WITH THE Football Association of Ireland’s hunt for a new manager still ongoing, below is a look at how past Irish managerial searches were conducted and resolved.
We’ve started with Jack Charlton on the basis that previous appointments attracted less media attention/controversy and it is also a classic example of just how complicated they can be.
Jack Charlton – 1986 (time it took for appointment: three months).
Proof that sometimes, the FAI taking the circuitous route to appointing a manager can pay off, even if it was more by accident than design in this instance.
Bob Paisley was the sort of elusive Lee Carsley-type figure in this scenario, as he initially appeared to be coveted and at the top of the FAI’s wishlist.
In 1983, the Liverpool legend had left the Reds following a highly successful spell.
Meanwhile, Eoin Hand’s five-year tenure as manager had ended following a disappointing World Cup campaign in which Ireland won just two and lost four of their eight qualifiers.
By the time the FAI expressed interest, Paisley was back working at Liverpool as a mentor to their recently appointed boss Kenny Dalglish.
FAI President Des Casey and colleague Dr Tony O’Neill had the responsibility of picking Hand’s successor, with Liverpool rejecting the initial approach for Paisley.
The ensuing shortlist was significant and featured Jack Charlton, Paddy Crerand, Terry Neill, Gordon Lee, Theo Foley, Noel Cantwell, John Giles and Billy McNeill.
The possibility of attracting Brian Clough away from Nottingham Forest was also discussed, though a meeting never materialised.
The shortlist was subsequently cut to three men: Jack Charlton, John Giles and Liam Tuohy — the latter was not as high profile but had many years of experience managing in the League of Ireland by that point.
Yet having initially appeared to be a non-runner, Paisley’s name re-surfaced and it seemed he was now interested in the job after earlier hesitation, so the shortlist was extended to four people.
A vote was organised among the FAI members.
Initially, Paisley received nine votes, while everyone else had three each.
Tuohy was then removed from the process.
After a second vote, Paisley still had nine supporters, with more people backing Charlton than Giles, so the former midfielder, who previously managed Ireland between 1973 and 1980, withdrew from the process.
Then, incredibly, in the final vote, one of Paisley’s supporters performed a U-turn, causing Charlton to seal a victory by 10 votes to eight.
Consequently, during the broadcast of The Late Late Show on 7 February 1986, it was confirmed that Charlton would be the next Ireland manager.
Appointing an Englishman proved controversial and drew scepticism at the time, but Charlton would spectacularly silence the doubters over the next decade.
Mick McCarthy – 1996 (time it took for appointment: two months).
Almost 10 years to the day after Charlton’s arrival was confirmed, Mick McCarthy was announced as his successor.
The decision to appoint McCarthy was far less laboured and met with a more positive response.
The Barnsley-born coach was a popular ex-player who had captained the national team and won 57 caps, playing a key role during the World Cup at Italia ’90.
Charlton’s exit was portrayed at the time as his decision to walk away, though the World Cup winner later claimed that he had been effectively sacked after a meeting with an FAI delegation in the Baggot Inn.
McCarthy was believed to be in the running early on, while top Premier League managers at the time including Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish and Joe Kinnear were also mentioned as possible candidates.
McCarthy, who signed on an initial two-year deal, was seen as someone who could provide continuity after Charlton but insisted at his unveiling that he was his own man.
His only previous experience had been four years in charge at Millwall, but unlike now, leaving a second-tier English side for the Irish job was invariably considered a no-brainer back then. Moreover, not long after his departure, the Lions were relegated to Division Two.
There were some reservations about McCarthy’s lack of experience and he was not necessarily the first choice.
“He’s the man the FAI want now, but I think Joe Kinnear made it easy for them by withdrawing last week and that reduced the options open to them,” RTÉ’s George Hamilton said at the time.
“Bear in mind, they had been through other candidates as well. There was a school of thought that felt Kenny Dalglish or even Alex Ferguson might be the man.
“Whether [McCarthy] is always the man the FAI wanted is another question.”
Brian Kerr – 2003 (time it took for appointment: three months).
McCarthy stepped down following two defeats in Ireland’s first two Euro 2004 qualifiers, with the controversy and the subsequent public furore over the Roy Keane-Saipan debacle also contributing to his departure.
Kerr was also considered a strong candidate given his achievements at underage level, guiding Ireland to a bronze medal at the 1997 World Youth Championships, as well as winning both the U16 and U18 European Championships. He also qualified for both the 1999 and 2003 World Youth Championships before taking the senior role.
