Why now is the time for change
I don’t want this to be considered a knee jerk reaction to the fact that we’ve not qualified for another major championship. Nor do I want it thought an idea influenced by the unwarranted media induced venom toward Brian Kerr in recent times.
After the disappointment of not qualifying we have to take stock of a number of things before a decision is made. First we have to ask ourselves have we seen anything over the last two and three quarter years to support a stance that Brian Kerr is the man to take us to the Euro Championships in 2008. Secondly we have to ask if there’s anybody better, and willing to take on the role, available. The answer to both is obviously subjective, and could possibly be argued for a long time to come.
I didn’t agree with alot of Kerr’s thinking and I’m not going to take this thread down that avenue. It’s not for me to question the technical aspect of his reign to date. It would be misguided of me as an armchair fan to assume I know better than a man with decades of experience seeped in the game, as well as having much greater exposure to the players in question. And I’m sure given the platform Kerr could easily justify, with facts and reference, every decision he’s made during his tenure. My conclusion on Kerr’s future is based largely on the following.
We have to ask the above questions bearing in mind that there’s a period of transition regarding playing resources ahead. Roy Keane and Kenny Cunningham are no longer options, while Matt Holland and Garry Breen have gone on record questioning their international future after this qualifying campaign. The absence of the aforementioned from future squads dramatically reduces the average age and there’s the potential of an extended run without any impacts to headcounts due to further retirements.
If Kerr is given a new contract it’s most likely to cover the qualifications for the Euro ’08 Championships alone. I for one don’t want to have to endure this upcoming period of transition and have it cited as a handicap during qualifying Euro ‘08, only to suffer another period of transition under a new manager for the following effort. I believe that, however unfair it may seem, now is the time for a clean slate for the playing and management staff, otherwise we’ll spend the next four years in some form of transition of other.
Before any decision is made the FAI need to take a long hard look at how they conduct themselves. On the face of it they’ve played a huge hand in breakdown of a decent relationship between us as fans and the last two Irish managers toward the end of their respective tenures.
