Steve Staunton

Originally Posted by John83

The ****e he spouted after games like the Cyprus defeats (even if the second one was only a moral defeat) was kicking the fans when they were down.

I'll never forget Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager. I have no end of admiration for a man who could admit that he wasn't good enough, who was hurt and ashamed that he had failed. I'll not soon forget Staunton's dour refusals to recognise reality, nor his dogged determination to collect his golden handshake.

I also note from that article that Staunton hasn't even his A licence.

Didn't stop him leaving Man City "by mutual consent" and getting a golden handshake or now thinking he's good enough for the Newcastle job.

I don't blame anyone for looking for a golden handshake if their long term prospects of getting another decent job for the next 30 years looks remote in the extreme. This holier than thou attack is hypocritical in my opinion. Which one of us, if having a 4 years contract at work, are asked to leave with no future prospect of a job would say to his employer, "Naw boss, you keep the money. I don't deserve it".

As for not having the A Licence, I assume his employers knew that.

I would. This argument always annoys me. Its not like he was working for employers whose sole aim is to turn a profit. Money could have been better put to use elsewhere. Price of tickets for games is feckin ridiculous. Then this sham who sends out teams who perform cluelessly gets a big pay off for his efforts. And still he doesnt even know where it all went wrong! Everyone else to blame but himself.

Originally Posted by Billsthoughts

I would. This argument always annoys me. Its not like he was working for employers whose sole aim is to turn a profit. Money could have been better put to use elsewhere. Price of tickets for games is feckin ridiculous. Then this sham who sends out teams who perform cluelessly gets a big pay off for his efforts. And still he doesnt even know where it all went wrong! Everyone else to blame but himself.

Oh, so when you're being asked to leave "by mutual consent" by your employer, you would consider that your company could better employ the money elsewhere and for the greater good of the company, you won't take the money even though you've no propect of a decent job for the next 30 years because you were so brutal.

I believe you.

I think Stan is well within his rights to get paid out the remainder of his contract. That's business.

His PR case would be best served by a dose of humility, accepting that the task proved too much for him and that he has a lot to learn. Instead he regurgitated the defensive trench mentality that it was the media and hostile fans. If only his defence on the pitch was as stubborn.

Brian Kerr said afterwards that he would do exactly the same again.

Yeah, but he didn't do as much wrong!

Not the point, even if he made a decision that didn't turn out positive he would do exactly the same again if given the chance.
l

Sure, but I wasn't saying that Kerr shouldn't have adopted the same approach. Kerr was just as stubborn but he's old news now.

I just think that Staunton will not make any progress on the PR front until he adopts a different tone.

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

Oh, so when you're being asked to leave "by mutual consent" by your employer, you would consider that your company could better employ the money elsewhere and for the greater good of the company, you won't take the money even though you've no propect of a decent job for the next 30 years because you were so brutal.

I believe you.

As I said in previous post its not comapring like with like. I am not already a millionaire for starters. He doesnt need to work for the next 30 years so point you make is redundant. You seem very "selective" in any causes you take up.

The writing is sympathetic towards him - and that is fair enough in my
book. He didn't set out to do a bad job: as I always maintained, he
was put in this position. Honestly, if I was offered the job tomorrow
I think I would take it and think later. Impulsive and not best
advised, sure, but hardly deserving of the level and intensity of
ridicule that he got during the job.

It is the major truism of football that managers are the ones who pay
for bad performances with their heads, not the players. You can't sack
your starting XI and send the Dons and Ray Houghton out to interview
another team. To echo Keano the Senior, the majority of our senior
players simply did not show up for us. Richie Dunne is the only one
who springs to mind as showing the level of grit and desire required.
Shay Given, Lee Carsley and Steve Finnan had indifferent campaigns.The
less said about the performances of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff (the
Slovakia game aside), John O'Shea and Kevin Kilbane the better.

