EX-IRELAND GOALKEEPER Shay Given believes the FAI need to act swiftly in their pursuit of a replacement for Giovanni Trapattoni.
The Italian and his assistant Marco Tardelli departed by mutual consent after five years in charge yesterday and speculation about who the new boss will be is already in full flow.
Aston Villa reserve stopper Given, who retired from the international game last year, expressed his hope that a manager is installed before Ireland’s final two Group C fixtures against Germany and Kazakhstan.
“There are lots of different candidates flying around,” the Lifford native told Damien O’Meara on RTE 2FM’s Game On this evening.
“The FAI aren’t blessed with money at the moment so it would be difficult to go and take a Mick McCarthy or Chris Hughton by paying the clubs off.
“You’d be looking at a Roy Keane or a Martin O’Neill who aren’t in management at the moment. Both are good managers and both are Irish which I think is important as well.
“The sooner it’s done the better. Make a decision as soon as possible, get the new manager in for these games next month then he can look at the players that are there already and look to freshen things up with his own ideas and some new players in.
It’s important we don’t finish with a whimper and finish as high up the table as possible.”
37-year-old Given added that Trap’s successor should be encouraged to assist with improving the state of football in Ireland – not just at senior level but at underage too.
“Whoever does come in needs to have a look at the whole picture and be given plenty of time and help from the FAI to develop the players.
“It depends what remit John Delaney gives to the new manager. It could purely be on the first team and nothing to do with the U21s and the League of Ireland.
I don’t know what his (Trap’s) remit was but I definitely think the new manager that comes in should help out any way he can with the coaching at underage levels and try to improve the whole set-up.
“Whoever the FAI do pick, there will be people saying it’s brilliant and there will be other ones saying he should never have got the job. That’s the nature of the beast I suppose.
“You wish the FAI well but the most important thing is that we get behind the new manager and the team.”
Listen to the full Game On interview here
