Now, in the absence of a clear front runner in Giles' mind he doesn't feel compelled to get involved.

[eekers]

Could it be that Giles was just so convinced about Jewell and he was so frustrated by the FAI's lethargy in the face of one or two imminent club job offerings that Giles felt compelled to try and sell the job to Jewell? Now, in the absence of a clear front runner in Giles' mind he doesn't feel compelled to get involved.

thats exactly it. on newstalk on thursday giles said he doesnt know who should get the job whereas before he wouldnt shut up about jewell

[Stuttgart88]

one of the newspapers today reported the exact same thing. although i suspect don howe would have pretty much the same line of thinking as robson.
In spite of the optically awkward relationship between Venables and Howe (in the context of objectivity) I have heard separately that BOTH Robson & Howe were negative on Venables.

[Bondvillain]

Could it be that Giles was just so convinced about Jewell and he was so frustrated by the FAI's lethargy in the face of one or two imminent club job offerings that Giles felt compelled to try and sell the job to Jewell? Now, in the absence of a clear front runner in Giles' mind he doesn't feel compelled to get involved.



Thats eminently believable, but if it was Giles acting independently, it does make the reasoning behind Delaney's follow-up call all the more murky...

[eekers]

exactly venables wont be recommended, members of the fai board dont want him either.
some half way compromise candidate will get the job in the same way mc laren got the england job

[OwlsFan]

Could it be that Giles was just so convinced about Jewell and he was so frustrated by the FAI's lethargy in the face of one or two imminent club job offerings that Giles felt compelled to try and sell the job to Jewell? Now, in the absence of a clear front runner in Giles' mind he doesn't feel compelled to get involved.

Firstly, Giles has been out of the game for over 30 years. What makes anyone think he would be a good choice for selecting a new manager, bearing in mind he failed as an Irish manager many moons ago.

Secondly, I think we know the "selection committee" idea is a tactical move by Delaney to avoid the flak he got when Stan's appointment failed. It's a "FAI-CE" saving exercise if it goes pear shaped again.

Thirdly, DOnald Duck and Mickey Mouse could be on the selection committee but they'd still only have about 5 candidates to choose from.

Fourthly, Delaney will pick the manager in the end having listened to the voice of the experts.

[Stuttgart88]

What's that got to do with the quoted section above? I was merely commenting on why I thought Giles was involved in contacting Jewell despite saying he'd stay out of it and has gone quiet now.

[galwayhoop]

how will a two man work:
lets say don wants one man and the other don wants someone else. how will they make a decision

paper, rock, sicssors??????

or maybe a coin toss......

[OwlsFan]

paper, rock, sicssors??????

or maybe a coin toss......

Or perhaps they might agree on a candidate??

[Superhoops]

...Fourthly, Delaney will pick the manager in the end having listened to the voice of the experts.
Isn't the brief of the recruitment panel to make a recommendation to the Board of Management rather than directly to Delaney?

[geysir]

Giles said he would stay out of any selection committee or any process that would make a decision. That in his mind didn't conflict with contacting Jewell who was available and the subject of job offers at the same time.
Imo, it was a personal appreciation of Jewell's suitability and the urgency to make contact with Jewell that inspired Giles to make the direct approach.

[frankbrett]

Isn't the brief of the recruitment panel to make a recommendation to the Board of Management rather than directly to Delaney?

Presumably this is the full board - ie around 10 of them.
Am I right in assuming that the candidate picked by the two Dons will then have to be ratified by the board. If they don't agree with this candidate what happens? No 2 choice of two Dons put to the board and so on??

[eekers]

don houghton has joined the selection team

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2007/1205/ireland.html

im pretty happy with this.

[tetsujin1979]

I'm not disappointed by this, Houghton has a background in coaching at underage level, it'd be interesting to hear his take on the candidates. Certainly don't think he'd fall for the "well, what he should've dun dere is, right, whaa, whaa, whaa" stylings of Venables after years of listening to analysis from Giles and Brady.