If we are to take seriously the task of apportioning blame for the
litany of fiascos (which Stan glosses over with his misguided comments
about Scotland - almost dismissing their two wins over France! and the
strength of England's group, which was certainly a stiffer challenge
than ours), then to my mind we shouldn't delude ourselves that simply
by getting rid of Stan we have lanced the ulcer on Irish football. Our
big players went missing and failed repeatedly when their mettle was
tested. Frustrating though it may sound, what Staunton (and Kerr
before him) said about it being up to the players once they cross the
whitewash rings true. Whoever the next manager is will not have it set
up for himself simply by virtue of the fact that he is not Staunton.
We have a raft of under-functioning players who need to get their own
act together first before the new boss's plans have any chance of
sticking.

Staunton got a rough deal from beginning to end. He was approached and
appointed to a job he should never have been let near at this stage in
his managerial career, such as it was. He was, indeed, very unlucky
with injuries. That said, he got a number of calls very badly wrong.
Lee Carsley and Andy Reid being left out. Picking Kilbane and Ireland
in CM v Cyprus. Equally, Robbie Keane let him down badly as his
captain. His treatment in the tabloid press went beyond the usual
histrionic tripe they peddle - the whole 'muppet' gag was simply
demeaning. Whatever difficulties I had with Staunton's appointment and
performance, that sort of inane, childish treatment was simply
uncalled for. Those people do not represent me. If anything, their
behaviour made me feel more sympathy for Stan, they were giving him
such a relentlessly bad time, with no real right of reply. Maybe
that's all part of being a manager. Sure. Maybe. But maybe it's also
completely immature and hysterical too.

I am glad that Staunton took the chances he did with players like Joey
O'Brien, Paul McShane, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Hunt, Darren Potter, Aiden
McGeady and Stephen Ireland. Our strength in depth of capped
internationals is as healthy as I can remember - numbers-wise, if not
quite proven quality-wise just yet. He has left things in a better
state in this regard, and I am grateful for his work there.
Nevertheless, this squad should wake up and realise it has a point to
prove. A much tougher qualification group stands between us and this
World Cup. Heads need to be knocked together. Dunne needs to be made
captain. The team has to be given a system it can trust and a plan
which stands a chance of working. That's the manager's business. But
it will be the same old story if the senior players don't start
behaving as such: and like I have said earlier, if we really face
those facts, then we'll be talking about eleven muppets instead of
one.

Great post TP, hard to disagree with any of it.

While I'd disagree on substantial portions of it I entirely empathise on the issue of the tabloids (in particular -by no means exclusively) treatment of Stan, their intrusions, violations of privacy, general meddling etc... and I echo the sentiment that these clowns do not represent or in any way speak for me or my interests.

In that respect, I fear we are indeed drifting toward a situation similar to the English one where this particular section of the media believe they hold the national team in trust for the people and therefore have a right to exert influence over it's affairs.

Staunton speaking about new Irish manager "in the studio" on SSN "shortly" - should be compelling

I can't wait to hear the **** he comes out with!

'hopefully whoever takes over will continue what we started'

'his credentials are second to none...what's his English like'

'I'm out of a job because we lost one in twelve'

"I'm out of a job because I lost one in 12".

"Hopefully the new man can come in and finish off what we started, with all the young players".

Oddly considering he was building for 2010, he thinks we'll struggle to qualify, what has changed!

He seems a lot more relaxed on it but stil talking rubbish

He has just added

"I think it worked out quite well"

"the players were enthusiastic and unfit players were ringing me asking to be included in squads" (like in the USA eh?)

How stupid is that man? How stupid does he think we are?

Just say the job was too hard for a rookie, I made mistakes but did some good things too and I look forward to the next challenge.

He had players "ringin me up wanting to come into squads even though they weren't fit, so we must have been doin' somethin right"

Is he taking the ****? Maybe Alan O Brien?

At least he had the balls to answer a few questions on t.v. only..... 102 days after being sacked.

methinks however he's trying to put his name out there so he may have a furure in management. I heard the other day he applied for the Southampton job?