Irish cuisine was the starting topic as new Ireland head coach Carla Ward jumped on a video call with her assistant, Alan Mahon, and captain, Katie McCabe, this week.
Ward dialled in from Dublin, with Mahon due to join her at FAI HQ the following day.
A spice bag rendezvous was agreed amidst their busy work load.
Getting straight to work ☘️
Just 30 days until we take on Türkiye at Tallaght Stadium. Be there with us! 🫵 pic.twitter.com/Ac8klOzeth
Ireland return to action in the Nations League next month, with Türkiye coming to Tallaght Stadium on Friday 21 February, before they face Slovenia away the following Tuesday.
Ward and co. have plenty to get through between now and then.
We caught a glimpse of a to-do list on a whiteboard during an FAI in-house video, but it’s one we can only really speculate on.
The former Aston Villa boss appears to be finalising her backroom staff — which also contains Emma Byrne as goalkeeping coach — and putting concrete plans in place as she tours the Sport Ireland campus at Abbotstown.
Ward was in Dublin last week for her appointment and unveiling, but returned to her home in Sheffield thereafter. She was kept busy last weekend taking in games, due to travel to Liverpool and London for Everton versus Villa and Arsenal’s clash with Crystal Palace. Several Irish players featured across both fixtures, including McCabe, so she was planning face-to-face meetings after initial phone calls.
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Early this week, it was back to these shores. The journey here from Sheffield, she says, is quicker than that to her last job at Villa’s Birmingham base.
The last few days have brought boosts and blows. Caitlin Hayes secured a big move to the WSL as she joined Brighton, but Lily Agg has suffered an ACL injury. Ruesha Littlejohn, meanwhile, is among those on the hunt for a new club following her departure from London City Lionesses. With a few days to go until the transfer window closes, Ward will be keeping her ear to the ground.
ACL blow for Lily Agg, as Caitlin Hayes moves to the WSL. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Her main task initially is watching players, and nailing down a squad for next month. Ireland men’s head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson has leaned heavily on Wyscout, but Ward is keen to get out and about to games. She also plans to meet League of Ireland clubs early on, addressing the “disconnect” in all of her early interviews.
Following Eileen Gleeson’s exit in December, The 42 detailed four challenges the new manager will face. Ward has already offered insight as to how she will address those, with the remit clear ahead of her first camp:
“We have to win football matches. We have to try and get out of the Nations League. We have to get to the World Cup.”
1. Lifting morale after Euro 2025 qualifying failure
Almost two months on, Ireland’s play-off defeat to Wales remains raw. It will take some time to get over the gut-wrenching loss, and failure to qualify for a second successive major tournament.
The expectation was that Ireland would be preparing for their first-ever Euros in Switzerland this summer, but instead, the Nations League is the primary focus.
Morale will be at a pretty low ebb — not helped by other things like Colin Healy’s inharmonious exit — but this appointment will have injected some excitement. Ward must now get the team motivated and believing again.
“I had a conversation with a player about this: just be aware there’s a bit of a lull,” Ward said last week, “but my job is to pick people up and I like to think I’ve got a good energy and I try to bring people together.
“Alan is the same, Emma is the same. It will be our job to pick people up. Look, we’ve got a Nations League first and then a World Cup (qualifying campaign) to prepare for. That will be the cherry in this. They love playing for Ireland, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
2. Squad revamp and transition
Defensive centurions Niamh Fahey and Diane Caldwell both retired from international football before Ward’s appointment. The veteran duo depart with a combined 217 caps and 35 years of service, but the new boss has hinted at keeping them involved in some capacity.
“I think there’s opportunity where we can utilise them, if I’m honest. I think there’ll be holes left off the pitch, from a culture point of view. I’ll be tapping into them whether they’re here or not.”
The age profile of the squad has been under the spotlight recently: The average age of the XIs against Wales were 29.9 and 28.7, while the spine of the team is 29 or over.
Ward doesn’t see this as a concern. “We should be at a peak age. There is no reason why we can’t be looking at it now and saying these next two years are really critical, and bringing some younger ones through as well. It’s a really good age as an overall squad.”