[Armando]

don houghton has joined the selection team

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2007/1205/ireland.html

im pretty happy with this.

Interesting?

If an ex player has to come on board then I have no qualms with it being him. Fair play to him stepping up to the plate...I'd be amazed if he was another Delaney pawn, so hopefully he can get us the best candidate possible.

[stojkovic]

I'm not disappointed by this, Houghton has a background in coaching at underage level.

So have I, would you listen to me ?

[danonion]

Add Robbie Savage and Neil Lennon to the panel and we have all the nations of the North Atlantic Archipelago covered.

[PaulB]

didn't houghton say in an interview that he thought Roy Hodgsons best days were behind him, if he did that's a bad omen. I think he was touting terry vegetables also.

[GreenStar]

December 5th, 2007The Football Association of Ireland has appointed Ray Houghton to assist Don Givens and Don Howe in the search for the new Republic of Ireland senior team manager.

(www.fai.ie (http://www.fai.ie))

[shanman2]

December 5th, 2007The Football Association of Ireland has appointed Ray Houghton to assist Don Givens and Don Howe in the search for the new Republic of Ireland senior team manager.

(www.fai.ie (http://www.fai.ie))

Best bit of news I've heard since the de-throning of the former great. At least Razor knows what he is looking for. We might get a half decent manager now.:ball:

[eekers]

he wanted jewell at the start havent heard anything from him since.
i'd place him in the coppell camp

[drummerboy]

Good idea, especially when I heard that one of the head hunters has a health problem.

[Flawless]

Well i hope that Don, Don, And Ray know what they are getting themselves in to!

Delaney always was good at passing the buck...

[Drumcondra 69er]

didn't houghton say in an interview that he thought Roy Hodgsons best days were behind him, if he did that's a bad omen. I think he was touting terry vegetables also.

That was Lawrenson unless Houghton said the exact same thing. Hopefully not.

Houghton's obviously not worried about compromising his media work. Wonder if he'll be talking to Giles, Brady and Dunphy about it, they'd certainly have his ear.

[btid1]

Finnally!!Maybe one independent voice will be heard on this panel now!

Houghton has also said this morning that from now on he will refrain from commenting on the Irish team so as not to be compromised in the future by an appointment.

[NeilMcD]

I am not convincec by Houghton the pundit but fair play to him as his motives are pretty good. I think its funny that people have forgotton that Don Givens is an ex player also.

[eekers]

tenuous link of the day: coppell was director of football at palace whilst houghton was there as a player.

[Stuttgart88]

Houghton coached at Palace for a while too. Any overlap?

[NeilMcD]

To be fair to the panel I dont think they are going to go for whoever is their mate or whoever they have worked with before. Adding Houghton to the ticket does seem like that the paranoid feelings we have had that Venables was a shoe in may not be true. That does not mean that Venables will not get the job though.

[eekers]

Houghton coached at Palace for a while too. Any overlap?

nope, houghton came in with alan smith after after coppell resigned

[colster]

That's an Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman. what are the odds that they will hire a Welsh man :)

[geysir]

The strongest connection that the selection panel have with the candidates so far mentioned is Liam Brady.
It's unavoidable.
Houghton gave an interview on RTE and mentioned some good points.

[eekers]

That's an Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman. what are the odds that they will hire a Welsh man :)

toshack 50/1

and whilst at paddypower i checked out Ray Houghton's blog on his views on the next ireland manager
http://blog.paddypower.com/index.php/2007/10/26/next-ireland-manager&promo=BET&creaRAYBLOG



