EILEEN GLEESON IS sad to see Sinead Farrelly retire from international football — but she did not try to talk the midfield maestro out of it.
The Republic of Ireland manager shed further light on Farrelly’s somewhat surprising decision yesterday and said that ultimately “the double load of club and international was too much” considering the 34-year-old’s injury struggles.
US-born midfielder Farrelly was a late arrival into the Irish set-up, making her debut in April 2023 before going on to play all three of Ireland’s group games at the World Cup. She bowed out with eight caps in total, her last appearance coming in December’s Nations League win over Hungary at Tallaght Stadium.
Farrelly’s retirement statement last month included a short statement from Gleeson, but the Dubliner offered a more expansive tribute yesterday.
“We had a very good chat, a very nice relationship, good open discussions,” she said as she unveiled her squad for the Euro 2025 qualifier double-header against Sweden.
“But I don’t feel it is my place to force a player something that they don’t feel they are able to do or have the capacity to do.
“Sinead felt that she didn’t have the level of or capacity in terms of the loading, in terms of the travel, in terms of where she was at in life. For me, it was to help talking to her and move her through the conversation (sic), but ultimately, respect where she was coming from and what she needed in her life.
“We would have loved Sinead to continue with us, she was a great girl in the camp, very nice open relationship. So, yeah, it was disappointing, but you have to stay respectful and not try and force someone to do something they feel that they can’t do.”
Asked if she knew the NJ/NY Gotham star was considering international retirement, Gleeson said “not that I knew she was considering it, but I knew the load was taking its toll on her.”
“She was taking a lot longer to recover from injuries, she was getting recurring injuries, she was getting less time playing because she was managing injuries more than she was playing, so the double load of club and international was too much.
“Like I said, there was always open communication around it and it was good that Sinead was able to come to me and express that she wanted to retire. We wish Sinead all the best and if she feels that this will give her more longevity at club, well then that’s the decision that she has to make. And we’re super respectful of that as well.”
Gleeson has handed a similar ball-playing midfielder, Eva Mangan, her first call-up ahead of the qualifiers against Sweden. The Cork City captain is “understated” and “doesn’t get recognised enough,” while she “can keep the ball very well,” the manager explained.
“We want to get to be a team who are comfortable on the ball. Having players who have that good base is what is catching my eye with Eva, it always did.”
After narrow defeats to France (1-0) and England (2-0), Ireland are looking to get off the mark in their Euro 2025 Group of Death. They welcome Sweden to the Aviva Stadium next Friday, 31 May, before the return tie in Stockholm the following Tuesday.
The Girls In Green secured a memorable 1-1 draw in Gothenburg when the sides met in the successful 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign, while the Tallaght Stadium tie ended in a narrow defeat.
“We can’t live off a previous performance in a different campaign two or three years ago,” Gleeson said.
“The dynamics of the team is different. The personnel is different. Sweden will also have evolved so nobody is standing still in this game. While we’re progressing so is the bigger nations, and potentially at a higher growth rate than us. We’ll approach this, we’ll try to win the game, we’ll use the qualities we have now within our squad.
“We know that we’ll be underdogs again and that Sweden will be tough opponents. Sweden were third in the World Cup, sixth in the Fifa rankings, and we know their qualities.”
