JUST THE JOB FOR ROB?
ROBBIE KEANE is set to be part of the conversation about the make-up of the Republic of Ireland’s next under-21 management team after Noel King stepped down yesterday.
Mirror Sport revealed in early August the former Spurs striker could be handed a coaching role within the Irish set-up, with the Dubliner not expected to return to Indian club ATK for their new season.
He had a caretaker player-manager at the Kolkata outfit at the tail end of last season.
But Steve Coppell has since taken charge there and Martin O’neill has suggested Keane could be utilised in a coaching capacity in green.
King, 60, steps down to take the role of player indentification manager within the association’s high performance unit after eight years in charge of the under-21s.
In that period he capped more than 25 players who went on to play for the senior team including Shane Duffy, Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick. But Ireland failed to reach tournament finals during his reign, with King twice finishing third in European Championship qualifying.
He said: “I would like to thank FAI CEO John Delaney and the FAI Board for placing their trust in me at the beginning and for their support over the eight years.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the role and was honoured to hold such a distinguished position.
“I enjoyed some fantastic experiences and I am proud to have helped move the team on during my period with the under-21s. I’m hugely thankful to all of the players and backroom staff – ranging from coaches, doctors, physios, kit technicians, operation executives, analysts, to media officers – who I was fortunate to work with.
“I take with me some great memories from over the years and moving forward I’m excited to continue working with the FAI in the capacity of identifying players to represent Ireland.”
FAI high performance director Ruud Dokter paid tribute to the Dubliner’s work since he took charge in July 2010.
He said: “Under-21 football is one of the most challenging tiers in international football.
“Noel has done a very good job to keep Ireland competitive in that environment, continually improving players and the team’s overall ranking.
“Noel has also helped to develop a lot of players, which continues the good work being done along the elite player pathway.
“I thank Noel for his work with the Under-21s and look forward to continually supporting him in the player identification role.”