WHEN JONATHAN WALTERS and his son attended the Republic of Ireland’s June friendly against Senegal, the FAI were already in the process of sounding out potential candidates to replace Marc Canham as the chief football officer.
The Englishman had announced his resignation a couple of months beforehand and the search for a successor was still in the early days.
Walters, the former international who was part of the squads that qualified for Euro 2012 and 2016, was approached to determine his interest in the role. Currently sporting director at Stoke City, the idea of taking on the job piqued sufficient interest that he wanted to hear more.
Walters’ relationship with Stoke City owner John Coates – part of the family that own bet365 – is strong, to the point he often travels to away games in his boss’s helicopter, and he was upfront to him about the approach.
Walters worked as an assistant coach to Tom Mohan with Ireland’s U19s from 2021 until 2022, before taking his first steps on the other side of the game as joint technical director at Fleetwood Town in the English Football League and their sister club Waterford in the League of Ireland.
It can be revealed that Walters also worked free of charge for the FAI during his time with the U19s, so when they made their play this time, he was aware of the financial landscape the association was operating in.
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It’s why Walters, as well as Brighton’s former academy manager John Morling who had been one of those under final consideration as Canham’s successor, came away from those discussions with the belief that the successful candidate needed to be more than just a chief football officer who was able to hold senior team managers to account. The person who the FAI landed on would have to be aware of the fractured landscape at grassroots level, and capable of dealing with key government figures, as well as confident and comfortable in a room with wealthy individuals who might be willing to provide private investment.
As one FAI source put it, they needed someone to “understood the reality” of where Irish football finds itself.
And that is why former Shamrock Rovers chief executive John Martin has got the job.
His appointment will likely be confirmed by the FAI this week – possibly before CEO David Courell carries out some media engagements on Friday – and as The 42 revealed last month when Martin was identified by the interview panel of Courell, board member Packie Bonner, FAI president Paul Cooke and chief operating officer Christina Kenny as the preferred candidate, his title will be director of football.
Shane Robinson, who was the internal FAI candidate that made the final shortlist, is now set to become the association’s technical director.
Martin, a Kildare native whoplayed and coached in the League of Ireland as well as grassroots level, will likely take up his position before October’s World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Armenia.
Oh, Armenia.
The timing of last night’s humbling 2-1 defeat in Yerevan might have had far graver consequences if there was any doubt at all about for those in power about the nature of the challenge facing the game in this country.
“You haven’t seen the worst of it,” one FAI source admitted.
Everyone’s eyes are open to the “top to bottom” problems of Irish football’s finances, which sees the FAI currently €40 million in debt and embarking on a redundancy programme for it’ 250-strong workforce.
As regards infrastructure, a recent audit of League of Ireland academies placed Shamrock Rovers’ facilities below that of a fifth division Belgian club, while in terms of player development, LOI academy manager Will Clarke said in April that “the effects of Brexit have not reached the international team yet”.
He highlighted a shrinking talent pool that has led to just 20 players aged 16-18 in full-time professional environments compared to 100 five years ago, at a time when “the key challenge we face is how to get 35 players playing regularly in the top five leagues in Europe, averaging 1,400 minutes a season”.
All of the above is why there is a grim kind of understanding of nights like Tuesday – in the short to medium term, at least – and why there is no immediate desire within the FAI hierarchy to part ways with Heimir Hallgrímsson after the Armenia debacle.
The sense in Abbotstown is that the Icelander’s appointment was an acceptance that Ireland simply needed a manager who might be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and grind a way to a World Cup play-off, or even renew some pride.
So far it is a gamble that has failed on all fronts, and while the senior boss may have admitted last night that it was the worst performance of his tenure, and “when you have a performance like this, the coach’s job is under question”, unless he opts to walk away he will remain in charge for next month’s games, and until his contract finishes when the qualifying campaign concludes.
Such a sobering reminder of the international team’s descent on the pitch comes at a time when Courell will also be in front of an Oireachtas committee later this month to discuss historical abuse claims, while the FAI says it “refutes claims” of gender discrimination in a legal case taken against them by former women’s senior manager Eileen Gleeson.
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Martin, and those other candidates who made the final shortlist, were also made aware by the FAI during the interview process of the impending restructuring process that was happening and the necessity to unlock vital funds from Government in October’s budget to act as a catalyst for League of Ireland academies.
Ireland are set to qualify for Euro 2028 as one of the tournament’s co-hosts and the prospect of doing so at an even lower ebb than now feels more likely after last night. There remains hope within the FAI that Hallgrímsson can at least muster a reaction in his players next month, even if there is acceptance that such a performance is hard to stand over.
“Everyone is awake and everyone is aware of the issues. We just haven’t found a way of funding the solution,” one FAI source explained.
There will be no easy or quick way out of a decline that has not hit rock bottom.
