Originally Posted by
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!!