Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ONE ELL OF AN OPPORTUNITY!
Ex-northern Ireland star sees good times ahead for the man who replaces Michael O’neill
FORMER Northern Ireland star Stuart Elliott believes Michael O’neill’s successor has been gifted a workable route map to next year’s Euro finals.
UEFA confirmed yesterday that the Euro play-off in Bosnia and Herzegovina – postponed from March due to the coronavirus crisis – will be played on October 8.
And that means the new national boss, who is set to be appointed by the Irish FA in August, will have two Nations League games to bed into the post.
Northern Ireland, who parted company with Stoke City boss O’neill in April, face Romania (A) and Norway (H) in the Nations League on September 4 and 7.
Elliott, who starred for the
Green and White Army in a famous win over England in 2005, said: “It’s a positive that the October date is now confirmed and we can prepare accordingly.
“I do think it’s a real plus that the new manager, when he is appointed, will have a couple of
Nations League games to get his feet under the table.
“There is always a degree of disruption when a new man comes in, so the fact he will have the players together for the Romania and Norway fixtures is a good thing.
“It gives everyone a chance to acclimatise to a slightly new dynamic and prepare for what will be a massive game in Bosnia.”
Elliott believes O’neill’s successor has been handed a
“huge incentive” to write his name in Irish football folklore. If Northern Ireland beat Bosnia they will advance to a final playoff at home to either the Republic of Ireland or Slovakia on November 12. “In an ideal world, it would have been great to still have Michael in charge but that wasn’t to be,” said Elliott (left).
“But the upside is the new manager knows he is just two games away from taking Northern Ireland back to a major tournament. It’s a huge incentive.”
Former St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright, Motherwell’s Stephen Robinson and Northern Ireland under-21 coach Ian Baraclough are the frontrunners for the vacant post. If Northern Ireland manage to reach next summer’s finals, they would be pitted against Spain, Poland and Sweden, with pool games in Dublin and Bilbao.
Squeezing the Euro playoffs into October and November means Northern Ireland’s Nations League double headers those months will be tweaked on the calendar.
The available dates are October 10/11 and 13/14 and November 14/15 and 17/18.
Meanwhile, UEFA has confirmed Windsor Park will host next year’s 2021 European Super Cup as scheduled.
UEFA’S Euro under-19 finals, which were postponed in July, will also go ahead here, but over two time periods, in October and November.