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'You haven't seen the worst of it' - FAI eyes open to decline but no plans to sack Hallgrímsson
WHEN JONATHAN WALTERS and his son attended the Republic of Ireland’s June friendly against Senegal, the FAI were already in the process of sounding out potential candidates to replace Marc Canham as the chief football officer.
The Englishman had announced his resignation a couple of months beforehand and the search for a successor was still in the early days.
Walters, the former international who was part of the squads that qualified for Euro 2012 and 2016, was approached to determine his interest in the role. Currently sporting director at Stoke City, the idea of taking on the job piqued sufficient interest that he wanted to hear more.
Walters’ relationship with Stoke City owner John Coates – part of the family that own bet365 – is strong, to the point he often travels to away games in his boss’s helicopter, and he was upfront to him about the approach.
Walters worked as an assistant coach to Tom Mohan with Ireland’s U19s from 2021 until 2022, before taking his first steps on the other side of the game as joint technical director at Fleetwood Town in the English Football League and their sister club Waterford in the League of Ireland.
It can be revealed that Walters also worked free of charge for the FAI during his time with the U19s, so when they made their play this time, he was aware of the financial landscape the association was operating in.
It’s why Walters, as well as Brighton’s former academy manager John Morling who had been one of those under final consideration as Canham’s successor, came away from those discussions with the belief that the successful candidate needed to be more than just a chief football officer who was able to hold senior team managers to account. The person who the FAI landed on would have to be aware of the fractured landscape at grassroots level, and capable of dealing with key government figures, as well as confident and comfortable in a room with wealthy individuals who might be willing to provide private investment.
As one FAI source put it, they needed someone to “understood the reality” of where Irish football finds itself.
And that is why former Shamrock Rovers chief executive John Martin has got the job.
His appointment will likely be confirmed by the FAI this week – possibly before CEO David Courell carries out some media engagements on Friday – and as The 42 revealed last month when Martin was identified by the interview panel of Courell, board member Packie Bonner, FAI president Paul Cooke and chief operating officer Christina Kenny as the preferred candidate, his title will be director of football.
Shane Robinson, who was the internal FAI candidate that made the final shortlist, is now set to become the association’s technical director.
Martin, a Kildare native whoplayed and coached in the League of Ireland as well as grassroots level, will likely take up his position before October’s World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Armenia.
Oh, Armenia.
The timing of last night’s humbling 2-1 defeat in Yerevan might have had far graver consequences if there was any doubt at all about for those in power about the nature of the challenge facing the game in this country.
“You haven’t seen the worst of it,” one FAI source admitted.
Everyone’s eyes are open to the “top to bottom” problems of Irish football’s finances, which sees the FAI currently €40 million in debt and embarking on a redundancy programme for it’ 250-strong workforce.
As regards infrastructure, a recent audit of League of Ireland academies placed Shamrock Rovers’ facilities below that of a fifth division Belgian club, while in terms of player development, LOI academy manager Will Clarke said in April that “the effects of Brexit have not reached the international team yet”.
He highlighted a shrinking talent pool that has led to just 20 players aged 16-18 in full-time professional environments compared to 100 five years ago, at a time when “the key challenge we face is how to get 35 players playing regularly in the top five leagues in Europe, averaging 1,400 minutes a season”.
All of the above is why there is a grim kind of understanding of nights like Tuesday – in the short to medium term, at least – and why there is no immediate desire within the FAI hierarchy to part ways with Heimir Hallgrímsson after the Armenia debacle.
The sense in Abbotstown is that the Icelander’s appointment was an acceptance that Ireland simply needed a manager who might be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and grind a way to a World Cup play-off, or even renew some pride.
So far it is a gamble that has failed on all fronts, and while the senior boss may have admitted last night that it was the worst performance of his tenure, and “when you have a performance like this, the coach’s job is under question”, unless he opts to walk away he will remain in charge for next month’s games, and until his contract finishes when the qualifying campaign concludes.
Such a sobering reminder of the international team’s descent on the pitch comes at a time when Courell will also be in front of an Oireachtas committee later this month to discuss historical abuse claims, while the FAI says it “refutes claims” of gender discrimination in a legal case taken against them by former women’s senior manager Eileen Gleeson.
Martin, and those other candidates who made the final shortlist, were also made aware by the FAI during the interview process of the impending restructuring process that was happening and the necessity to unlock vital funds from Government in October’s budget to act as a catalyst for League of Ireland academies.
Ireland are set to qualify for Euro 2028 as one of the tournament’s co-hosts and the prospect of doing so at an even lower ebb than now feels more likely after last night. There remains hope within the FAI that Hallgrímsson can at least muster a reaction in his players next month, even if there is acceptance that such a performance is hard to stand over.
“Everyone is awake and everyone is aware of the issues. We just haven’t found a way of funding the solution,” one FAI source explained.
There will be no easy or quick way out of a decline that has not hit rock bottom.
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FAI in detail Republic Of Ireland Soccer