| Duo’s early hopes of winning over
the fans  The
premature leak of the news that Steve Staunton and Sir Bobby Robson were
to become the unlikely Republic of Ireland team management partnership
over a week ago immediately sparked off a generally hostile reaction from
fans.
However by the end of last week the overall reaction was one of cautious
optimism.
The overall view of the fans was best summed up by Republic of Ireland
Soccer Supporters Club (London Branch) spokesman Declan Finnegan.
He said: “After much media speculation following the departure of
Brian Kerr there was an expectation, probably unrealistic, among many
fans that a high-profile name would be appointed as the next Ireland manager.
“The appointment of Stephen Staunton will have surprised and disappointed
many. But despite Staunton having no managerial experience, by virtue
of over 100 caps and participation in three World Cup finals he is no
stranger to the international football arena. With his management team
and the experience of Bobby Robson available to him there is no reason
why he cannot go on to be successful. By the time his first game in charge
against Sweden on March 1 comes along we hope he will enjoy the support
of all Irish fans who want to see the team being successful. We wish him
well in his new role as Irish team manager.”
After Kerr’s inevitable dismissal when many claimed he was in a
job in which he was simply out of his depth it was widely believed that
only a high-profile manager with a proven track record at club level would
provide the ideal solution to revive the Republic of Ireland’s fortunes.
Unfortunately managers of that calibre come at a high price and are also
a rare species.
Suggestions that the FAI were prepared to wait for Martin O’Neill
and possibly Alex Ferguson also proved to be unfounded and in all honesty
the fact that they have made their choice sooner rather than later will
also be greeted with relief by both players and fans.
The contrasting reaction by some of Staunton’s older former teammates
was also interesting but generally many now believe the Dundalk man has
the potential to be just as great a leader of men as he was a player.
At the end of the day as is the case of so many job appointments in any
walk of life it was a case of horses for courses and not merely landing
a big high-profile name. One only has to look at the appointment of Scotland’s
former World Cup-winner Berti Vogts who came to that job with such a huge
reputation but subsequently proved to be totally unsuitable and eventually
left with a severely tarnished image.
Perhaps Denis Irwin’s view of his former teammate’s appointment
best sums up the man with the responsibility of the future of Irish football.
He said: “We need one of our own captaining the ship. It doesn’t
guarantee that we won’t hit any icebergs but I for one am happier
now than if someone without a grounding in Irish football had taken over
the Boys in Green.”
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