Yet Kerr was not the only candidate. Peter Reid, Bryan Robson, Frank Stapleton and Philippe Troussier were also reportedly considered.
Despite Kerr seeming like an obvious choice, the process was by no means devoid of the chaotic elements that had characterised previous searches.
According to an article by Paul Doyle in When Saturday Comes, the FAI accidentally confirmed the news via a premature posting on its website, adding: “Frank Stapleton vented his fury at the process in a Sunday paper two days before Kerr was officially unveiled, and a crestfallen Philippe Troussier only found out when some plucky punter, who blagged his phone number from a French journalist, rang him to say hard luck.”
Among the well-wishers was the then-Bohemians manager Stephen Kenny, who backed Kerr’s insistence that he would not be doing any promotional work, commenting: “Brian will ensure football thrives across the country, his interest won’t be in playing golf and opening pubs.”
Steve Staunton – 2006 (time it took for appointment: three months).
After Ireland missed out on qualifying for two successive tournaments, Kerr’s time in charge came to an end.
The 2006 search was the first appointment in which John Delaney was centrally involved, and the former FAI CEO promised to deliver a “world-class” manager, so there was a sense of anti-climax when Staunton was unveiled.
The Ireland legend’s only previous coaching stint had been as an assistant at Walsall, though Bobby Robson was hired in the role of International Consultant to offset Staunton’s lack of experience. However, subsequent health issues meant the former England and Newcastle manager’s influence was more limited than anticipated.
It was not the first unorthodox Irish managerial arrangement nor would it be the last.
In the hunt for Kerr’s successor, Alex Ferguson was again mentioned as a potential candidate.
Former Man United star Denis Irwin was quoted in the Irish Daily Star saying: “My very reliable sources say there has been contact between the FAI and my old boss.
“Of course, he’s denying it, he’s under contract to United, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be Republic manager when our next competitive games come around.”
However, per a subsequent BBC Sport article entitled ‘Ferguson denial over Republic job,’ the manager dismissed these claims (which were made before Kerr officially had left the role), telling reporters: “I don’t know where these things start.
“Denis has told me he has not spoken to anyone and doesn’t know where it has come from. It is the usual nonsense.
“I made the point last week, after this [Man United] job I’m finished.
“It is important to clarify this. Ireland have already got a manager. I don’t think it is nice to be linked to a job that someone is already in.”
Former England boss Terry Venables, whose last job at the time had been an ill-fated spell at Leeds United, was at one point the favourite to take over and expressed his interest, telling reporters: “I’ve been offered quite a lot of positions. But if something came up that was special, like Ireland which is international, it may be interesting.”
Robson was also linked with the main role, at a time when Kerr’s future was undecided.
“I know nothing about it, it is pure speculation,” he told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme.
“As far as I’m concerned, the FAI have a very good manager in Brian Kerr.”
Former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill and then-Aston Villa manager David O’Leary were other names mentioned, but neither materialised.
Appointing a legendary player with little coaching experience was far from unheard of. Germany had done so after a disastrous Euro 2004, with Jurgen Klinsmann consequently helping them exceed expectations by finishing third at the 2006 World Cup, which they hosted.
It was hoped Staunton could have a similarly positive impact with Ireland.
Giovanni Trapattoni – 2008 (time it took for appointment: 113 days/just under four months)
Staunton lasted just one campaign, which included the infamous 5-2 defeat by Cyprus, before parting ways with the association.
Eamon Dunphy had called for Staunton to be sacked after just his third game in charge — a 4-0 friendly defeat to the Netherlands — and the Irish media did not acquire a more forgiving attitude thereafter, to put it mildly.
RTÉ pundit Dunphy would also prove to be among the loudest voices on the search for Staunton’s successor.
Terry Venables was again linked with the vacant role and appeared to the favourite at one stage, only for Dunphy — who knew Venables from his playing days — to eviscerate the ex-England coach’s credentials on national TV in a memorable speech that has continued to rack up thousands of views on YouTube over the years.
The late Venables believed Dunphy’s comments cost him the job.
“My argument is not with the FAI – it’s with Dunphy,” he told The Sun.
“He sits there on the ridiculous programme (on RTÉ) between two of the greatest players we’ve seen — Johnny Giles and Graeme Souness — and then you have a player like him.
“From what did he earn this grand position? I can’t believe the people of Ireland take to him and listen to what he says.
