Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[Diggs246]

I don't really get why everyone is up in arms, I would rather O'Neill then someone who hasn't the slightest idea about our players going into Euro 2020
Also he has credit in the bank guys
Qualified for 2016, win against Germany world champions, win against Italy in the Euros, win away against Austria, win against Bosnia
I know it hasn't all been good and in fact some of it has been poor, but that's not bad. also we are not out of the world cup yet

[Lionel Ritchie]

I don't believe in change for the sake of change so in the absence of a compelling replacement I'm reasonably happy for him to continue. Though I've stated my unhappiness before with the whole culture around the marquee manager that Delaney has now brought into this.

"some of it has been poor" is an understatement mind. Unless we experience an improbable and utterly unpredictable change in form over the imminent 180 minutes of competetive football then 2017 -that is the entire year -has been an unqualified (no puns) collapse.

[osarusan]

With 2 games to go and qualification still up in the balance (to put it optimistically), it's hard to imagine that the management team have met any targets or benchmarks that applied, unless those benchmarks were extremely generous.

[DannyInvincible]

'FAI may have been too quick to hand Martin O’Neill new contract': https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football...-new-contract/

If he manages a top-two finish — irrespective of whether it is enough to reach a play-off — there is a strong case for him to be kept on but, right now, it’s too premature to make an assessment of the campaign. If the FAI felt they had to warn off suitors, its stance might make more sense but there is nothing to suggest that.

Rewind 12 years and they refused to extend Brian Kerr’s stay until Ireland’s fate was known. When his side fell short, didn’t keep him on. Trapattoni was given new deals when something tangible was achieved, a play-off spot in 2009 and qualification in 2011. So why the change in tack?

I think O'Riordan makes good points.

[Diggs246]

'FAI may have been too quick to hand Martin O’Neill new contract': https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football...-new-contract/



I think O'Riordan make good points.

I don't agree RE Trap, Trap had brilliant players of this ilk, who were in their prime: Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Duff, Robbie Keane, John O Shea, Coleman ( didn't use him enough) Wes ( didn't use him enough)James McCarthy ( didn't use him enough) McCLean ( didn't use him enough) Steve Finnan ( didn't use him enough) Stephen Reis ( didn't use him enough) and Andy Reid ( didn't use him)

O' Neill doesn't have that talent to play around with

[tetsujin1979]

I don't agree RE Trap, Trap had brilliant players of this ilk, who were in their prime: Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Duff, Robbie Keane, John O Shea, Coleman ( didn't use him enough) Wes ( didn't use him enough)James McCarthy ( didn't use him enough) McCLean ( didn't use him enough) Steve Finnan ( didn't use him enough) Stephen Reis ( didn't use him enough) and Andy Reid ( didn't use him)

O' Neill doesn't have that talent to play around with

Didn't Finnan retire at the beginning of Trap's reign?

[Diggs246]

Didn't Finnan retire at the beginning of Trap's reign?

No he was another one trap fell out with

[MeathDrog]

Timing is ideal to be honest IF the FAI Board decided that they wanted to keep MON irrespective of the results. If they left it until after the two games and we qualify (after play off), his standing goes up, as does his salary demands and his attraction to other Associations/clubs. If we don't qualify, so be it as they wanted MON to carry on. Whether people think he is the man to carry on is another issue. The Board thinks he is and therefore the timing is correct.

I don't think there's anyone who would be interested in Mon even if we do qualify tbh, certainly not from top tier clubs/associations.

[MeathDrog]

No he was another one trap fell out with

Finnan and Reid were old/crocked by the time Trap came around.

[tetsujin1979]

No he was another one trap fell out with

Trapattoni was the one who convinced him to return: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...team.liverpool

[Diggs246]

http://metro.co.uk/tag/steve-finnan/

He went with McShane instead of Finnan for the play offs against France .... how did that work out

[tetsujin1979]

http://metro.co.uk/tag/steve-finnan/

He went with McShane instead of Finnan for the play offs against France .... how did that work out

He went with O'Shea, McShane came on as a sub. Finnan had only played four games that season after signing for Portsmouth, and missed most of the previous season in Spain.