3. Getting the best out of Katie McCabe
Katie McCabe. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
This was a hot topic in Ward’s first sit-down with the print media. McCabe’s positioning has been a constant source of debate in Irish women’s football, with the captain generally deployed in a deep-lying left wing-back role.
Asked what she feels McCabe’s best position for Ireland is, Ward said: “I think Katie can be utilised in a different way. I have something in my mind. I’ve seen her play a certain role a couple of times for Arsenal, which I think she can be so effective in for the national team. But it’s making sure there’s players for other positions.”
“One thing that I said to Katie was that when I sit down with her, we’re going to talk about how do we get best out of Katie,” she added.
McCabe’s influence is paramount, on and off the pitch, but a balance must be struck in both regards.
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This is not a new challenge. It was a recurring theme through the tenures of Eileen Gleeson and Vera Pauw. Ward will hope to crack the code. The imminent return of left-sided Manchester City youngster Tara O’Hanlon from injury could certainly help.
4. Playing style and final third issues
On Gleeson’s watch, there was no radical evolution in Ireland’s style of play. In the main, she stuck with a back three/five, like Pauw and Colin Bell previously, and at the other end, the Girls In Green struggled to score in big games.
Ward favours four at the back, so that is one expected change. Asked about her playing style by The 42 last week, she said: “Energy is number one. It’s aggressive in some phases, also compact in others. Exciting to play and watch.
“You can’t say a Carla Ward team is not exciting, whether it be good or bad! We like the players to play with a lot of freedom. What you’ll see from my team now compared to previous years is a very different way of playing.”
She has also moved to address final third issues early on. Ireland only found the back of the net in the last two of their six Euro 2025 qualifiers, and disregarding the hammerings of lowly Georgia, scored just six goals in 10 games in 2024. The active top goalscorers are defenders or midfielders: McCabe (29), Denise O’Sullivan (21) and Louise Quinn (16).
“How do we find a centre-forward with Irish heritage?” has been an early discussion point, while Ward has already reached out to agents to track down dual eligible players.
The to-do list is lengthy, but boxes are beginning to be ticked off.
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The main challenges facing Carla Ward as she settles into Ireland job
BARRY’S TEA, CHICKEN fillet rolls and spice bags.
Irish cuisine was the starting topic as new Ireland head coach Carla Ward jumped on a video call with her assistant, Alan Mahon, and captain, Katie McCabe, this week.
Ward dialled in from Dublin, with Mahon due to join her at FAI HQ the following day.
A spice bag rendezvous was agreed amidst their busy work load.
Ireland return to action in the Nations League next month, with Türkiye coming to Tallaght Stadium on Friday 21 February, before they face Slovenia away the following Tuesday.
Ward and co. have plenty to get through between now and then.
We caught a glimpse of a to-do list on a whiteboard during an FAI in-house video, but it’s one we can only really speculate on.
The former Aston Villa boss appears to be finalising her backroom staff — which also contains Emma Byrne as goalkeeping coach — and putting concrete plans in place as she tours the Sport Ireland campus at Abbotstown.
Ward was in Dublin last week for her appointment and unveiling, but returned to her home in Sheffield thereafter. She was kept busy last weekend taking in games, due to travel to Liverpool and London for Everton versus Villa and Arsenal’s clash with Crystal Palace. Several Irish players featured across both fixtures, including McCabe, so she was planning face-to-face meetings after initial phone calls.
Early this week, it was back to these shores. The journey here from Sheffield, she says, is quicker than that to her last job at Villa’s Birmingham base.
The last few days have brought boosts and blows. Caitlin Hayes secured a big move to the WSL as she joined Brighton, but Lily Agg has suffered an ACL injury. Ruesha Littlejohn, meanwhile, is among those on the hunt for a new club following her departure from London City Lionesses. With a few days to go until the transfer window closes, Ward will be keeping her ear to the ground.
Her main task initially is watching players, and nailing down a squad for next month. Ireland men’s head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson has leaned heavily on Wyscout, but Ward is keen to get out and about to games. She also plans to meet League of Ireland clubs early on, addressing the “disconnect” in all of her early interviews.
