Age destined to be a coach, says Devine
WHEN Age Hareide first stood between the Republic of Ireland and the World Cup finals, it brought an abrupt end to a social evening at Norwich with John Devine, the former Ireland full-back. ‘We were at Age’s, having dinner, when the draw was made for the ’86 qualifiers and when we heard Ireland were playing Norway, Age said, “that’s it John, you have to leave now”,’ recalled Devine with a grin. ‘We played against one another in Olso. Norway scored and then shut up shop. We had beaten the USSR in our first qualifier and went to Norway on a high but that defeat knocked us back,’ said Devine. That game in October 1984 was Devine’s 13th, and final cap — a serious knee injury in 1986 curtailed his career. Back then, Hareide and Devine were more than defenders in harness in Canary yellow. On the Norwich team bus after matches, they would sit and discuss the mechanics of a game which has always intrigued them. Hareide went on to coach across the Scandinavian nations, while Devine, who played for Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final, soldiered on in India, Norway and the League of Ireland, where he signed off from the front-line shortly after the 1991 FAI Cup final with Shamrock Rovers. After completing his coaching badges, the highly-regarded Devine has held a variety of roles, including 10 years with Manchester United as their Irish academy director. Along the way, Devine and Hareide have kept in touch, particularly when Devine played in Norway with IK Start in the late 1980s. ‘It didn’t surprise me that Age went down the road of coaching, as he was always thinking about the game. He’s a great fellah, even if I won’t be on his side in the play-offs,’ said Devine. Also at Norwich at the time with Devine was Martin O’Neill, who showed kindness towards the new signing from Arsenal. ‘I was put up in a hotel at the time. After a week or so, Martin asked me how I was getting on and when I said it was a bit claustrophobic, he offered me his granny flat in his house, which was so much better,’ said Devine. ‘Even then, Martin had a way of looking after players, which has stood to him in management.’ Recently, Devine was invited by O’Neill to meet the Irish players and got to see some familiar faces from his coaching clinics, including Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick. These days, the muchtravelled ‘Joker’ Devine is a long way from his native Church Street in Dublin. When we spoke, Devine was about to head to work as technical director of the Almaden Soccer Club in San Diego. The club is the official North American partner to Bayern Munich and Devine heads to Las Vegas this weekend for the Mayor’s Cup under-age tournament to check on half a dozen Bayern teams. He also has his own John Devine Academy up and running in southern California. ‘San Diego is a great place to work, the weather is fantastic, and everyone is so enthusiastic,’ he said. That Devine had to travel halfway around the world to be recognised as a coaching pioneer is perhaps a question for those in the Irish football hierarchy. While he may be a long way from home, Devine follows the fortunes of the national team closely and will be tuned in for the first leg next Saturday week. An Irish win in Copenhagen would make the day that extra special — it coincides with Devine’s 59th birthday.