THE VATICAN ENCLAVE haven’t had to find a unique colour of smoke to announce an interim appointment: these are the kinds of questions left to dithering/process-respecting football associations.
So what colour smoke might the high priests of Abbotstown selected for their stopgap announcement earlier this week? Charcoal-grey?
As the search for a permanent successor to Stephen Kenny goes on, the FAI did come up for air this week, announcing John O’Shea on an interim basis for the friendly games against Belgium and Switzerland at the end of the month.
A permanent successor awaits us in April, say the FAI, meaning they must surely have someone lined up to be unveiled at that stage.
O’Shea will rightly see the window as an opportunity to show his talents, to either the FAI or someone else who might be hiring in the near future. But even if O’Shea isn’t in charge come the next set of games in June, here are a few things he can address this month.
1. Call up Tom Cannon
Cannon’s international allegiance remains uncertain, having turned down an Irish U21 call up last year, and he may be called up to the England U21s by – irony of ironies – Lee Carsley.
O’Shea should put in a call and tell him he can get his chance at senior level with Ireland instead. The prevailing view among the Irish U21s set-up is that Cannon has effectively outgrown them, such has been physical and technical development at Leicester City. They have noticed major, er, strides in his off-ball movements in particular.
International football is a war for talent, and the FAI are not helping themselves on this front by leaving their head coach position vacant for so long. Ireland also cannot afford to miss out on any potential goalscorer, notwithstanding Evan Ferguson’s emergence and Adam Idah’s good form. Cannon is no longer a question for Jim Crawford: it’s a question for O’Shea.
2. Get Szmodics into the team
Sammie Szmodics was another find by Stephen Kenny, getting him on board after a lengthy delay in the paperwork. Kenny didn’t put Szmodics into his team, however, and it seems the Blackburn forward was unimpressed by not being considered as a major contender for the starting XI, especially given his family circumstances at the time.
On form Szmodics should now be in the Irish team. He is the top scorer in both the Championship and FA Cup, and his scoring these goals in a pretty average Blackburn team.
He has been linked with a transfer to Hungary, for whom he is also eligible, but local reports have poured cold water on that prospect. Regardless, he deserves his chance to impress.
3. Assess some midfield options
Stephen Kenny has repeated his earnestly-held belief that the next Ireland boss is inheriting an exciting group of players. While there are definitely some exciting players studded throughout the squad, too few of them are midfielders.
The midfield is a major area of weakness in the Irish squad, and these friendly windows must be used to address it. O’Shea can do the permanent boss a major favour if he takes a look at some alternative options.
Irish U21 captain Joe Hodge has been playing pretty regularly at QPR, albeit further forward in a number 10 role. Ireland need Hodge playing deeper in midfield, really, given he has the qualities to help address Ireland’s technical deficiencies.
Another player worth a look is Bosun Lawal, currently on loan at Fleetwood from Celtic. A senior cap this month would be ahead of schedule and he has hardly earned it yet, but Lawal has been playing in defensive midfield in League One, and offers a physicality the Ireland squad desperately lacks.
4. Recruit Kasey McAteer
Stephen Kenny and his staff did a very impressive job of identifying Irish-eligible talent and bringing them on board. They effectively had to recruit wingers for the team, with Chiedozie Ogbene and Mikey Johnston the success stories. CJ Hamilton, less so.
Toward the end of his reign, Kenny was also close to completing the recruitment of Kasey McAteer of Leicester, but everything has gone quiet on that front in recent weeks. With O’Shea now in the seat, he should make sure that process is completed. Whoever is next to the job will thank him for it.