The name Jack Byrne won’t mean much to many but he has today signed a deal with Shamrock Rovers to come home from the Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock after a short spell with them following on from spells with Oldham , Blackburn Rovers , Cambuur in Holland and of course his time with Manchester City.

He has also a number of caps at Under 21 level with Ireland and has spent time with the senior squad. But things just haven’t worked out for Jack in recent times so one feels the decision to come home and spend a season with Shamrock Rovers isn’t the worst move. It will bring much needed media coverage to the League of Ireland, will strengthen the Rovers squad that will next year hope to challenge champions Dundalk for the title.

It is shot in the arm for a league that is crying out for more investment and better facilities for certain clubs. Also a full season where one team or another doesn’t get into financial difficulty would not hurt either. The prize money on offer to the winner of the league is very poor and will really need to be looked at in the next few months before the new season kicks off next March.

While most people will immediately say the league is poor and I wouldn’t go and  watch the teams involved , let’s just give the league a chance and hopefully the move from Jack Byrne to come home and start again at the age of 22 is a shrewd move on his part. While at home he can try and stamp his authority on a side for more than a few games and see can he put all this promise to good use !!

With Mick Mc Carthy now in charge of the National side to be followed by Stephen Kenny, the league needs to put its best foot forward while Mick is in charge to make it next to impossible for him to ignore the league like the last two men who were in charge of the National side.

Could Jack Byrne be in a position if he puts his head down to get into the senior national side with consistent performances for Rovers and be the first League Of Ireland based player since Glen Crowe to get capped at senior level.

Time now for Jack Byrne and more like him to step up and make the League Of  Ireland great again…..

Euro 2020 Draw

So the great and the good of European Football all arrived in the Convention Centre Dublin for the draw for qualifying for Euro 2020 with both Northern Ireland and the Republic Of Ireland in Pot 3 where they could have been drawn with some of Europe’s best sides. Both teams will have differing feelings in the aftermath of the draw where Northern Ireland were paired with Holland, Estonia, Germany and Belarus. A group of death for Michael O Neill’s men but a challenge he is looking forward to none the less.

For Mick Mc Carthy whose second coming as the Republic Of Ireland manager was confirmed earlier this week after Martin O Neill and Roy Keane were relieved of their duties will be pleased as it looked as if Ireland would be drawn alongside Germany and Holland but as only two host nations can be in the same group so the Republic of Ireland were moved from one Group to another and Northern Ireland were put into the group with Holland and Germany.

Mick Mc Carthy will be thankful that his side were removed from that group and they are in a group with Switzerland, Denmark, Georgia and Gibraltar. All those sides are familiar opponents to Ireland over the last few qualifying campaigns.

Given the results throughout 2018, this campaign which begins next March will give Mick Mc Carthy the chance to see can he revive the faltering fortunes of the national side. It has been a tough 12 months for the team and let’s hope that the change in management will see and upturn in fortunes and with Stephen Kenny in charge at Under 21 level, let’s hope to see more co operation and more young players step up to senior level from Under 21 level.

We will have to wait and see how the group will pan out from March 2019 and see can Ireland make Euro 2020 when Dublin will host 4 games in the Aviva Stadium. The slate is clean now and all players will have to impress Mc Carthy and Terry Connor in club colours before next March.

O ‘Neill / Keane Era Ends

So the Martin O Neill / Roy Keane tenure as the Republic Of Ireland management team has ended after 5 years and 1 appearance at the 2016 European Championships. For around 4 years of their tenure everything was go very well and although after the 2016 European Championships where Ireland played some very open football and achieved some good results defeating Italy after a draw with Sweden and although Belgium comfortably beat Ireland , Ireland went into the next round to play hosts France and were beaten 3-1.

Things have gradually gone downhill. Openly questioning the ability of some of his players in public, never a smart move in any sporting organisation, looking to his assistant Roy Keane who came on board but seemly offered very little in the tactical approach of this Irish team.

Martin O Neill has had a strained relationship with the media in his 5 years at the helm , having a few set two’s with RTE correspondent  Tony O Donoghue after a few games and not liking the fact his style of play was being questioned. He has had a few issues in recent times, like the situation with Declan Rice and Michael Obafemi who won his 1^st cap on Monday evening against Denmark in Arhus.

Looking to the positives from his 5 year tenure, an appearance a major Championship has to be seen as a positive. The failure to make the World Cup will be seen as a black mark on the O Neill / Keane copybook. The distinct lack of a real playing style will also be viewed as a issue that dogged the 5 year tenure.

Since the 5-1 defeat to Denmark the change in formation to a 3-5-2 from the rigid 4-4-2 style he adopted in his first three years in charge smacked of desperation and yes Ireland do not possess the technical players that the likes of Spain and Germany have produced in the last 10 to 15 years but we do have players who are willing to work hard and if allowed they can pass the ball from A to B also. Not rocket science in the modern game.

The main issue for the FAI will now be who to put in charge before next March when qualification for Euro 2020 begins. Some are saying Mick Mc Carthy who left the job after the 2002 World Cup, Stephen Kenny’s name has also been mentioned but the fact he has only managed in the League Of Ireland and a short spell in Scotland may count against him although his achievements with Dundalk in the last few years cannot have escaped the notice of the FAI.

A man like Chris Houghton who currently is in charge at Brighton might just be a bold but popular choice with players and supporters alike. He has done good work as a coach and manager and has also played 57 times for Ireland always a handy bartering tool to have when it comes to negotiations.

Others like Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon and a few more names will be included before the FAI make a formal announcement whenever they see fit. Like the IRFU if Joe Schmidt was to indicate he is leaving after the 2019 World Cup , the FAI cannot rush this decision and will need to tread carefully in there interview process.

The FAI also need to come up with a plan of how it plans to work and function over the next few years so the grassroots understands what is required of the next generation of players coming through.

The issues of player eligibility need to be addressed also, we don’t need another Declan Rice situation although I suspect we may have a few more similar scenarios before it all gets ironed out. FIFA also needs to pull its socks up and really clear up this gray area for all nations not just Ireland.

The FAI has a big decision to make in the next few months, so John Delaney and the FAI Board need there thinking caps on and make the correct call for the good of Irish Football…..