Vera Pauw is gone, and Eileen Gleeson is the interim Ireland manager, but an information vacuum now exists.
And social media is filling in some glaring gaps. That’s never a good situation.
Above all else, the FAI must protect their players. They cannot be seen to have got rid of Pauw or to be blamed for how this drawn-out saga was handled.
That is down to the executive and in particular how CEO Jonathan Hill manages the situation ahead of the historic first women’s international at the Aviva stadium, against Northern Ireland, in three weeks.
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Right now, it still feels like there is no overall strategy. Surely the last month was the time to launch a wide-ranging recruitment process to find Pauw’s successor?
Seemingly, the FAI only began this search today.
Respectability coupled with early elimination from the Women’s World Cup does feel like Pauw had taken the team as far as she possibly could.
Logic dictated a change of manager. There was far too much non-football noise around Pauw. Too many distractions. There was always an issue, from the exclusion of Tyler Toland to the Houston Dash revelations to the Colombia game to the spat with Katie McCabe. It meant that the players and the public were unable to settle into her time in charge.
That is a pity, and it was unfair on Vera. Hopefully she leaves gracefully and does not go down swinging as that would heap unnecessary pressure on the players. Especially McCabe. And they deserve better than that.
It must also be noted that McCabe never once suggested that Sinead Farrelly should be replaced, as Pauw stated she did after the Nigeria game. The captain asked the manager to “freshen up” the side which was a fair and obvious request.
To my mind, Pauw’s decision to use Farrelly as a way to take a swipe at her own skipper in a press conference and Katie’s subsequent reaction felt childish and unnecessary.
It also felt like the end.
Still, Pauw’s place in Irish sport is secure. She got us to our first major tournament. We played a certain way and came up short against the Olympic champions and the host nation. There was no shame, none at all, in defeat to Canada and Australia.
But the players only see missed opportunity. That’s how elite athletes operates. It will hurt until they reach another major tournament. As it should. Because they know they belong at this level.
The players were dejected in the aftermath of their first World Cup. You could see it in their social media posts. This looks to be the result of what was happening in the team environment.
They were drained by all the external goings on. They put on a brave face, like any professional must, but now they need to be inspired again.
With only three weeks until Northern Ireland come to Dublin, to lose momentum now would be a real shame.
And not just the advancement of the senior squad. The FAI need to capitalise on the interest generated by McCabe scoring from a corner, by Courtney Brosnan’s cat-like reflexes, by Megan Connolly’s free-kick technique.
Young girls need the right environment to replicate and hone these skills. A long term, coherent plan is needed from the governing body, one where all their corporate speak is translated into a visionary, proactive approach.
We have the talent but a proper coaching structure is vital. It will not come cheap so sponsors may have to help the cause.
It’s no secret that the current squad were keen to move towards a more progressive style of play during the World Cup. There was a strong argument to keep it tight against Australia in Sydney but the Irish girls quickly realised they should not be playing for a 0-0 result.
Take Denise O’Sullivan. You could see by her facial expressions how frustrating it was for her to be weighed down by containment duties. She came alive when pushed into a more attacking role against Canada.
I’d guess that O’Sullivan instigated that shift, probably after discussing it with Ruesha Littlejohn. McCabe also abandoned her left back duties when Ireland needed to attack. But it all felt a little ad hoc.
Defeat to Australia compelled Pauw to loosen the defensive system against Canada and for 45 minutes Ireland played the best football we’ve ever seen from them.
Momentum was lost in the second half of that game when Lucy Quinn was mystifyingly replaced by Abbie Larkin. Nothing wrong with Abbie coming off the bench, as she did so impressively against Australia, but Quinn was arguably the best performer on the pitch.
It felt like a preordained call. And a bad one.
If only tactical decisions and personnel changes went to the core of the debate to replace or keep Pauw as manager. That was never the real problem, even if it did hold the team back.
The players saw how Jamaica and Colombia in particular, less so Morocco and South Africa, were unafraid to take the fight to established football nations. This approach got all four nations into the knockout stages. Technically, they appeared to belong at the level. The Irish players never got to prove the same fact to themselves.
That’s the regret. That Ireland did not aim higher than respectability. It clearly frustrated McCabe and O’Sullivan.
If the management was not so rigid and devoid of ideas, Ireland could have lasted another week in Brisbane and pitted themselves against England in the last 16. That game would have been made for Vera’s cautious, compact approach as nil-all and a penalty shootout would have suited everyone just fine.
Imagine.
Any alternation to the tactics that got Ireland into their first major tournament needed to begin last February against China. Instead, Pauw began a recruitment drive, a trial and error process of unearthing Irish qualified players born abroad.
This did bring Farrelly into the fold and in time Aoife Mannion can become an established defender. Mannion’s injury prompted Pauw to use Megan Connolly at centre-half. Again, not a good call as the desire for a solid defence trumped the search for goals. Even from set pieces. Training methods also need to improve in the coming weeks and months.
At least they know Gleeson’s style of coaching. But the players will demand an increased tactical focus during the international windows. All this was communicated to FAI director of football Marc Canham.
The challenge for Canham is recruitment. Colin Bell seemed set for a long-term stint as Ireland manager until Huddersfield Town’s men squad came looking for a coach. And away he went.
The next appointment must be committed to Irish football as long as the current playing group is in their prime. We need them to live in the country. Or nearby. England perhaps.
Maybe the next manager could come from within Irish football. That will make it challenging to find a suitable female coach or coaches but ex-internationals like Paul McShane, John O’Shea and Keith Andrews are currently employed by the FAI. I don’t know if they would want the job. But they are in system.
Damien Duff is committed to working, and just as importantly, living in Ireland. He ticks every box. He wants to be here. Does he want this job?
We need a strong-minded successor to Pauw. Not just an expert but a big personality who would command the respect and attention of our leading players.
Duff springs to mind because he is an Irish legend, a proven coach and manager at Shelbourne and definitely equipped to take this squad to the next level.
Lord knows they are ready to make that leap.
It starts with qualification to the Euros in 2025. And that starts with a result against Northern Ireland.
Yes, it’s a historic occasion – the first ever women’s international at the Aviva stadium – but the result is more important to my mind.
They players crave success now. When asked about Pauw’s contract throughout the tournament they all gave the same answer. “It is not our decision to make.”
It is up to the FAI to give them the best chance of reaching the Euros. Led by McCabe and O’Sullivan, Ireland have proved that they are able of delivering on the field of play.
Now it’s up to the association to hold up their end of the bargain.
The alternative is to watch the Jamaicans and other nations, that do not have the financial or administrative support that Irish players are getting from the FAI, disappear into the distance.
See Spain and think about how good they can become. They won a World Cup in spite of Jorge Vilda and Luis Rubiales, not because of them.
Ireland do not have this luxury.
