Should Kerr Go and what is our Future ?

ClubMan said:
Tony Cascarino? Niall Quinn?

Niall Quinn was a much better player, he scored goals for Ireland. Doherty is just a very poor 4th division player. Cascarino was ok too, better than Doherty.
 
Have just seen the seedings for the Euro 2008 qualifiers in today's Irish Times. We're ranked 24 out of 50 teams, in the same bracket as the likes of Latvia, Bosnia and Scotland.

In theory, we could end up in a group with:

Holland, Germany and Denmark; or
Portugal, Spain and Serbia; or
France, Turkey and Russia; or
Ingerland, Italy and Ukraine

or some combination therof.

Bring it on.
 
Jas
portugal alway had a footballing pedigree. I can remember eusabio in the 1966 wc finals in engerland. Also Benefica always had a fairly useful team. Money is now their problem. While on holidays a fews years ago in Lagon in Portugal, local Portugese kids used to kick a ball around a little green beside the pool, yet they never disturbed the holiday makers who were lounging sunning and reading etc. Down on the beach below the apartment block one day another group of holiday makers were playing ball sort of between the water and beach. and they were in everybodys way. Every so often one of them would let a roar 'up ye boy ye' or something similar. year was 1999 and Portugal had not yet staged the euro or the special one had not won the euro cup with a lucky but ordinary team. anyway makes no difference as we both agree. Players are not there. FAI are to blame for a lot of what went wrong but don't forget Government obstruction etc when they tried to build Eircom Park. Bertie and Co made sure it had no chance before it even got off the ground.
 
Today FM poll this afternoon-around 75% of people would like to see Brian Kerr offered a new contract. (I didn't vote!). What are the realistic alternatives????
 
With Roy Keane finally gone,Cunningham and Stephen Carr as well, I would now say that we need Paul Daniels.

For €400k a year you won't get many takers.

For a start you need someone who is UK based.
Knows the Premiership and Championship inside out.
Can dish out the teacups at half-time.
And is media friendly.


Possibly Chippy Brady, Martin O'Neill or George Graham
 
Kerr's performance on the Late Late the other night indicates that he certainly is not going to walk away. He's a decent man but he has failed in a group that was there for the taking and he didn't even offer us decent football to compensate for the lousy results. He should not be retained. His argument that McCarthy was given a second chance to qualify is specious as Kerr got a second chance himself. When he took over from McCarthy there was still life in the Euro 2004 group and our performance in the final game that time (away to Switzerland) was very very poor. He should have qualified first time out and then there would have been no dangling of the contract this time.

I think Brian is a decent man who did his best. He continually insists that the players were prepared as well as they could possibly be before each game. I suspect they were probably overprepared as many players don't share Brian's forensic approach to the game. They played like they were bamboozled.

Kerr should move aside, but the FAI should keep him on in some sort of Director of Football role as he is the most dedicated football man in this country and has a lot to offer.

Sad times for the fans, Kerr included. Brian even described himself the other night as "the fan who's managing the team." That's probably not a good thing!
 
Listening to the radio this morning about the usual suspects being mentioned for the next Irish manager - Bobby Robson, Kenny Dalglish, George Graham.

Sigh

The future is dark and it is not green.
 
Why not the Devil himself Louis Walsh ?

If he can manage 5 Muppets he should be able to manage 11

I will get my coat.........
 
IrishGunner said:
Why not the Devil himself Louis Walsh ?

"Sure all he'd need would be 2 guys who could play and the rest could just copy them and try to do it in synch"
© The Panel - this week
 
friend of a friend know someone on the inside and is swearing blind an ex celtic manager has been approached and has accepted the position. At 5/2 in PPs might be worth a punt.

You didnt hear it from me, right?

However, another friend of that friend said the FAI were mighty impressed with that french guy, Phillipe Troussier, in the last round of interviews so I dont know where to put me money.
 
car said:
.. is swearing blind an ex celtic manager has been approached and has accepted the position

Given that Liam Brady has ruled himself out, and Wim Jansen wasn't interested last time around, and Martin O'Neill surely has one eye on an imminent vacancy in Manchester, then that leaves .. John Barnes ?

Think I'll keep me lucky fiver in me pocket

Also, given John Delaney's expressed preference for a top-class manager, then surely he's looking for someone with a greater level of achievement and accomplishment than Wycombe, Leicester or Celtic ?
 
