O'Shea signs a one-year deal with Reading. Good luck to him:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44361289
Slightly surprised by that to be honest - effectively a move up a division*, which I didn't expect at his age.
Anyways, yeah, best of luck to him with it.
* - ok, it's also a move up four places in the league, but still.
Hopefully he and Meyler will knock some sense into Kelly!
John starts on the bench for Reading tonight in the opening game of the Championship as they host Derby. Meyler and Kelly partner in midfield, while McShane is at the back for Reading. Keogh starts at the back for Derby with Pearce on the bench.
Appointed as first team coach for Stoke City. Not sure what this means for his current role at the FAI.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62265586
https://punditarena.com/football/jam...oaching-staff/
Combining role according to this…
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
Moves from the U21s to the senior set up. FAI playing it safe perhaps and not looking towards an outside appointment who could walk in the summer or the fact Kenny could be out of a job in the summer.
Doesn't sound like the FAI were willing to commit to anything long term given it's ended up being O'Shea. Tells its own story I think.
That’s disappointing. No disrespect to JoSH but there has been talk of a new coach coming in since last summer, the announcement of which was put off more than once. Was expecting somebody with a proven coaching experience to come in, and not an internal promotion.
Would have been a hard sell to get someone external who is rated to come in in the circumstances I think, even if the FAI were willing to fund it.
Well it might play out long term though. Any new manager that may end up coming in will want his own staff, but at the same time John O'Shea and Dean Kiely look like safe bets that could be kept on by a new manager and bring in his own assistant. Especially if the FAIs preferred choice to come in is Lee Carsley who'd know the two lads very well.
Anyone that was proven would be looking at Kenny's job rather than helping Kenny, and then you gotta sell it to them that being the manager is good for their long term ambitions of being a manager. Plus after Eustace walking away after three months on the job the FAI don't want that situation happening again, especially in this year.
As mentioned above it wouldn't surprise me if the option of John O'Shea being promoted is long term planning by the FAI for the next manager. Can't see John O'Shea walking away mid campaign, either for a better job or if the manager is sacked. New managers will obviously have staff they've worked with but if Carsley is their man then could be hard for him to attract the coaches he's working with at the FA over to the FAI.
So makes sense somewhat that O'Shea was promoted from within to work with the seniors. I thought someone like Rory Delap could have been an outside option for similar reasons.
How does this scream they want Kenny and Andrews gone, plus if they want them gone bad enough could have done it last year when they had the option.
For all we know outside options could have been looked at. Options that Kenny suggested but turned it down and they felt John O'Shea was the better option for them rather than appointing an outsider for the sake it for other reasons I mentioned above.
You'd wonder if things are very different at board level in the FAI now with Roy Barrett heading for the door. He would have pushed for whoever Kenny wanted on a long term contract. With him having less of a say it sounds more like a hold the fort option for a few months ahead of a potential shake up in the summer or early autumn.
I personally think this is a fantastic appointment. Someone the players will really look up to, has been there and done it as a player, and has cut his teeth in coaching the right way, through the underage setup with FAI, and with Reading previously, now first team coach at Stoke.
Seemed to be a really bright spark in the under-21 setup too. Surely something Kenny would have been following closely too. Can't really see a downside to this.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
The reaction to this I've seen in most places mirrors his career in many ways.
If we had a player today that came through the youth ranks at United and went on to have the career that he did with them we'd be delighted, O'Shea got ridiculous abuse for years on end and I dont think he was ever really fully appreciated.
The reaction Ive seen to this appointment (admittedly on social media where the majority are always idiots), is the people are pretty underwhelmed by it. I think most would be happier to get someone they've never heard of but had links to a big club somewhere.
I think its brilliant. Firstly he is a big name with fantasic playing career behind him that the players will respect. But also more importantly it shows a pathway for our ex players to get involved at underage and there is a succession route to the senior team.
Agree he has the playing merits, is a role model, and knows the players with his U21 involvement but I’d want more than he “seems” to be good. Is he a good coach and more importantly, the coach we need?
Hopefully he is a brilliant coach. But what we know is he isn’t Kenny first choice for the role because:
1. Kenny stated in August 2022 that he hoped to have a replacement for Eustace in place next month – i.e. September 2022. https://www.the42.ie/stephen-kenny-i...31330-Aug2022/ (JoSH could have been taken from the U21 then)
2. In September 2022, there was no news regarding a new coach https://www.the42.ie/stephen-kenny-i...67929-Sep2022/ (JoSH could have bee taken from the U21 then)
3. In November 2022 there was apparent immediate demands by the FAI to have a new coach in asap
https://extra.ie/2022/11/22/sport/so...-fai-ultimatum (JoSH could have been taken from the U21 then)
4. It is stated here in January 2023 that Kenny had contacted Barry to get him back onboard https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/...-41055644.html
5. In January 2023, again mention of getting this (appointment) "in place as quickly as possible" and the name Brian Barry-Murphy
https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...tment-29017971
All this background going on for six months until yesterday’s appointment of a current FAI employee in John O’Shea.
Brian Barry-Murphy being mentioned was just typical clickbait BS. No chance would he give up his job at City to be Kenny's no.3.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
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