Experience not vital for national job – Delaney
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Experience not vital for national job – Delaney
January 11, 2006
Football Association of Ireland Chief Executive John Delaney has declared that a lack of top-level management experience is not as essential for an international job as it would be to take up a high-profile club job.
Delaney headed the three-man subcommittee which looks to have settled on Steve Staunton as the next Irish manager, with former England boss Bobby Robson set to join as special adviser.
The chief criticism of the choice – which is set to be confirmed next week – is Staunton’s lack of dug-out experience; he is just five months into a player-coach role at League One side Walsall.
Delaney attended a function in Kerry on Tuesday night and while he stopped short of naming Staunton, he insisted a lack of experience should be no barrier to the next Irish boss doing a solid job.
The FAI CEO is quoted in Wednesday’s Irish Daily Star as saying: “Experience is not vital because managing an international team is different to managing in the Premiership where you can buy and sell players. We can only use the players that are available to us, so to motivate them was one thing.
“The other aspect was to be able to make tactical adjustments during a game and to be able to vary your style of football depending on whether you are away or at home.”