I think the first question you have to answer when looking at who will take the Ireland managers job is who would actually want it? It’s has got to be someone who is fully aware of what’s at stake. The person that takes this job is putting their football ability and reputation on the line. They would have seen from Brian Kerr and Steve Staunton’s reigns that if you don’t qualify, that’s the end of it. Personally, I don’t think that’s the right policy to adopt - it doesn’t set the right example to the players who will be conscious that if they don’t win, then the manager will get fired – it’s not the way to bring about stability.
I think the fans expectations are far too high and we’ve got to be more realistic. We’ve got good, honest, hard-working lads who will go out there and give it there all, but over the course of 10 or 12 games in a league situation, they’re not going to come out on top and more often than not we’re going to finish where we are now which is third or fourth position. I think once we start to realise this rather than getting ahead of ourselves, we can really enjoy it when we do get success. Whoever comes in is going to have to think of all those factors – the players that they’re going to be working with, the FAI and what their role will be, what backing are they going to get?
When you think of who might get the job, you have to think is it going to be an out of work manager who doesn’t mind not being around his players on a day to day basis because make no mistake, it’s a lonely affair. There’s not a lot that Brian Kerr and Steve could do during most weeks. They go to games and things like that, but all that they can realistically do for large parts of the season is sit back and pray that the players that can make the difference results-wise are available to them when the time comes.
It’s easy to throw names around about who might get the job, but the fact is are they the ones that want to take the job on? They’re going to have to have a real desire and a lot of self-belief that they can turn things around. Even the money involved, which I’m lead to believe is much more than it has been in the past, is it enough to convince some candidates because people will look at the FAI and the media attention and say it’s not worth it. It has to be a strong character, who feels they can make a difference.
I’m sorry if I haven’t given much of a clue as to who it might be, but definitely don’t put a penny on me, that’s for sure. If pressed I’d like Paul Jewell, but I think he would miss the day to day involvement with the players. I just hope we get the right man – some people think we do that by getting someone in quickly so he’ll have more time with the players, but that’s no use if he’s not the right man for the job. It’s more important to get a shortlist, get to know the people on the list and find out what they plan to do with the team and where they see the country going in the next few years. Once we do that, we have to give them our full backing, full support and trust them to bring in the right people to move the country forward.

[geysir]

In the RTE interview Houghton afair mentioned these points

There are problems with british football, all the home taem failed to finish in the top 2
Manager would have to have media skills, Jack was fortunate in that there were not that many to begin with but that job is made easier when winning
From a player's perspective the new man is somebody who would have to appeal to me as a player who I would love to play for.
We all wanted to play under Jack, he made it enjoyable, lessen the uptight /fear of making mistakes issue.
Croatia players went to Harrods relaxed before the big game. English players were locked up.

Hype and pressure makes players fearfull, players have to understand that they go out to do their best.
Many boxes will have to be ticked by any candidate, some for sure in particular


We had an attitude of mind we had no big names, but team ethic was very strong, Don says there are some good honest pros in the team now

[eekers]

so he's been speaking to the two dons already, interesting

[Stuttgart88]

Whereas Giles really tried to sell the position to Jewell, you wouldn't want Ray to be trying to persuade someone it's a job worth taking.

The person that takes this job is putting their football ability and reputation on the line. They would have seen from Brian Kerr and Steve Staunton’s reigns that if you don’t qualify, that’s the end of it. Personally, I don’t think that’s the right policy to adopt - it doesn’t set the right example to the players who will be conscious that if they don’t win, then the manager will get fired – it’s not the way to bring about stability.

I think the fans expectations are far too high and we’ve got to be more realistic. We’ve got good, honest, hard-working lads who will go out there and give it there all, but over the course of 10 or 12 games in a league situation, they’re not going to come out on top and more often than not we’re going to finish where we are now which is third or fourth position.

Staunton wasn't fired because we didn't qualify. He was fired because we were consistently total crap. san Marino, Cyprus x2. Crap decisions, selections, substitutions, incomprehensible comments to the press, that kind of thing. Kerr lost his job because he lost the dressing room and because delaney wanted him out.

[Schlooooomp]

Staunton wasn't fired because we didn't qualify. He was fired because we were consistently total crap. san Marino, Cyprus x2. Crap decisions, selections, substitutions, incomprehensible comments to the press, that kind of thing. Kerr lost his job because he lost the dressing room and because delaney wanted him out.

Agreed Stuttgart.

