New age is dawning
Gleeson takes long-term view
EILEEN GLEESON says she is preparing for the day when Ireland’s experienced defenders hang up their boots.
Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell and Niamh Fahey are 33, 35 and 36 respectively and have an incredible 329 caps between them.
The addition of Aston Villa’s 24-yearold centre-half Anna Patten for the Euro 2025 qualifiers against France and England brings more youth to that area, while Jessie Stapleton (19) joins other recent recruits Aoife Mannion and Caitlin Hayes (both 28).
“There has been plenty of press around an ageing backline and an experienced backline,” said Gleeson.
“As you said, age doesn’t wait for anybody, so we have to look at the squad and the needs of the particular positions that we need to refill.
“We have Jessie Stapleton in that area coming through, we have Aoife Mannion, hopefully, we have Anna.
Aware
“We have to start filling positions where players are going to naturally transition out of. So, yeah, that is part of the longer-term development plan.
“Everything we do is with a longerterm view and we have got very experienced players in Louise (Quinn), Diane (Caldwell) and Niamh (Fahey).
“They would be very aware themselves around the life-span of the top level athlete and us as the management, the coaching staff, we have to keep looking with a longerterm view.”
Manchester United defender Mannion was brought in at the start of last year by Vera Pauw, while Hayes was handed her first cap by Gleeson in the Nations League.
“Like we said in the Nations League, you try to bring a couple of young players in,” said Gleeson.
“Now we are trying to get minutes under Jessie Stapleton’s belt, because potentially she is your core starting centre-back in Euro 2025.
“The level of the opposition now in this group doesn’t lend itself to us transitioning some of the much younger players in during these games and the squad is much more competitive at this point.
“Yes is the short answer, that these (additions) are looking to your 2025 and your World Cup then.”
Gleeson’s squad announcement was also noteable for its lack of League of Ireland representation.
Absence
All her previous squads - both as interim and permanent manager — contained at least one League of Ireland player, with Peamount trio Erin McLaughlin, Jess Fitzgerald and Ellen Dolan, and Shamrock Rovers defender Savannah McCarthy featuring.
“I think it’s representative of the competition in the squad right now that more players are playing at higher levels of the game,” Gleeson said, explaining the absence of Irishbased stars.
“Our first look is always with the League of Ireland and we want, of course, to bring players through.
“But the core thing is that the players are playing at a high enough level to sustain the intensity that you’re going to get at international level.
“The League of Ireland is developing nicely, but there is still a lot that has to be developed.
“And a core philosophy for us is that we do transition players through. “But the level of this opposition doesn’t allow us to bring the likes of young Freya (Healy) in and Ellen (Molloy) in, we have to have a bit more experience at this point.”