“I don’t normally respond to things like this but this guy is ridiculous.
“If it wasn’t so serious it would be laughable. It’s easy to have a go at me but it’s crap.”
Delaney chose a three-man committee consisting of Don Givens, Don Howe and Ray Houghton to select Staunton’s successor.
Venables was far from the only potential alternative to Trapattoni.
O’Leary, by then, had left the Aston Villa job, and was again one of the most prominent names mentioned, with bookmakers making him the 7-4 early favourite.
Then-Finland coach Roy Hodgson was 7-1, while former Liverpool, Rangers and Newcastle boss Graeme Souness was 8-1.
News of Trapattoni potentially taking over prompted feelings of ecstasy in certain quarters.
In contrast with his dismissal of Venables, Dunphy suggested it would be the greatest thing to happen to Irish football in his lifetime.
The deal was ultimately done, with telecoms billionaire Denis O’Brien agreeing to help pay Trap’s wages.
The Italian coach “agreed in principle” to take over after finishing the season with Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.
Liam Brady, who Trap managed at Juventus and became Ireland’s assistant coach during his tenure, was consulted beforehand and he revealed in his recent autobiography that he encouraged the iconic manager to accept the offer.
Then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was among those to weigh in on the news, hailing it as a “wonderful appointment” on national radio.
Martin O’Neill – 2013 (time it took for appointment: two months)
Trapattoni became the first coach to guide Ireland to a major tournament in 10 years when they reached Euro 2012.
However, it didn’t earn him enough goodwill to keep his job after a disappointing 2014 World Cup campaign.
By that stage, the recession had hit and the Celtic Tiger felt like a distant memory, so there were no longer fanciful reports of attempting to attract names like Alex Ferguson.
Liam Brady singled out three outstanding candidates — Chris Hughton, who was then managing Norwich in the Premier League, Mick McCarthy, coach of Championship side Ipswich at the time and former Bolton boss Owen Coyle.
O’Neill, who had recently been sacked by Sunderland, was reported to be the FAI’s preferred candidate in September 2013, with O’Brien again onboard to help fund his wages.
Brian McDermott, who had recently been sacked by Reading, was also mentioned, as was Roy Keane, who would ultimately be hired as O’Neill’s assistant.
Keane though was considered an outsider given his past run-ins with Delaney, so it was quite a surprise when he was hired even as a number two.
But that slight curve ball aside, it appears to have been one of the more straightforward appointment processes, with the FAI identifying O’Neill as a preferred candidate early on and persuading him to commit, with the Derry native insisting to Delaney that he would bring Keane with him as part of the deal.
Mick McCarthy/Stephen Kenny – 2018 (time it took for appointment: four days)
Even by Irish footballing standards, this 2018 appointment was one of the strangest and most unusual processes.
Continuing the theme of the former RTÉ panel members influencing who did or did not get to become Ireland manager, John Giles admitted on Eamon Dunphy’s podcast ‘The Stand‘ that he had advised both FAI CEO John Delaney and Stephen Kenny ahead of the appointment.
McCarthy kept the seat warm in the meantime, with Kenny initially taking the Ireland U21 job, though insisting that he had it in writing that he would take over regardless of how well McCarthy performed after one major tournament cycle had elapsed.
In his second stint as manager, the former Irish captain had been due to oversee the Euro 2020 campaign, but Covid-related delays meant Ireland finished those qualifiers with Kenny in charge, as they lost out to Slovakia in the playoffs on penalties.
There was a further complication with Robbie Keane being hired on a four-year deal as a coach in both set-ups, a deal reportedly done without Kenny’s consent, meaning the former striker had to be awkwardly ostracised from the management team once McCarthy made way.
It was also unusual in the sense that there was very little time between the departure of O’Neill and McCarthy’s arrival.
Some familiar names were also part of a reported initial six-man shortlist.
Per an Irish Times report from that period, then-Brighton boss Chris Hughton ruled himself out while Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was similarly viewed as unlikely despite interest from the FAI.
Sam Allardyce expressed an interest while Steve Bruce, who had recently left the Aston Villa job, was also among the names mentioned.
Former Ireland boss Eoin Hand was quoted on two of the frontrunners, saying: “I would actually love to see Stephen getting the top job, but his profile mightn’t be big enough. So bringing in Mick McCarthy, who has experience of getting us to finals, to work with him would be an excellent choice, with Stephen taking over eventually.”
As it turned out, the FAI agreed with these sentiments.
