RICH GLAD PAL COULD STAY JOHN
THERE was an early indicator yesterday of movement in the seemingly endless search for a new
international manager.
Stephen Rice – chief scout, opposition analyst and coach under Stephen Kenny – had been handed a threemonth contract extension, went the whisper.
The former Shamrock
Rovers midfielder’s deal, which was due to expire today, will now run until the end of May.
Whether he remains in his role beyond that is down to the next permanent head coach.
We finally know, as of shortly before 1pm yesterday, that the appointment will be confirmed by early next month.
It will set – by some distance – a new record in the pursuit of a manager. It’s been 99 days since Stephen Kenny’s reign came to an end and the counter will hit 131 by April 1.
That’s 20 days longer than the time between Steve Staunton’s exit and the agreement in principle with Giovanni Trapattoni, who was seeing out his contract at Red Bull Salzburg.
But at least now we know who will be picking the squad for next month’s friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland. Richard Dunne (inset) spoke yesterday, via a betting site, about the merits of John O’shea being involved in some way under the next regime.
The quotes came out a few hours before O’shea was confirmed as interim head coach, along with his assistant for the two games, Paddy Mccarthy.
“John is a great fella – he’s a really intelligent guy who understands football and has obviously worked with one of the best managers of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson,” he said.
“He’s been learning the trade for a few years through being assistant manager at a few clubs but making that next step up would be a big move for him.
“For him to be involved in some capacity in the new set-up would be more than welcomed by everybody.
“He’s someone that the players would take to easily and the experience that he would be able to share would definitely be beneficial for the squad.”
There are few Irishmen with the experience O’shea has gained on and off the pitch.
His 118 caps, 12 seasons at Manchester United, five Premier League winners’ medals, along with Champions League, FA Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and League Cup gold make him the most decorated Irishman of his era.
He was quick to get into coaching, taking up a firstteam role at Reading shortly after his retirement. During his two years in the dugout at the Madjeski he was drafted into Jim Crawford’s Ireland U21 backroom team and he continued to combine his club and country commitments while at Stoke City.
O’shea was promoted to Kenny’s senior coaching staff in February 2023 and left Stoke at the end of that season but landed another club job when he went to Birmingham City during Wayne Rooney’s brief and disastrous spell in charge.
His contract with the FAI ended along with Kenny’s last November, while he was quick to follow Rooney out of St Andrew’s two months later.
As for his number two in these upcoming games, ask anyone around Selhurst Park and they’ll tell you how highly they regard Dubliner Paddy Mccarthy.
A product of Stella Maris, he moved to Manchester City in 2000 and was a star of Brian Kerr’s U19 side that finished fourth in the 2002 European Championships.
The closest he got to senior recognition was when he was an unused substitute against South Africa in Thomond Park under Giovanni Trapattoni.
In his club career he lined out for Leicester City, Charlton and Crystal Palace as well as a host of other teams on-loan.