So it looks like the FAI are just going to start offering the job to people without interviewing them. Martin O'Neill first on the list. Is that the way to do it? Are they worried that people wouldn't be arsed doing an interview? How well do they actually know Martin O'Neill? Maybe they have interviewed him before (not in a formal capacity)?
 
I still don't know what the big deal about Martin O'Neill is.

OK, he did a good job helping Leicester avoid relegation several years in a row. Then he helped Celtic win what's probably the least competitive league in the world. And in his last league game in charge, as far as I remember (not a big follower of the scottish league), Celtic threw away a lead with 2 minutes to go and handed the title to Rangers.

He has undoubted potential as a manager, and some experience of big games (through Celtic's European appearances). Promising, but hardly the kind of proven winner we need to manage the national team.

He's a bristly personality though and I'd imagine he would not be afraid to tell the FAI where to get off!
 
I couldn't give a damn about Celtic or the SPL in general, but O'Neill was a bigger success with Celtic than with managers like Dalglish, Barnes and Brady, and I do think they overachived in Europe. I certainly think he was a better condidate than most of the other names that have been floated, but I guess it's irrelevant now considering he's said he's not interested given his wife's health is still poor. I've also heard that he's more likely to return to club management when he decides to go back too managing.

I would love if we were in a position to have a manager in place who is a 'proven winner' but I somehow think it's unlikely. I would be happy to have someone who has been a fairly successful (i.e. achieving over the odds with limited resources), not necessarily a Premiership or CL winner. I certainly don't want it going to someone like Steve Staunton or Frank Stapleton. I would have my doubts about Ronnie Whelan, but he did ok in Europe with a fairly obscure Greek outfit a few years ago.

There just aren't many (creditible) alternatives. Troussier, who expressed an interest and said the money wasn't important, seems to have changed his mind for $60,000 a month and who can blame him? Guus Hiddink is currently host of PSV and Australia, what's the likelyhood of him being interested?

We could probably do worse than George Burley, his 'pedigree' is at least as good as all of the ex-players that have been touted as manager.
 
O'Neill more than proved himself with Leicester. Especially in one off games. I think they got to the final of the Coca Cola or whateveritsnowcalled cup at least twice and won it at least once. International games are all one off's. Might be a league format but usually you play one game every few months against one of the others in the group. If you are lucky enough that your game coincides with them playing shi** and you playing well ( ireland in paris) then you strike lucky. If however you are playing sh***and they are playing to their strengths ( all games after paris) then you are going to struggle. Its more like a cup competition than a league. and O'Neill excelled at overachieving in cup games with crap teams. Might even include Forest in that though they weren't crap. Just ordinary. Maybe Drogs will do the same in the cup against cork eh Nosey Joe?
 
So El Tel was 1/4 and then the bookies stopped taking bets. And now he says he has not been contacted or applied for the post.

There are some hilarious things being said about him on Off The Ball (Newstalk 106) this evening. "Venables is gock", when asked to explain what 'gock' is, the texter replied "gock means sh**e-e.g. John O'Shea is gock"

LOL
 
I certainly don't want it going to someone like Steve Staunton or Frank Stapleton. I would have my doubts about Ronnie Whelan, but he did ok in Europe with a fairly obscure Greek outfit a few years ago.


Staunton's managerial experience is confined to his current role as assisant boss at Walsall.
Walsall manager Merson has urged the Republic of Ireland to be patient with Staunton if, as expected, they appoint him as their new national manager.

"The Republic have lost a lot of their more experienced players to retirement but they have got some good, fresh ones coming through," said Merson. "Steve needs people to be patient - he needs six years really."

Six years!!! Someone must be joking here - either its the manager of Top of the Premiership team Walsall or the powers that wannabe in Merrion Square or Steve Staunton himself.

Come back Mick McCarthy.
 
Well what are the chances of actually qualifying for a tourney in the next 6 years given that we are going to be seeded 4th next time out. I think we will need to get a 1st or 2nd ranked team that is deteriorating (e.g. France again!) if we are to have any chance of qualifying. Otherwise it is a vicious circle, i.e. seeded 4th, fail to qualify, seeded 4th again, fail to qualify etc.

I wouldn't be enthusiastic about Staunton, is he even assistant manager at Walsall (I thought he was player/coach)?, and I certainly don't like the idea of joint managers (Staunton and Venables are also bringing in their own assistants, which should make for a crowded dressing room).

But it looks like the decision has been made, so let's get on with it. Kevin Doyle, Joey O'Brien and Stephen Ireland to start against Sweden, let's see what the future holds!