Who Will Succeed Stephen Kenny As Next Ireland Manager?
Daire Walsh
Speculation continues to mount, but with an official announcement expected in the next couple of weeks, betting sites are still offering their takes on who the next manager of the Republic of Ireland men’s national team will be.
Following a 40-game stint that spanned more than three years, Dubliner Stephen Kenny’s time as MNT boss came to an end last November when the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) revealed that his contract with the governing body wasn’t going to be renewed.
O’Shea The Interim Boss For Upcoming Friendlies
The FAI are yet to announce a successor to Kenny in the role, but 118 cap veteran John O’Shea will take charge of the side for the forthcoming international friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
When the former Manchester United stalwart was unveiled as interim boss at a press conference earlier this month, the FAI’s Director of Football Marc Canham stated that a current contractual obligation prevented them from announcing their new permanent men’s national team manager until April.
He also added that their chosen candidate will be able to begin immediately in the role and won’t be double-jobbing into the summer months before eventually concentrating on the Irish gig.
With an FAI board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 to rubber stamp a new appointment, it appears the long wait to see who will replace Kenny in the hot seat is coming to an end.
Which begs the question: who will be the next manager of the Republic of Ireland MNT?
Carsley Seemingly Rules Himself Out Of Ireland Job
Linked to the job even before Kenny’s tenure reached a conclusion, former Irish midfielder Lee Carsley had been regarded as the number one choice for the role. The current manager of the England U21s, he guided them to a magnificent victory at last year’s European Championships in Romania and Georgia.
Because he operates on a rolling contract with the English FA, Carsley would theoretically be available after the completion of qualification games against Azerbaijan and Luxembourg in the coming days.
There had been contrasting reports surrounding the likelihood of the Birmingham native taking on the role, but it now seems – according to an interview he gave to the Daily Mail in recent days – that Carsley has ruled him out of the race for the next Ireland boss. He seemingly met with the FAI for some initial talks last November, but that is far as his interest in the role appears to have gone.
This hasn’t prevented some bookies from offering odds on Carsley becoming the next boss with three of them currently offering 9/1 on the former Everton footballer. Yet this only makes him the third favourite for the role and when you consider he was the prime candidate amongst bookmakers just a couple of days ago, this signifies a dramatic shift.
Sagnol And Poyet Now Leading The Way In Irish Managerial Betting
Instead of Carsley, it is ex-Monaco and Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol who is the current front-runner for the Irish job in the eyes of bookies on the market. Currently in charge of Georgia, Sagnol will guide his adopted nation into battle later this evening in a European Championship play-off tie against Luxembourg.
Should they come through that game, another play-off would await them in Tbilisi next Tuesday. Greece and Kazakhstan meet on the opposite side of Path C in the play-off rounds and, ironically, the manager of the Greeks is next behind them in the running for the Ireland job.
In the aftermath of guiding Greece towards a second qualifier win over the Republic of Ireland last year, former Uruguayan international Gustavo Poyet acknowledged that managing the Boys In Green is something that he would see as a privilege.
There has been a strong suggestion that Poyet might be leaving the Greek post at the end of this month even if they managed to seal qualification for the European Championships and it is entirely possible that Sagnol’s time with Georgia could be coming to an end as well.
Despite his representatives recently insisting that he has had no contact from the FAI, Sagnol is favoured amongst some noted bookmakers at 6/4 and he is also rated at 3/1 by Betvictor.
Poyet also fits the same criteria as Sagnol and is available at 5/1 with a number of different with football betting sites as we head into the final weeks of one of the most protracted managerial sagas in recent history.
O’Shea Not Ruled Out Of Taking The Job Permanently
During a 75-game stretch as Sunderland manager from October 2013 to March 2015, Poyet worked closely with the aforementioned O’Shea in his role as Black Cats captain. Should the Uruguayan be selected to take the Republic of Ireland forward into a new era, it is quite likely that O’Shea would remain on board as part of his backroom team.
The indications are that O’Shea won’t be at the helm beyond the two upcoming games, but bookies are wisely keeping him in the running for the job on a permanent basis. The odds on the Waterford man remaining in charge range from 7/1 to 12/1 in advance of his first game as temporary boss.
Barry And Keane Unlikely To Take On The Irish Hotseat
There are similar odds available on Bayern Munich and Portugal coach Anthony Barry, though betting apps are offering 5/1 on the Liverpudlian. He previously enjoyed a 12-month spell alongside Kenny with the Republic of Ireland and has also worked with the likes of Chelsea and Belgium in recent years.
Yet even though it is possible he will be leaving Bayern in unison with Thomas Tuchel this summer, he is set to be involved with Portugal at this year’s Euros and it seems unlikely that he will leave that position right now for a shot at being Ireland’s main man.
Given he currently has a 75% win record in his first permanent job as manager, Robbie Keane could potentially be talked up as a viable candidate for the side he represented on no fewer than 146 occasions.
However, the fact that Keane is currently managing Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel has led to much criticism for the Republic of Ireland’s all-time top goalscorer.
No matter how successful his first season might prove to be with Maccabi – he has already won the Toto Cup and is very much in the running for Premier League and State Cup glory as well – he wouldn’t be a popular choice for the Irish job at the moment.
He is currently available at odds that range from 6/1 to 12/1 with new betting sites, but it is unlikely that the FAI will come calling for the Tallaght native on this occasion.
Meanwhile, having been heavily linked to the role at various stages since Kenny left his role, Paul Clement, Slaven Bilic, Chris Coleman and Chris Hughton are all seen as clear outsiders for the job at this stage.