The final cut-off to declare the new manager for the Republic of Ireland is forthcoming, expected to be on the ensuing Wednesday, or potentially Thursday, while ambiguity persists in Abbotstown.
Friday proved to be an eventful day. Anticipation was building that John O’Shea might be disclosed as the new manager the following week, but then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name surfaced and faded within several hours that afternoon.
Back in January, Solskjaer was rumoured to be in talks with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), but just like a number of other prospective candidates, including England’s Lee Carsley managing the Under-21 team and Anthony Barry who is the assistant coach at Bayern Munich, he is not drawn towards the Ireland role.
At present, odds are dwindling for a last-minute push for O’Shea to follow Stephen Kenny after a 143-day search.
The drawn-out search has burdened FAI recruiters, namely chief executive Jonathan Hill and football director Marc Canham, and put them under pressure to find a satisfactory “head coach” for the board’s approval.
On Friday, a flush of money on Solskjaer suggested there was a possibility of his appointment, possibly teaming up with his former Manchester United colleague O’Shea as an assistant.
By dusk on Friday, some bookies had even cut down the possibility of the former Norwegian striker taking the role down to 17/20 odds. However, the media and bookies have repeatedly been proven wrong throughout the lengthy process, with Carsley named as a clear favourite twice since November.
Solskjaer has been out of work since his stint at Manchester United ended in November 2021. The 51-year old has managed Molde FK twice and oversaw 30 matches at Cardiff City in 2013 where his team suffered a hefty 16 losses.
O’Shea will face the press on Tuesday evening at the Aviva Stadium in his role as the ambassador of the Uefa Europa League trophy’s promotional tour. He is likely to face enquiries that only Canham and Hill can address.
The FAI has expressed its stance that it doesn’t want to tie O’Shea’s long-planned Dublin visit with the revelation of their new Ireland coach roughly a day or two later.
Both executives are anticipated to organize a press briefing on Wednesday or Thursday.
Several individuals have been linked to the open position, including ex-Ireland’s player and coach, Chris Hughton, Willy Sagnol, Chris Coleman, and Greece’s manager Gus Poyet, amidst others like Carsley and Barry. However, none of them have agreed to fill the position as a result of Canham’s rigorous and cloistered selection method. Subsequently, Canham turned to O’Shea, delegating him as stand-in manager in March. O’Shea’s interim period began with a scoreless outcome against Belgium and a defat of 1-0 against Switzerland.
Former manager O’Shea, undisputed that he wasn’t given a chance to succeed Kenny as a result of not having enough management exposure. The idea of managing the Irish immediately was thrilling to O’Shea and he confidently shared that he was suitably skilled for the position.
O’Shea, a veteran with 118 caps to his name, served as an Irish coach in 2023, effectively Kenny’s and his primary aide Keith Andrews’ subordinate. The former player, now aged 42, has also spent three years assisting Ireland under-21’s manager, Jim Crawford, and has had previous tenure at Stoke City and Birmingham City, where he worked with his past United colleague Wayne Rooney. He was later promoted to the senior squad.