CARLA WARD’S NEW Republic of Ireland assistant coach Brian Sørensen has taken interim charge of Aston Villa following the departure of manager Natalia Arroyo.
The 42 understands this will not affect Sørensen’s role with Ireland ahead of the World Cup play-off semi-finals against Kazakhstan.
Sørensen is women’s technical advisor at Villa, and will “take charge of first team playing affairs” ahead of Wednesday’s game against Newcastle United in the Subway Players Cup. They face Crystal Palace in the WSL on Sunday, before Ireland link up for international duty.
“I’ve known Brian a long time,” said Ward. “Interestingly enough, when the first (assistant coach appointment) process came around (before Cronin was appointed), I had spoken to Brian about a number of different candidates because we have a good relationship and I respect his opinion and (that) of top coaches.
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“I wanted to try and look at who can I bring in within my network that I know, that I trust, that understands high performance, that understands working with female athletes, elite female athletes, and Brian ticked all those boxes.
“So the idea was to come in for the next couple of windows. He will be an assistant coach, similar to Amber (Whiteley). They will both have similar roles and responsibilities, and then at the end of the year, we’ll assess where we’re at.”
Whiteley is also assistant coach of Liverpool, and took interim charge for the second half of the 2024/25 season while double-jobbing with Ireland.
Asked about the exit of former Bray Wanderers and Longford Town manager Cronin, Ward added: “I think in life, in football, you make decisions that you hope are the right decisions, and sometimes things simply don’t work out on both sides.
“It was just a decision that we had to move and move quickly on because I think there’s probably strength in understanding that sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you wish it had. We made that decision, we moved on, and yeah, we’ll bring Brian in, and we look forward now.”
Crystal Palace midfielder Shanade Hopcroft is the new face in the Ireland squad that travel to face Kazakhstan in Astana next Friday, 9 October, before the return leg at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh the following Tuesday, 13 October. The winners will face Belgium or Poland for a ticket to next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
Katie McCabe and Marisa Sheva will miss the first leg through suspension, while Denise O’Sullivan will be held in reserve until the second game in Cork due to “player welfare”. Ruesha Littlejohn is not included as she remains without a club, while Heather Payne returns and Saoirse Noonan is unavailable through injury. Ward discussed all of this in her press conference.
These World Cup play-offs loom as the Irish football agenda is dominated by the controversial Men’s Nations League fixtures with Israel.
Ward has often referenced her close relationship with Heimir Hallgrímsson, and was asked if she had spoken to the Boys In Green boss during this challenging period.
“Yeah, I reach out to him a lot. It has been (challenging). I had breakfast with him this morning and we talked honestly about the women and the position that we’re in and everything that’s coming up. Look, Heimir has my full support always. We have a really strong, close working relationship.”
Ward also revealed that she was never concerned about the status of these World Cup play-offs amid this summer’s row between Uefa and Fifa.
“No, because I made one call and asked if I should be concerned, and I was told no. So I am big on carrying on as usual until there is something to worry about. As you know, I am quite a positive person, so it’s a case of all systems go until told otherwise.”
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Carla Ward's new Ireland assistant takes interim charge of Aston Villa
CARLA WARD’S NEW Republic of Ireland assistant coach Brian Sørensen has taken interim charge of Aston Villa following the departure of manager Natalia Arroyo.
The 42 understands this will not affect Sørensen’s role with Ireland ahead of the World Cup play-off semi-finals against Kazakhstan.
The former Everton boss was confirmed as Ward’s third assistant last week, joining the set-up in the wake of Gary Cronin’s exit after just over six months.
Sørensen is women’s technical advisor at Villa, and will “take charge of first team playing affairs” ahead of Wednesday’s game against Newcastle United in the Subway Players Cup. They face Crystal Palace in the WSL on Sunday, before Ireland link up for international duty.
Ward – who previously managed Villa herself – announced her squad for Kazakhstan this morning, and spoke highly about Sørensen before this new development was announced.
“I’ve known Brian a long time,” said Ward. “Interestingly enough, when the first (assistant coach appointment) process came around (before Cronin was appointed), I had spoken to Brian about a number of different candidates because we have a good relationship and I respect his opinion and (that) of top coaches.
“I wanted to try and look at who can I bring in within my network that I know, that I trust, that understands high performance, that understands working with female athletes, elite female athletes, and Brian ticked all those boxes.
“So the idea was to come in for the next couple of windows. He will be an assistant coach, similar to Amber (Whiteley). They will both have similar roles and responsibilities, and then at the end of the year, we’ll assess where we’re at.”
Whiteley is also assistant coach of Liverpool, and took interim charge for the second half of the 2024/25 season while double-jobbing with Ireland.
Asked about the exit of former Bray Wanderers and Longford Town manager Cronin, Ward added: “I think in life, in football, you make decisions that you hope are the right decisions, and sometimes things simply don’t work out on both sides.
“It was just a decision that we had to move and move quickly on because I think there’s probably strength in understanding that sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you wish it had. We made that decision, we moved on, and yeah, we’ll bring Brian in, and we look forward now.”
Crystal Palace midfielder Shanade Hopcroft is the new face in the Ireland squad that travel to face Kazakhstan in Astana next Friday, 9 October, before the return leg at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh the following Tuesday, 13 October. The winners will face Belgium or Poland for a ticket to next summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
Katie McCabe and Marisa Sheva will miss the first leg through suspension, while Denise O’Sullivan will be held in reserve until the second game in Cork due to “player welfare”. Ruesha Littlejohn is not included as she remains without a club, while Heather Payne returns and Saoirse Noonan is unavailable through injury. Ward discussed all of this in her press conference.
These World Cup play-offs loom as the Irish football agenda is dominated by the controversial Men’s Nations League fixtures with Israel.
Ward has often referenced her close relationship with Heimir Hallgrímsson, and was asked if she had spoken to the Boys In Green boss during this challenging period.
“Yeah, I reach out to him a lot. It has been (challenging). I had breakfast with him this morning and we talked honestly about the women and the position that we’re in and everything that’s coming up. Look, Heimir has my full support always. We have a really strong, close working relationship.”
Ward also revealed that she was never concerned about the status of these World Cup play-offs amid this summer’s row between Uefa and Fifa.
“No, because I made one call and asked if I should be concerned, and I was told no. So I am big on carrying on as usual until there is something to worry about. As you know, I am quite a positive person, so it’s a case of all systems go until told otherwise.”
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