I worry about the addition of Houghton to the panel if those are his thoughts on why Kerr and Staunton got fired. Irish fans for the most part are not idiots, we know that we are not going to qualify for every tournament but we do want someone in charge that gives us the best possible chance.

It looks to me like Houghton just wants to fill up column inches and doesn't really care how he does it.

[youngirish]

Staunton wasn't fired because we didn't qualify. He was fired because we were consistently total crap. san Marino, Cyprus x2. Crap decisions, selections, substitutions, incomprehensible comments to the press, that kind of thing. Kerr lost his job because he lost the dressing room and because delaney wanted him out.
Yeah Houghton is talking utter sh*te, conveniently ignoring the fact that Staunton was clearly out of his depth from the start and masterminded the worst 4 (Cyprus home and away, Holland and San Marino) Irish performances in living memory.

Sorry Ray, we were wrong to want him gone. Let's get him back before he takes the England job.

[geysir]

If Ray thought it was all dandy then why would he think of the new manager
They’re going to have to have a real desire and a lot of self-belief that they can turn things around

[ifk101]

Ray Houghton.

A perfect yes man for the FAI?

Give him money and he'll go on television wearing a potato suit. Or has he already done that?

Anyways his "appointment" fits nicely in with a panel that already includes a FAI employee with strong personal motives clouding his judgement and an old, ailing man that hasn't worked in football for a number of years and has a close relationship with one of the candidates.

Is this really an objective, independent selection panel? Or is a panel that has been created to rubber stamp an appointment (that has already being made) and to give the charade that Delaney has nothing to do with the selection procedure? Notice how Delaney spent so much time distancing himself from Stan's appointment - he doesn't want that to happen again. But can a man like Delaney keep his figures away form the selection process? Of course not. The selection panel is just an elaborate FAI charade.

[Stuttgart88]

I think Ray will be putting himself in the players' shoes.

This would be my expectation:


He'd think Hodgson was technically competent but mightn't get the respect of the players
He'd like Coppell and can identify with him - and understand him
He'd mistrust the continental type caoches
He'd be cautiously positive about Venables
He'd be totally unaware of the wave of public antipathy towards Venables


That said, I hope they have an open mind. They could be pleasantly surprised by what they hear from some candidates.

[geysir]

Ray said he would be looking at the candidate from a players perspective.

[Schlooooomp]

Ray said he would be looking at the candidate from a players perspective.

Any chance of getting someone on the panel that might look at things from the fans perspective?

[colster]

Any chance of getting someone on the panel that might look at things from the fans perspective?

that's ridiculous. how would that help the selection of the right man for the job?

[eekers]

that's ridiculous. how would that help the selection of the right man for the job?

a group of fans to stand in the corner watching the meetings and interviews with jerseys and scarves cheering on the selecters and the candidates. add a bit of atmosphere to the occasion.

[Ireland4ever]

Ray Houghton As a player - Great
Ray Houghton since retirement - An insufferable bore, who makes listening to kenny Cinninghams analysis a joy (And that takes alot!!)

Reading his latest comments regarding the over expectations of the Irish fans laughable. Irish fans want to see that the team is being managed to the best of their ability, failure to qualify for a major tournament is not gonna get you the sack, its the way you go about it that can cause a manager to lose his job. Sure mccarthty got three qualifying campaigns before he got it right, there was no major outcry for him to be sacked when we failed on the 1st and 2nd attempts.

.''...people will look at the FAI and the media attention and say it’s not worth it. It has to be a strong character, who feels they can make a difference..''

Sorry, but Ray is this not a pre-requisite for ANY top flight manager?

[Schlooooomp]

that's ridiculous. how would that help the selection of the right man for the job?

Settle down Colster, it was a joke, just like the current selection panel. What is ridiculous is having a cheerleader like Houghton on the selection panel! If his statements above are anything to judge his knowledge of Irish football by then god help us all.

As far as I am concerned it is another PR exercise by the FAI to get the Fans on board, Delaney really only has a plan A, get an ex player on board and that will keep the fans happy. Didn't work with Staunton, not gonna work with Houghton