Following Eileen Gleeson’s exit in December, The 42 detailed four challenges the new manager will face. Ward has already offered insight as to how she will address those, with the remit clear ahead of her first camp:
“We have to win football matches. We have to try and get out of the Nations League. We have to get to the World Cup.”
1. Lifting morale after Euro 2025 qualifying failure
Almost two months on, Ireland’s play-off defeat to Wales remains raw. It will take some time to get over the gut-wrenching loss, and failure to qualify for a second successive major tournament.
The expectation was that Ireland would be preparing for their first-ever Euros in Switzerland this summer, but instead, the Nations League is the primary focus.
Morale will be at a pretty low ebb — not helped by other things like Colin Healy’s inharmonious exit — but this appointment will have injected some excitement. Ward must now get the team motivated and believing again.
“I had a conversation with a player about this: just be aware there’s a bit of a lull,” Ward said last week, “but my job is to pick people up and I like to think I’ve got a good energy and I try to bring people together.
“Alan is the same, Emma is the same. It will be our job to pick people up. Look, we’ve got a Nations League first and then a World Cup (qualifying campaign) to prepare for. That will be the cherry in this. They love playing for Ireland, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
2. Squad revamp and transition
Defensive centurions Niamh Fahey and Diane Caldwell both retired from international football before Ward’s appointment. The veteran duo depart with a combined 217 caps and 35 years of service, but the new boss has hinted at keeping them involved in some capacity.
“I think there’s opportunity where we can utilise them, if I’m honest. I think there’ll be holes left off the pitch, from a culture point of view. I’ll be tapping into them whether they’re here or not.”
There have been no further retirements since, and Ward hopes to have the services of another defensive stalwart, Louise Quinn, going forward.
The age profile of the squad has been under the spotlight recently: The average age of the XIs against Wales were 29.9 and 28.7, while the spine of the team is 29 or over.
Ward doesn’t see this as a concern. “We should be at a peak age. There is no reason why we can’t be looking at it now and saying these next two years are really critical, and bringing some younger ones through as well. It’s a really good age as an overall squad.”
3. Getting the best out of Katie McCabe
This was a hot topic in Ward’s first sit-down with the print media. McCabe’s positioning has been a constant source of debate in Irish women’s football, with the captain generally deployed in a deep-lying left wing-back role.
Asked what she feels McCabe’s best position for Ireland is, Ward said: “I think Katie can be utilised in a different way. I have something in my mind. I’ve seen her play a certain role a couple of times for Arsenal, which I think she can be so effective in for the national team. But it’s making sure there’s players for other positions.”
“One thing that I said to Katie was that when I sit down with her, we’re going to talk about how do we get best out of Katie,” she added.
McCabe’s influence is paramount, on and off the pitch, but a balance must be struck in both regards.
This is not a new challenge. It was a recurring theme through the tenures of Eileen Gleeson and Vera Pauw. Ward will hope to crack the code. The imminent return of left-sided Manchester City youngster Tara O’Hanlon from injury could certainly help.
4. Playing style and final third issues
On Gleeson’s watch, there was no radical evolution in Ireland’s style of play. In the main, she stuck with a back three/five, like Pauw and Colin Bell previously, and at the other end, the Girls In Green struggled to score in big games.
Ward favours four at the back, so that is one expected change. Asked about her playing style by The 42 last week, she said: “Energy is number one. It’s aggressive in some phases, also compact in others. Exciting to play and watch.
“You can’t say a Carla Ward team is not exciting, whether it be good or bad! We like the players to play with a lot of freedom. What you’ll see from my team now compared to previous years is a very different way of playing.”
She has also moved to address final third issues early on. Ireland only found the back of the net in the last two of their six Euro 2025 qualifiers, and disregarding the hammerings of lowly Georgia, scored just six goals in 10 games in 2024. The active top goalscorers are defenders or midfielders: McCabe (29), Denise O’Sullivan (21) and Louise Quinn (16).
“How do we find a centre-forward with Irish heritage?” has been an early discussion point, while Ward has already reached out to agents to track down dual eligible players.
The to-do list is lengthy, but boxes are beginning to be ticked off.
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