[Diggs246]

I meant he went woth McShane ahead of Finnan. Finnan and Reid were both fit for the France game

[tetsujin1979]

I meant he went woth McShane ahead of Finnan. Finnan and Reid were both fit for the France game

Finnan wasn't fit, he was taken off for Portsmouth against Wigan at the end of October, and missed their next four games. Didn't play against until early December.

not sure which Reid you mean. Steven was out of the Blackburn team at that time and Andy was out of favour with the manager at the time.

[Fixer82]

McCarthy wasn’t in his prime, he was still a kid at that stage

[geysir]

Aside from O'Neill's hoofball fetish and some dismal slipshod performances, he has had to work with quite a few players who were around in Trap's time and not exactly top notch even when in their prime. Ward is still our best at LB, Whelan still a constant presence, Walters, O'Shea, McClean and Wes is turning 50 soon, though Ward has remained at his consistent level and Murphy has improved since Trap.

There should have been a tacit agreement that there be no new contract discussions until the current qual campaign has finished.

[DannyInvincible]

McCarthy wasn’t in his prime, he was still a kid at that stage

I'm pretty sure Coleman wasn't a settled right-back either until around 2011 or 2012. He was on loan with Blackpool in the Championship during 2010 - where he made nine appearances - and was then appearing on right midfield for Everton for a period after that. He didn't play a huge deal in 2011-12. Was he injured or was that due to a dip in form? His best season to date was undoubtedly 2013-14, which coincided with O'Neill taking over from Trap at international level (in November 2013).

[Fixer82]

Liam Brady: “Denis O’Brien is the benefactor of some of the manager’s wages and would probably say ‘I have nothing to do with it’ but I think he does”.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't believe in change for the sake of change so in the absence of a compelling replacement I'm reasonably happy for him to continue. Though I've stated my unhappiness before with the whole culture around the marquee manager that Delaney has now brought into this.

"some of it has been poor" is an understatement mind. Unless we experience an improbable and utterly unpredictable change in form over the imminent 180 minutes of competetive football then 2017 -that is the entire year -has been an unqualified (no puns) collapse.

I'm sure a viable replacement could have been found if a search was undertaken. Personally, I think Stephen Kenny would have been suitable. I know others wouldn't agree, but I explained my thinking here and here (although I guess such talk is academic now):

If O'Neill was to be replaced - and it's something I'm growing more and more open to because I think there are superior options out there and we could be utilising our talents much better - I'd like to see either Stephen Kenny or Michael O'Neill in charge. Kenny would be the preference. He does a great job with Dundalk on limited resources and has them playing a fantastic and very much watchable brand of football that also happens to bring positive results. Kenny has worked directly with a few of the players in and around the squad before as well - James McClean, Stephen Ward, Daryl Horgan, Seáni Maguire and Andy Boyle, for example - and I'm sure he would command a broad respect, especially from those who came through or played in the LOI and those who may have encountered him already in some form or another due to that. (When Brian Kerr was put in charge of the senior international team, there seemed to be a disconnect or a lack of respect from the players, possibly on account of Kerr's LOI background at a time when our international players simply didn't come through the LOI, save for the odd exception like Jason Byrne or Glen Crowe who didn't receive a huge deal of international recognition anyway, but I would expect a contrast in how the present group of players would regard Kenny.)

Some further opinion on O'Neill's contract extension from Brian Kerr: https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017...eill-contract/

"I think the timing is strange," [Kerr] told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland programme.

"I think most football people would think it’s a little premature when we haven’t finished the group yet, we have two important games to go. It’s not usually how the board of the FAI and its chief executive have worked in relation to managers in recent times. Also, given that the games are so important, I would have thought that the concentration would have been totally on achieving the two results over the next few days."

And from Paul Doyle in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football...martin-o-neill

I thought the following paragraph was both amusing and depressing at the same time in how accurate it was:

Ireland’s matches tend to follow one of two scripts: either they take an early lead and then back off as if they have committed an embarrassing faux pas, as in Georgia last month; or they start sluggishly and then stage a late rally, as in the home draw with Austria in June. Seldom have they have been good for 90 minutes. A lack of control has been a recurring feature. A sensible default prediction for almost any match involving Ireland these days is a draw, because without being defensively sound, they are cussedly hard to beat and grievously lacking in creativity.

[Metrostars]

I always think 2 qualification cycles(WC/EC) is enough for a manager. By the third cycle, the players need changing and managers tend to stick with what he knows.