Very good article from the Indo in my view.
Staunton's gamble backfires
Friday August 18th 2006
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Irish boss discovering just how fickle Irish public opinion can be
HAS the first crisis of Steve Staunton's managerial career been caused by his decision to play only three warm-up games before the Euro 2008 qualifiers?
The rookie manager took office last January but Ireland have only had three games in the seven months he has been charge and on the eve of the visit to Germany that's suddenly looking like far too few for comfort.
Staunton opted to play only one end of season friendly, against Chile, on May 24 and resisted the many offers to take on teams looking for warm-ups games ahead of the World Cup Finals in Germany.
At the time he explained that he didn't want to prolong the season for his players because he wanted them to get a good break and return fresh and ready for the Euro 2008 kick-off in the autumn.
His plan was to use this week's friendly against Holland as a full scale dress rehearsal for the September 2 opener against Germany in Stuttgart but the injuries which ravaged his squad and deprived him of five first choice players put paid to that.
The outcome was that Ireland suffered their heaviest home defeat in 40 years and Staunton is now finding out just how fickle public opinion can be. Of course, getting criticism from certain quarters is nothing knew to Staunton who, as a player, was often the target of certain pundits seeking an easy scapegoat.
As Ireland's most capped international footballer and as somebody whose involvement with the senior squad dates back to 1988, Staunton knows how national team players think and his management style is very player orientated.
His decision not to play into June was a player based decision yet he was let down by those very same players on Wednesday night as they produced one of the most listless performance ever seen from an Irish team at Lansdowne Road.
Staunton should have learned from his immediate predecessors and the manner in which they prepared for their first full campaigns in charge of Ireland.
When Mick McCarthy became manager of Ireland in February 1996 he played eight friendly games before his first competitive outing in August of that year against Liechtenstein.
Prepared
While Brian Kerr began his managerial career in mid-campaign, the Dubliner prepared for his first full campaign by having nine warm-up games between November 2003 to August 2004.
The forthcoming Euro 2004 campaign is going to see a marathon 12 games between next month and November 2007 and, with the games coming thick and fast, Staunton is going to need a strong squad.
That's why it would have been a good idea to hand the fringe players in his squad the opportunity to gain valuable international experience last June.
It didn't need to be against opposition heading for the World Cup Finals, although the likes of Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago and Angola would have provided good tests for an inexperienced Irish squad.
The much maligned US Cup served Mick McCarthy well in the past while the Unity Cup in 2004 saw Brian Kerr try out players like Clive Clarke, Martin Rowlands, Stephen McPhail, Graham Barrett, Nick Colgan and Aiden McGeady and make a judgement on them before selecting his World Cup qualifying squad.
A similar venture last June could have produced valuable experience for the likes of Paddy Kenny, Wayne Henderson, McGeady, Kevin Doyle, Joey O'Brien, Stephen Kelly, Stephen Ireland, Stephen Elliott and Daryl Murphy.
A series of games in quick succession would have allowed Staunton, Bobby Robson and Kevin MacDonald to fine-tune their style of play and it would also have allowed Staunton to search for back-up centre-backs.
His decision not to add the likes of Gary Doherty or Paddy McCarthy to his squad when Richard Dunne withdrew was another error as it meant that John O'Shea had to be withdrawn from his new midfield partnership with Steven Reid.
Presence
O'Shea's presence in midfield was missed as Ireland failed to close down the Dutch and with centre backs scarce on the ground Staunton now knows he has to find proper cover for Dunne and Andy O'Brien ahead of the trip to Stuttgart.
While the absence of Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Ian Harte, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane was a key factor in Ireland's defeat on Wednesday it should not be forgotten that five of the players who are likely to start against Germany were on the pitch at kick-off.
The back four was far from inexperienced as Stephen Carr, John O'Shea, Andy O'Brien and Steve Finnan went into the game with a collective total of 132 international appearances between them not to mention a wealth of Premiership and European club experience.
One of the most disappointing aspects of the game was the lack of communication at the back which resulted in the concession of goals that were sloppy from a defensive point of view and goalkeeper Paddy Kenny must also bear some of the responsibility.
To be fair to Staunton he quickly copped on what was happening. He watched the start of the game from the West Lower Stand at Lansdowne but within 10 minutes he was down on the touch-line roaring at his team to get forward and start pressurising the Dutch, especially goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
It was obvious that his half-time team talk and switches brought a bit of spark to the Irish performance only for more sloppy defending to unravel his best efforts.
The reality is that Ireland does not have the pool of players needed to consistently compete at the top level of world football so Staunton must make-do with what's available.
When he got the job in January he was handed a four-year contract by the FAI and the objective was to build a team capable of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.
These are early days in his managerial career and like everybody starting out in a new career he is going to make mistakes.
He will ultimately be judged when his contract expires and his success will depend on how quickly he learns.
Gerry McDermott
