HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has said a return to the Iceland job is not the agenda – for now at least.
And Hallgrímsson has revealed how he initially wanted to bring two of his compatriots on to the Ireland coaching staff.
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He also reiterated his happiness with the working environment in the FAI, contrasting it to that of Jamaica, where he left midway through his contract and his indifference to any criticism he receives.
Hallgrímsson was speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Morgunbladid, a newspaper in his home country.
The Iceland FA is looking for a new boss following the departure of Age Hareide but Hallgrímsson would not be tempted by a return to his former employers.
He was assistant Iceland boss for two years, joint manager with Lars Lagerback for three before taking sole charge from the Swede for the final two with his time including Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
Hallgrímsson said: “Today, taking over the Icelandic national team is a coveted position and many good and experienced coaches are interested in it, as there are very exciting times ahead for this team.
“I was at KSÍ for over seven years and it was a good time for me personally and the national team as well. I worked with great KSÍ staff there and it is often forgotten how good the work is done in the KSÍ office.
“As I said earlier, these were seven good years and I think it is unlikely that there will be more at KSÍ.
“An older Swede once told me that you should never close any doors and I never rule anything out. This is definitely not the time for me to take over the national team.
“There are good names in the discussion for the national team coach position and I am convinced that the next national team coach will be successful.”
Hallgrímsson made clear his happiness in Ireland despite a rocky start when he seemed ill-prepared to take the reins for Ireland’s opening Nations League fixtures in September, despite the FAI’s claim that he had been identified as first choice for the job six months earlier.
He said: “While I was the Jamaica national team coach, I was regularly contacted and asked if I was ready to take on other teams.
“My answer was always the same.
“I was fully focused on Jamaica and I always intended to finish the final competitions that the team had entered, in the Nations League and the Copa America, before I would think about moving.
“I honestly don’t remember exactly when the Irish first contacted me, but they were very interested.
“My requirement was always to complete these biggest projects with Jamaica before I went looking around.
“I feel good in this job in Ireland.
“It’s a professional environment and the setting is top-notch, that’s the biggest reason why I took on this job. Everyone who works around the national team is a professional to the core.
“It was very good for me to come into this environment, an environment where I can learn from everyone around me. At Jamaica I was more in a teaching role, so these are certain changes.”
On Jamaica, he added: “We were trying to change quite a lot, both in the work environment and within the union, and we criticised the way some things were done.
“Many employees were unhappy in their jobs. I was very clear to the staff around the team that if they were not happy, they always had the choice to quit and find another environment to work in.
“I then realised that there were certain things that I could not change or that it would take a very long time to change them.
“Then I was actually faced with the same choice as the staff who were not happy.
“I didn’t see myself being able to continue for another two years in this working environment.”
NO FEAR
His heavy reliance on John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy for his first two games in charge drew a lot of criticism but he has no regrets about his approach.
He said: “I don’t think the coverage has been unfair since I took over at Ireland, but I also realise that there will always be someone who is unhappy with something.
“People are not afraid to speak their mind and it’s your choice how you take that criticism. I’ve tried to be firm in what I believe needs to be done, do my best and work hard.
“The hardest part of the job to begin with was that I came straight to Ireland after two finals with Jamaica, which I put all my time and focus into.
“Finals take a lot of energy and I was tired after the run with Jamaica, but then I had to immediately settle into a new football culture.
“I had suddenly become a spokesperson for the Irish people and hadn’t had much time to prepare for it.
“I felt we handled this task very well right from the start. The first task was to get John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy to continue working as assistant coaches for the team.
“We also managed to keep the same staff around the team.
“I initially wanted to take two with me into the coaching team, but ended up only taking Gummi Hreiðar with me to Ireland.
“It was therefore easy for those who were there to lead this first national team project. For example, John did a few press conferences to start with, either with me or on his own.
“It didn’t go down well with the media, who wanted me to be the spokesperson.
“I had to learn very quickly, just the names of all the players who were considered and it took a long time for all the staff to learn.
“I would have looked bad and probably been caught saying something wrong at the beginning if I hadn’t had this support.
“Both John and Paddy had managed the team in four friendlies before I was hired and it says a lot about their character that they want to stay.
“It shows in black and white how good people they are and how much they care about their national team.
“I was and am incredibly lucky because it hasn’t been an easy decision for them to continue as assistant coaches.”
WORLD CUP
Hallgrímsson also feels lucky with the World Cup draw which will see Ireland up against either Portugal or Denmark, as well as Hungary and Armenia.
He said: ”It is more realistic for Ireland to qualify for the European Championships rather than the World Cup.
“But I am still very optimistic and think that we will qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“I have a very good feeling about the coming year and hopefully we can continue to show progress in every game.
“One of the things that has stood out since I came to Ireland is the fans.
“The national team has been through a bit of a wilderness in terms of results, but we still have 23,000 season ticket holders. We have around 2,000 fans at all our away games.
“This shows the pride that the Irish have for their national team.”