Ross Mullen | Contributing Writer
Ireland’s disappointing World Cup Qualifying campaign stumbled to a close with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan; the only question to be answered is who should be the next Irish manager? Captain Robbie Keane has already called out for a man “who has balls” and “someone who doesn’t take shit from anybody.” (Maybe that explains Noel King’s outburst at Tony O’Donoghue?) We all have our own ideas on who should take the role, but what do the bookies reckon?
Blast from the past, Mick McCarthy, is the current favourite at evens. Many current college students’ best memories of the Irish national side will be when the current Ipswich manager took the ‘Boys in Green’ to the 2002 World Cup. Who could forget his jaw-dropping expression as Robbie Keane scored in injury time against Germany? He has credentials after a previously successful time in charge of Ireland and having also played for the national side, is well aware of the ins and outs of international football. He has admitted in the past that he would love to return and Richard Dunne recently threw his support behind the man. Questions only remain as to whether he would leave his relatively comfortable job in the Championship for what winger Aiden McGeady has deemed to be a “poisoned chalice.”
The Derry-born and jobless Martin O’Neill is the second favourite at 7/4 with Paddy Power. O’Neill has had a relatively successful managerial career since his playing days, picking up two League Cups with Leicester City and three Scottish League titles with Celtic. His latest job was with Sunderland, where he gave Irish winger James McClean his Premiership debut, but he was sacked after dropping into the relegation battle at the end of last season. One of the key reasons that O’Neill could be a prime candidate is how his sides tend to punch above their weight. He had a hat-trick of 6th placed finishes with Aston Villa who suffered a drastic decline once he left, while his Celtic side also performed well above expectations in Europe during his time in charge. While he may not be the flair manager that the Irish public are crying out for, his formation should at least be more adventurous than Trap’s rigid 4-4-2.
Carlos Queiroz has supposedly thrown his hat into the ring to become the next Ireland manager and Paddy Power have him as third favourite. He was Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United while also managing Real Madrid and Portugal. He qualified for the 2010 World Cup with Portugal and recently qualified for the 2014 World Cup with Iran. So while it is obvious Queiroz has a track record regarding qualification, I’d find it hard to see him leaving Iran in the near future having only just guided them to Brazil, but stranger things have happened.
Another surprising candidate also appears to be in the running, coming in the form of Gerard Houiller (12/1). The Frenchman has international experience with his own national side, having become manager in 1992 but resigned the following year having failed to qualify for 1994 World Cup. He has also managed Liverpool, Lyon and Aston Villa. Houiller’s vast experience of European football is what sets him apart from the other candidates on this list. However, the 66 year-olds health problems are well documented; he missed the end of his last Premier League season due to illness, but the less rigorous regime of international football could suit him.
Noel King has managed Ireland in their final qualification games.
Current temporary Republic of Ireland Manager Noel King can be got at 18/1. In his two games in charge, King brought many players such as Andy Reid, Kevin Doyle and Darron Gibson who had been snubbed in recent times by Trapattoni. The former Irish footballer hasn’t managed outside this island but can claim some sort of international experience, having been a coach at the 1990 World Cup and having been in charge of the U-21 side previously. It appears King would make a lot of swift changes from the Trap regime if given the opportunity and appears to be liked among the Irish camp. However, he hasn’t endeared himself to the RTÉ panel, brandishing them “clowns” and their show “a joke” after they said they believed he was well out of his depth. Bill O’Herlihy and the lads will be less than pleased if he ends up in charge.
Roy Keane has drifted in to 14/1 but despite being one of Ireland’s greatest players, he hasn’t had the most successful managerial careers. He won promotion at Sunderland but his tenure soon went downhill. He was sacked there and his time at Ipswich Town is not fondly remembered by fans either. Possibly the only positive for the Corkman would be injecting some fight in an Ireland team that has lacked leaders. However, his poor relationship with the FAI means it would take a serious slice of humble pie for him to be considered.
The RTÉ panel have always had strong opinion on the Irish manager position and were quick to lambast King for his actions. Liam Brady worked as an assistant to Trapattoni for two years and constantly supported the Italian despite criticism from his fellow panel members, so while being the favourite for the job (50/1) amongst his colleagues, it looks as if the Ireland team needs to move away from the Trapattoni era as much as possible. John Giles is at 66/1 but the most value can be found for Eamon Dunphy at a whopping 250/1. While surely Dunphy believes he could do the job, many others presumably disagree.
If none of those take your fancy, the lovable Mr. Tayto is 500/1 to take the reins while Anchorman’s finest, Ron Burgundy, can be bet on at the same price. Some people really do love throwing money away.
