FAI taking the long and winding road to appointing new gaffer
APPROACHING 100 days between Republic of Ireland managers, or rather head coaches, as the FAI are now tagging the title, Marc Canham says he can understand the sense of feet being dragged. But an appointment appears to be imminent. ‘Once we’ve announced, you’ll see where we’ve landed,’ Canham told IMoS this week. The use of ‘once’, not ‘when’, suggests the search is almost over.
The longest gap between an Irish manager departing and his successor arriving was the 112 days it took to appoint Giovanni Trapattoni in 2008. Today marks 95 days since Stephen Kenny checked out.
FAI director of football Canham is one of the head-hunters entrusted with finding a replacement to go to the FAI board for approval.
Depending on your point of view, Canham, together with CEO Jonathan Hill and board member Packie Bonner, are either being comprehensively thorough or painfully deliberate.
Canham was given carte blanche to source a successor for Vera Pauw after he recommended she depart on August 29.
By the time a bow was tied on the permanent appointment of Eileen Gleeson, who had been in interim charge, 111 days had elapsed.
Canham has plenty on his plate, in fairness, as he’s the driving force behind the FAI Pathways Plan, which seeks to co-ordinate all amateur and grassroots leagues and registrations on a January-December calendar.
For many in Irish football, the No 1 talking point this week was not the shambolic shenanigans in Leinster House, or the unveiling of the Pathways Plan but the identity of the next manager – sorry, head coach – of the Irish men’s team.
The players know their Nations League opponents and also the friendlies lined up for March and June. but they still don’t know who will be leading them next into battle.
Many have been called – Lee Carsley, Chris Hughton, Neil Lennon, Anthony Hudson and Chris Coleman among them – but as yet no one is chosen.
Lennon is understood to be cheesed off as he felt he was in prime position to take over only to be informed last Sunday he was out of the running.
Anthony Barry’s name surfaced as a contender on Wednesday when Bayern Munich gave notice of an end-of-season clear-out in Bavaria.
When Barry was on the Irish coaching staff under Kenny, it coincided with the best result (3-0 win over Scotland) and best performance (2-1 loss away to Portugal), before his departure.
His was a voice the players listened to, and Kenny too, as the Scouser was very much on the mark with his tactical nous, for open play and set-pieces.
If Barry has his eye on becoming a No 1, the fact he was able to help squeeze a tune out of the Irish players, and knows the set-up too, is in his favour.
What counts against him is his lack of experience – he has yet to pick a team off his own bat.
Also, his Portugal commitments with Roberto Martinez would rule him out of starting until the European Championships were over.
Would the FAI be prepared to take a gamble on Barry, and also wait until the summer, whereby his first game in charge would be a competitive fixture against England? I don’t think so.
So, how close are we to a new gaffer? ‘It turns out these things take time,’ said Canham.
They do, when you enter the market with an open mind, if not an open chequebook.
Rather than embark in hot pursuit of their first choice – Carsley – Canham and Co allowed their eyes to run over a cast of many.
For me, this was unnecessary and has contributed to the drawn-out process, as well as losing out on Carsley.
At the outset, they were looking for someone with an Irish connection and international experience, which was why
Carsley was No 1 on their list. Curiously, Barry also qualifies on both counts.
‘It doesn’t have to be someone who’s Irish. If they have some connection with Irish football that’s a plus, but not absolutely does it have to be that.
‘We’ve looked at people with club experience and with international experience, and we’ve looked at people in the middle with an experience of both,’ said Canham, who is adamant the budget criteria as laid out by the FAI board has not been a hindrance.
‘In all of our initial calls we’ve been really transparent because we don’t want to get too far down the line with any individual and then realise it’s not going to work because actually we weren’t (transparent).
‘So every first conversation we have with every candidate has had budget as part of the discussion. We’ve said, “This is broadly what we, as an Association, can afford.”’
Asked by IMoS if the budget has frightened anybody off, Canham was adamant. ‘No,’ he said.
Damien Duff, the Shelbourne manager, feels the FAI should speak to the leading lights in the League of Ireland, including Stephen Bradley (Shamrock Rovers) and Ruaidhri Higgins (Derry City).
‘Stephen’s won four in a row, he’s going for five. He sees the game a lot differently to managers who have come through this league, a brilliant coach, a brilliant guy. Ruaidhri, a classy guy, who has done a brilliant job.
Should the FAI speak to them now? ‘They might have someone nailed on but they are top guys, top managers, why not. Absolutely,’ said Duff.
If they do have some connection with Irish football that’s a plus