[SIZE=2]Roddys dishes Fenlon for Hibs
[/SIZE]
[COLOR=#0000ff]http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/more-scottish-football/scotland-taking-notes-from-a-small-island-1.1135257[/COLOR]
IT seems Irish football is in vogue once more. While a nation celebrates the Republic’s qualification for next summer’s European Championships, their club managers are also being sized up for various vacancies at Scottish clubs.
There is little correlation between the two events – the national team is managed by an Italian and none of the squad play their football domestically – but there is no doubting that soccer in Ireland is on a high right now.
That wave of optimism has not gone unnoticed in Scotland. Whether due to the decline of standards in the Scottish Premier League or an improvement in the League of Ireland, it seems the gap between the two – in terms of perceived quality and professionalism – is closer than ever.
It has led to Scottish clubs looking across the water for candidates whenever they draw up the shortlist for their next possible manager.
To date, only Stephen Kenny, who spent a year at Dunfermline Athletic before returning to Derry City, has ended up making the switch from one league to the other, but others have been under consideration.
There are no cultural difficulties and the style of football is similar. Chairmen know what they will be getting from managers in Ireland \
Dundee United wanted Pat Fenlon to replace Craig Levein as manager last year only for the move to fall through because of Bohemians’ compensation demands.
More recently St Johnstone looked to Paul Cook as the man to succeed Derek McInnes but couldn’t agree personal terms with the Sligo Rovers manager and ended up turning their attention instead to Steve Lomas.
Now it seems Hibernian are considering two coaches from the League of Ireland as they continue their pursuit for a successor to Colin Calderwood.
Fenlon is again in the frame – the bookmakers’ odds on him getting the job were dramatically slashed earlier in the week – while the other candidate is Michael O’Neill, the former Hibs player who recently helped guide Shamrock Rovers to a second consecutive league title on top of the earlier achievement of reaching the group phase of the Europa League.
There is little doubt that Irish-based managers are still seen as a cheaper option, although United’s cash wrangle with Bohemians and Cook’s failure to agree terms with St Johnstone would seem to suggest that is gradually becoming less the case.
There would also be the hope that those with experience of the League of Ireland would be able to source up-and-coming local talent – the next Paddy McCourt ideally – and persuade them their futures lay in Scottish football.
Then there is the small matter of summer football. The Irish changed their calendar several years ago and have reaped the rewards, most notably in European competition where their increased state of readiness has led to an upturn in results.
It also means their season now comes to a halt in late October, usually around the time when underfire Scottish chairmen may be thinking it is time for a change in the dugout following a poor start to the campaign. Putting all these components together, it is hardly a surprise that Scottish clubs are looking to Ireland as an enticing alternative to the names usually thrown into the mix whenever a vacancy arises.
“There are certainly managers over here who could hack it in the SPL,” was the viewpoint of Roddy Collins, manager of recently promoted Monaghan United and someone perenially linked to Scottish clubs. “I know it didn’t work out for Stephen Kenny at Dunfermline but many of the managers here are more advanced now than they ever were, many with their UEFA Pro licences and experience of European football.
“They also know the players in the league, and a lot of them could make the step up to the SPL. Ireland’s also not far from Scotland, there are no cultural difficulties and the style of football between the two leagues is similar. So club chairmen know by and large what they will be getting when they come for managers in the League of Ireland.”
The reputation of Scottish football among the Irish has suffered in recent years but Collins feels any criticism is unwarranted and unfair. “Some people here try to demean Scottish football when they hear Paul Cook or Michael O’Neill are thinking of moving over but I can’t understand why. For me it’s still a step up from Irish football, 100%. The SPL’s a great league and anyone operating in the League of Ireland would be crazy to turn down an approach to go there.”
Of the two leading candidates for the Hibs vacancy, Collins believes O’Neill would be the better fit. “Michael’s probably taken Shamrock as far as he can so, unless he’s waiting on a move to England, I think Hibs would be perfect for him. He’s well-respected there as a former player and he’s shown he’s got what it takes to be a manager.
“Pat has shown in his career that he can succeed when he’s got plenty of money to spend but when he had no money he failed. At a club watching its budget you have to show you can work with little or no money and unfortunately for Pat he has the legacy of working at two clubs who ended up bankrupt. He should have taken the Dundee United job when he had the chance, even if it meant working for half the money so the compensation could get paid.”
Collins, who was once involved in a failed takeover of Gretna and managed Bohemians to their shock UEFA Cup win over Aberdeen, revealed he would leap at the chance to one day manage in Scotland. “I was asked to put my name in for the Hibs job a few weeks ago by an agent,” he added. “I don’t think I’ll get it on this occasion but I’d definitely be interested if a similar job came up in future. I think my cv shows I could do a decent job over there.”
Bookmarks