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A 1-1 draw with lowly New Zealand on Tuesday, November 21, was the final act of Stephen Kenny’s reign over an Irish national team that had recorded just two wins (against Gibraltar) in their Euro24 campaign.
Kenny was in charge for more than three years, but support for the former Ireland Under-21 and Dundalk manager waned after a series of poor results and performances.
It was then confirmed by the FAI that his contract would not be renewed. That means the search for a replacement has begun as focus switches to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and the next round of the always thrilling Nations League.
Who is responsible for some or all of these? Some of these names are among your favorites Next Republic of Ireland manager.
Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman is nearing the top of the stakes as Kenny’s successor. He has previously managed the national team, with Coleman leading Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Coleman has since managed Sunderland, Chinese club Hebei China Fortune and Greek club Atromitos, but is he really the right man for the job?
anthony barry
Liverpudlian Anthony Barry was part of the Ireland coaching team established under Stephen Kenny in 2021-2022. He currently holds two high-profile jobs as an assistant to Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martínez.
Upon leaving the Belgian team, Martinez took Barry to Portugal. He also played for Chelsea during his time in Ireland, so he has plenty of coaching experience. Will the FAI take the risk of hiring a good coach with no managerial experience? They’ve done it before.
lee carsley
Lee Carsley, the former Premier League bald midfield hardman turned England Under-21 manager, is high on Paddy’s trade list at the time of writing. Carsley led England Under-21s to their first European Championship win since 1984, defeating Spain in the final. The FAI may be tempted to rely on the 49-year-old to develop new talent on the big stage.
neil lennon
When it comes to silverware, the former Celtic manager is probably the most influential name on this list. Despite scoring a big hit with Scotland, leading Greek side Omonia to the Cyprus Cup in 2022, and performing well in the Europa League that followed, he was sacked in October 2022 and is still looking for work. There is. Recently he expressed his desire to “try” his job in Ireland.
Sam Allardyce
One for the purists. Big Sam Allardyce, who avoided the last two successive Premier League relegations, may be looking to give international football management another shot after his brilliant 100% performance with England. How did it end? Don’t worry about that. Look at his 100% winning record here.
Chris Hughton
Chris Hughton’s name stands out at the time of writing, and in a way it’s a throwback for Ireland, where the former Nottingham Forest and Brighton manager preferred to keep things tight with defense first. It will be something like this. He will return in a fairly low form after suffering a disastrous start to the 2021/22 season with Forest.
In February this year, Hughton was appointed head coach of the Ghana national team, which won two of the four games he was in charge of and qualified for February’s African Cup of Nations, although the team has struggled since winning the championship. He played in just four of the nine friendlies and qualifying matches, including a 1-0 loss to Comoros in the World Cup qualifiers in November 2023. The former Ireland international was part of Brian Kerr’s backroom team during his time as Ireland manager. He’s on the national side and he might be interested in taking the job if offered.
roy keene
Now, this is going to be a box office hit. Roy Keane was a top dog who worked with Martin O’Neill in the Irish set-up and had varying degrees of success at Sunderland and Ipswich.
He led Sunderland to promotion to the Premier League in the 2006–07 season, but Mackems’ form plummeted and he left the club the following season on less than friendly terms. These days you’re used to being No. 2 or a pundit, but would you want to go back if asked?
steve bruce
Steve Bruce, the endearing former goalscorer centre-back turned journeyman manager, is currently in the wilderness after a short stint at West Brom in 2021, shortly after leaving the Newcastle game. The year-old will be able to bring his wealth of experience to the international stage.
Recent news suggested that someone was going to pay a portion of his salary, and social media went into overdrive wondering if John Delaney did it for crazy.
robbie keene
Robbie Keane’s name is starting to fade a bit. Many will feel that he was being abused by Stephen Kenny at the time. Keane was part of Mick McCarthy’s set-up at the beginning of the Kenny era, but was largely ignored.
Since then, he has worked alongside Jonathan Woodgate and Sam Allardyce at Middlesbrough and Leeds respectively, and is currently head honcho at Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, where they have lost out of their 10 games in Europe this season. They only played one game and have yet to lose in the league. 5 wins, 1 draw.
Gus Poyet
Former Chelsea and Spurs midfielder Guy Poyet has cast a casual eye on the Ireland job since the Boys in Green match against Greece. The Greeks beat Ireland 2-1 at home and 0-2 in Dublin, after which Poyet said he wanted to manage Ireland. He has a 55% win rate in the role of Gooseberry and there are many Irish fans who are happy to have the Uruguayan in charge.
John Eustace
Former Stoke and Watford midfielder John Eustace has been released by Birmingham City and replaced by Wayne Rooney. He kept Birmingham in good form last season, starting the season with an impressive record of five wins, three draws and just three defeats in the Championship. Although the football wasn’t always pleasing to the eye, he was definitely improving and Blues fans were sad to see him leave.
Damien Duff
The former Ireland international appears to be following in the footsteps of Stephen Kenny, coaching the national team’s youth teams before plotting a move to Shelbourne in the League of Ireland. He led the Reds into the Premier Division, currently sitting in a healthy 6th place at the time of writing.
He is known as a crafty and tricky winger, but this style has yet to be seen at Shells, where he prefers quick breakthroughs and solid defense at the back. He could be just what this Irish team needs.
John O’Shea
John O’Shea may lack international or related managerial experience, but maybe a change of direction could work? The former Ireland international and Manchester United defender has won numerous awards as a player at club level and will bring a wealth of knowledge of his recent play to the set-up. He is currently working as part of Stephen Kenny’s backroom team and alongside Wayne Rooney, who has just been appointed manager of Birmingham FC (replacing John Eustace).
Rafa Benitez
This is sure to make Irish fans of Liverpool jump for joy. However, the rest of us may be a bit disgruntled considering the former Reds manager is having a terrible time at Celta Vigo despite signing a three-year deal. However, one thing that is indisputable is his experience and record of landing silverware. He has long been known for getting the best out of his players, so he will definitely be suited to the job at hand.
Perhaps Benitez and Robbie Keane could rekindle their relationship, so an assistant who knows the set-up will also be needed, otherwise Damien Duff would also be a good fit. Benitez’s style of football may not be the prettiest at times, but it is effective and his coaching will definitely have a positive impact on the current team.
*All prices are up to date in our stylish widget, but odds listed in the copy are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change.
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