After a long and drawn out process, the FAI’s search for the next Ireland manager came to an abrupt end earlier this month with the surprise appointment of Heimir Hallgrimsson.
The Icelandic coach is not someone who had been heavily linked with the role, with the announcement of his arrival catching many supporters off guard. He had an impressive record with his home nation as well as some good results in charge of Jamaica, although the reaction to the move has been largely mixed.
That was not helped by a rather questionable introductory press conference, one that seemed to be an exercise of self-preservation for the FAI more than anything else. They insisted that Hallgrimsson had been their first choice for a number of months, although their actions throughout this period would heavily suggest that this was not the case.
Indeed, very few people came away impressed with the Association’s search for Stephen Kenny’s successor.
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Dunphy Hammers FAI For Treatment Of O’Shea In Ireland Manager
John O’Shea took interim charge of Ireland during both the March and June international windows, with many expecting him to be appointed on a full-time basis this summer.
The Waterford man seemed keen on the prospect of taking on the role, something he made clear in the media on various occasions. He certainly did not have the demeanour of someone who had been told that the FAI had a permanent appointment lined up.
Heimir Hallgrimsson would go on to mention during that infamous press conference that he would love to have O’Shea as part of his staff, although he had yet to speak to him on the matter. That just sums up the way the former Manchester United star had been strung along throughout this process, something Eamon Dunphy was not impressed by.
Speaking on Second Captains, Dunphy slammed the FAI for the way their Ireland manager search and the way they treated John O’Shea throughout the process.
The story the FAI tell about [Hallgrimsson] being the one they wanted all along, and along these eight months we were waiting, doesn’t ring true.
John O’Shea thought he was auditioning for the job. Someone like Seamus Coleman and one or two other players came out and said they loved working with John O’Shea and hoped he got the job.
They made a fool of John O’Shea. They then tried to make a fool of the guy from Iceland by saying he should take John O’Shea as his assistant. That’s up to him who his assistant (is)…
I have huge admiration and respect for John O’Shea, I think he did an okay job. I thought he did okay in the circumstances he was put in.
I understood him to be doing it, okay he came in as an interim appointment, but there was an unspoken understanding that if he did well he could have the job. How could you do that if you had your guy all along?..
They didn’t have him lined up from the start. They weren’t waiting for him, I venture. They may prove me wrong, but there is no sign in any public statement.
I don’t know who Marc Canham is, where he came from, or what he knows about Irish football.
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Heimir Hallgrimsson reportedly visited John O’Shea in recent times to discuss the possibility of an Ireland assistant role, although there has been now update as to how those talks went.
From O’Shea’s perspective, he may well have had enough of dealing with the FAI after the way this year played out for him.
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