IRELAND BOSS Heimir Hallgrímsson says he postponed contract talks with the FAI following last month’s World Cup qualifying defeat to Armenia.
The Icelandic coach’s current deal is up at the end of the campaign, and talks about his future have been put on hold after a disappointing start that has seen the Boys in Green take only one point from a possible six.
The Ireland manager said he planned on meeting with FAI CEO David Courell and the association’s President Paul Cooke to discuss his future, but that formal chat has yet to materialise.
“Before the last camp, we said we were going to do contract talks after the camp. After the last game, I talked to David and the president and said, ‘Let’s postpone that until after the tournament.’
“Let’s just move that away. Because I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted. That’s one thing. Probably an agent or another coach would like to sign a long-term contract and then be fired or whatever. But I’m not that kind of way. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.
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“But I believe, and we are fully focused on qualifying, that is now the most important thing and the only thing we are thinking about. So, the question you asked [about the uncertainty over my position], ask it after the camp, and then I’ll answer that one.”
On whether he considered walking away from the job as a result of the 2-1 defeat in Yerevan, Hallgrímsson said: “No, I am a sore loser, really a sore loser. And obviously, this performance surprised me. So I was obviously not happy. I tried to be polite to everyone and keep my head up high.
“But this was disappointing, really disappointing. But no, I never thought about quitting. I’m not that kind.
“But I didn’t want the FAI to send a signal to extend a contract after this loss. That would be a wrong signal to send.”
Hallgrímsson was defiant in insisting Ireland could still qualify for the World Cup, but admitted anything less than three points from the upcoming games against Armenia and Portugal would kill off any hope of that happening.
“Let’s not start to cry now,” he added. “Absolutely not. We need players and staff to believe in what we are doing. That’s the most important thing now. And look at this game as a challenge and an opportunity against Portugal to restore dignity, pride, and confidence.
“Whether it will get us a point or three, we’ll have to see. But a good performance would help us a lot in playing Armenia at home.”
Hallgrímsson played down suggestions that at least one win in the two games against Portugal — who are 56 places higher than Ireland in the Fifa rankings — was essential to book Ireland’s ticket for next year’s tournament.
“We need to beat Armenia at home. Hungary away. That’s six points, and then we have one. That’s seven points. So that could be enough. I’m not saying it will be because we don’t know the other games. So that’s why we need to take this game seriously against Portugal. It’s not like we’re going to lose against Portugal, and then we need to win in Armenia. Because if we win in Armenia at home, it could be down to goal difference.”
One factor that may prove crucial is the fitness of Troy Parrott.
Hallgrímsson suggested the AZ Alkmaar striker could play some part in the upcoming window as he returns to fitness following an injury.
“We take him in as the 24th player, and we will assess him when he comes. If he is ready for Portugal, of course, we will think about having him in the squad. But we talked to the coach in AZ yesterday, and he was happy allowing him to come if he’s not going to play in Portugal. So that’s where he’s at, at the moment. We don’t know where he is fitness-wise.
“He will come, and we will assess him. But if everything goes well, he started on the grass with the team [in training]. He didn’t travel to Cyprus yesterday [for their Uefa Conference League tie], but he started on the grass. If everything goes well, he will be in the squad on Sunday. Hopefully, he will get some minutes. Obviously, he wants to get a lot of minutes. But I think they would want him to go easy in the beginning.”
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'I didn't want the FAI to send a signal to extend a contract after this loss'
IRELAND BOSS Heimir Hallgrímsson says he postponed contract talks with the FAI following last month’s World Cup qualifying defeat to Armenia.
The Icelandic coach’s current deal is up at the end of the campaign, and talks about his future have been put on hold after a disappointing start that has seen the Boys in Green take only one point from a possible six.
The Ireland manager said he planned on meeting with FAI CEO David Courell and the association’s President Paul Cooke to discuss his future, but that formal chat has yet to materialise.
“Before the last camp, we said we were going to do contract talks after the camp. After the last game, I talked to David and the president and said, ‘Let’s postpone that until after the tournament.’
“Let’s just move that away. Because I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted. That’s one thing. Probably an agent or another coach would like to sign a long-term contract and then be fired or whatever. But I’m not that kind of way. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.
“But I believe, and we are fully focused on qualifying, that is now the most important thing and the only thing we are thinking about. So, the question you asked [about the uncertainty over my position], ask it after the camp, and then I’ll answer that one.”
On whether he considered walking away from the job as a result of the 2-1 defeat in Yerevan, Hallgrímsson said: “No, I am a sore loser, really a sore loser. And obviously, this performance surprised me. So I was obviously not happy. I tried to be polite to everyone and keep my head up high.
“But this was disappointing, really disappointing. But no, I never thought about quitting. I’m not that kind.
“But I didn’t want the FAI to send a signal to extend a contract after this loss. That would be a wrong signal to send.”
Hallgrímsson was defiant in insisting Ireland could still qualify for the World Cup, but admitted anything less than three points from the upcoming games against Armenia and Portugal would kill off any hope of that happening.
“Let’s not start to cry now,” he added. “Absolutely not. We need players and staff to believe in what we are doing. That’s the most important thing now. And look at this game as a challenge and an opportunity against Portugal to restore dignity, pride, and confidence.
“Whether it will get us a point or three, we’ll have to see. But a good performance would help us a lot in playing Armenia at home.”
Hallgrímsson played down suggestions that at least one win in the two games against Portugal — who are 56 places higher than Ireland in the Fifa rankings — was essential to book Ireland’s ticket for next year’s tournament.
“We need to beat Armenia at home. Hungary away. That’s six points, and then we have one. That’s seven points. So that could be enough. I’m not saying it will be because we don’t know the other games. So that’s why we need to take this game seriously against Portugal. It’s not like we’re going to lose against Portugal, and then we need to win in Armenia. Because if we win in Armenia at home, it could be down to goal difference.”
One factor that may prove crucial is the fitness of Troy Parrott.
Hallgrímsson suggested the AZ Alkmaar striker could play some part in the upcoming window as he returns to fitness following an injury.
“We take him in as the 24th player, and we will assess him when he comes. If he is ready for Portugal, of course, we will think about having him in the squad. But we talked to the coach in AZ yesterday, and he was happy allowing him to come if he’s not going to play in Portugal. So that’s where he’s at, at the moment. We don’t know where he is fitness-wise.
“He will come, and we will assess him. But if everything goes well, he started on the grass with the team [in training]. He didn’t travel to Cyprus yesterday [for their Uefa Conference League tie], but he started on the grass. If everything goes well, he will be in the squad on Sunday. Hopefully, he will get some minutes. Obviously, he wants to get a lot of minutes. But I think they would want him to go easy in the beginning.”
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Change Of Plan Contract FAI Heimir Hallgrímsson Armenia Ireland Republic