JOHN GILES BELIEVES that Martin O’Neill is the stand-out candidate for the vacant role of Ireland manager.
The ex-international boss, says that every single management appointment in football is a “calculated gamble” and you can only go on their track record.
It is that category which Giles believes marks O’Neill out as the best available man to fill the job. And if he’s the man the FAI want, then Giles says he should be installed before Ireland face Germany in Cologne next month.
“I think you should only slow down if you’re not sure,” Giles said after speaking for yourclub.ie today.
“He has a great CV,” Giles adds of O’Neill. “Look what he did with Wycombe and Leicester. He did it at Villa, he did it at Celtic.
“Sunderland, you don’t know what happened at Sunderland, but you don’t suddenly become a bad manager over night.
“I think the quicker the better. The sooner you get the new man into position it gives him two matches before we go into another campaign. and the sooner the better.”
One theory behind O’Neill’s unsuccessful spell in the north-east was that he was without his regular assistant, John Robertson.
O’Neill’s ex Nottingham Forest team-mate was his number two in his impressive tenures at Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa, but suffered a mild heart attack last month.
Giles, however, does not believe an assistant’s influence matters much to a manager’s overall success, citing the example of a man both he and O’Neill played under.
“I’d say Martin would want him on board, but I wouldn’t always say that because somebody wasn’t there it couldn’t work. Martin was a success before.“It can be an influence, but I remember over the years when Alex Ferguson was doing his stuff in Old Trafford; Brian Kidd was the coach and there was a general consensus that Brian Kidd was doing the work. Then [Steve] McClaren came in and [the assumption] it was McClaren doing the work.
“You don’t know the influence of the manager. There are many many aspects in that. The personality, and his strength of personality, his influence on the players is a huge part, but you don’t see that. It’s taken for granted.
“A lot of Notts forest players [when you ask them] ‘what did Clough do?’ ’Eh, not much, we only saw him now and again’. Well, he must have done something right if he was that successful. That happens in football.
“Hopefully, if Martin Comes in and he doesn’t bring John Robertson then he might know somebody else in the game who can do a job for him. He’s got to do the main job. The coach is a help, but the manager does the main job.”
The right stuff
As for whether O’Neill could translate his successes as a club manager to the international scene, Giles believes taking charge of a national team is an easier role than dealing with the intricacies of a club day in day out.
“It’s not day to day stuff where you’re more likely to fall out with players than you would at international level. It can be easier in many ways, but if a manager is of the right stuff, I don’t think there’s any great change between international and club.”
It’s been said already but Delaney needs to go before a new manager comes.
How does someone like Delaney lose his job. How can he get sacked?
The board would have to decide that he’s not doing his job right, and since he hasn’t been doing it right in years there is also clearly a problem with the board.
yeah that’s unfortunately the way, very unlikely then.
What exactly has John Delaney done wrong??
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t we all have hard-ons when Delaney appointed Trap?
I agree to a degree man, I think most people’s beef is they don’t like his chancer persona, but in terms of performance, it’s a case of it being debatable.
People who know fck all will always pick holes in stuff they know nothing about….. What’s new here?!!
Standby for grass roots waffle and his wages being too high etc…..
So Dunphy, and now Giles have given Martin O’Neill the seal of approval. O’Neill should enjoy this honeymoon period, because those two lads will be slating him to high Heaven in two years’ time, like they’ve done with every Irish manager for the past 20yrs.
Well lets take a comment Delaney made yesterday that his involvement with the international side of the FAI is only 3-4% of the work he does. So what the F does he do for the other 96-96% of his job to warrant his wages? The League of Ireland is in shite. Last season when clubs were going to the wall where was Delaney, pissed out of his head at the Euro’s.
I think Dennis O’Brien should get the job and have a chunk of his salary paid by Trappatoni.
I agree with johnny I have to say, other names being mentioned are risky, albeit risks can sometimes be profitable, they are more often failures.
O Neill poses as the safest and steadiest option, and right now that’s what we need.
I agree O’Neill best man for job. Think he was a bit overrated earlier in career but looks best available. Right man at right time. Out of work a while and maybe his one and only shot at international level. It’s all timing, 10 years ago David O’Leary would have been one of favourites. Not even a mention this time
Funnily enough, David O Leary is probably the most successful Irish manager of all time having finished 3rd or 4th in the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League a couple of times. I think he even got to the quarter finals…. Just saying!!!
Gor them to semis actually
And, further more he has a good grasp of the English language. That will help communicating with the squad.
O Neill would have been my first choice 5 years ago but things have not seemed to work for him since then. Are his tactics and approach old? I don’t know. I do know he is a good man manager but is that enough anymore? A two year contract is a must in my opinion.
Where’d ye get the photo?Has Giles been Tangoed?
Only one problem with Johnny’s reasoning, the £uck All Intellengence brigade. You know the FAI
I thought he’d suggest Paul Jewel… again!
Dunphy was calling for Jewel to get the job years ago, I think before Staunton got the job. His star faded pretty quickly.
How about Johnny Giles as manager?
If you don’t like the way trap played football god happy you when you see martin o’neill as a manager he almost destroyed aston villa then look what he did to Sunderland .
I agree. O’Neill is a good motivator but his teams do not play attractive football. This won’t matter if he’s successful but if not, everyone will turn on him. Still, he’s probably the best available at the moment.
How did he almost destroy Villa?
would Martin o neill get on with players like Gibson and other NI players ??
Poisoned Chalice,you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
Bring in Roddy Collins. Saw him on the sidelines for Carlisle Utd when he managed them. Like a bull on the sidelines. He’d scare the sh1t into these players… Otherwise Martin O’Neill is head and shoulders above the others mentioned. NOT ROY KEANE!!!
Obviously I’m joking about Roddy :-P
John Giles is a deluded old moron
And u are an attention seeking oul wan. Mr gambling ireland.
You haven’t a clue you attention seeking clown.
Gary Neville has already been offered the job. He turned it down last night!!
So easy to wind up. I mad
So easy to wind up. I made a mistake, it was Phil Neville!
John robertson is sn excellent coach, martin o neill is a mediocre msnager.
Mon without his team would be like buying a knockoff rolex, might look the business at beginning, but could fall apart any moment
Yep I think Martin o Neill or maybe Chris Hughton if u can prize him away from Norwich I doubt it
Hey Alex Ferguson isn’t doing anything at the minute
All any manager can do is make the best of a bad situation re players. The steady decline of Irish soccer over the years is set to continue.
Chris Houghton – if he is available – has a good track record .
Niall Quinn for Delaneys job and a manager with the guile and vision to oversee a total transformation of irish soccer from grass roots level to the senior international team,this needs to be a long term project over the next 5-10 years as in the style of what the germans and spanish did and are now reaping the rewards with countless world class players all under 25 years old….my choice would be Louis Van Gaal
You do realise Van Gaal is in a job with his own country?
I wouldn’t read too much into anything Giles says. A few years ago on off the ball, he claimed that Wayne Rooney was the best mid-fielder in the premier league, he ranked him above lampard and Gerrard who were in their prime at the time. Whoever gets the job should be given a contract up until the end of the euros in 2016 and then rewarded with a new one if we qualify, give a good account of ourselves etc…
Giles was correct. If Rooney put his mind to it he would be a way better player than lampard or gerard as an attacking midfielder. You can’t blame john that Rooneys attitude has gone down the drain since.
Des Cahill for manager
Just give O’Neill the job.
We owe the Germans for the hammering they gave us in the Aviva. And O’Neill might be the man to beat them!