I’ll admit, there was a little bit of an eyebrow-raise on my part when I heard on Monday that Eileen Gleeson had been appointed Irish manager – partly because her experience in the professional game is quite limited, and also, as I’ve said before, I felt she was the perfect fit for her role as the FAI’s head of women’s and girls’ football. My thinking was that she would – and should – have been left in that position, which is a hugely important one.
I wasn’t convinced, either, that those six Nations League wins under her interim management should have been a factor in the decision-making, those games were glorified friendlies against lesser opposition. Anyone could have gone in and got those results because we’ve got a talented enough group of players to have achieved them.
But now that the decision has been made, I’m looking at the positives. And there are plenty of them. Not least that we have continuity in the job now, no one is more familiar with this pool of players than Gleeson, so it will be full steam ahead next year in the quest for qualification for Euro 2025. No interruptions. There’ll be no need for a bedding-in time for a coach new to this squad. And that’s no small thing.
Also, while it’s easy enough to have a happy camp when the results are good, it was so noticeable just how much this squad enjoyed that Nations League campaign after the tension that palpably existed towards the end of the previous regime. From the very start, the players talked about the confidence they had been given to go and play their natural game, they were enjoying it all, there were smiles on faces, the atmosphere in the camp seemed to be great.
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You had the sense too that this was a collaborative effort, that Gleeson made her staff feel valued and involved, most notably Colin Healy and Emma Byrne. She is ambitious, but having played for her at club level, I know she’s not someone who would allow her ego dictate things. She wants this to be a success. And when a coaching unit works together that way, the players feed off it. It’s a group effort.
She has been a steadying influence after the turmoil of before, when Colin Bell left the job quite abruptly and then, obviously, the less than smooth sailing during Vera Pauw’s time in charge.
There were, of course, great times under Pauw’s tenure, and she will always deserve credit for that, but it came with an awful lot of noise. With Gleeson, there’ll be none of that. And there’s a certain guarantee with her because she’s Irish and, for her, this job is the pinnacle. She’s emotionally invested in it. Someone from outside Ireland might not feel the same way, it might be a little more about them than the team. But Gleeson will care deeply about this role and will be open and inclusive with the staff around her. She’ll be much more open to collaboration.
She has self-awareness, she’ll know how to get the best out of herself and to surround herself with the best people, all with the view of making the team a success. And it will be all about the team for her.
I hope Colin and Emma stay on. They’re proper Irish footballing people, who are also fresh voices for the squad. Emma has the connection to the players and Colin has the coaching chops that are impressive. It takes an army to get everything right, and that unit looks like a really good balance.
The thing here is that Gleeson is not the coach, she’s the manager. Which signals that the team she gathers around her will be crucial. She was, of course, Pauw’s number two for a couple of years, and had a spell at Glasgow City that didn’t go brilliantly, so, yes, there’s not a huge amount of experience at professional level there.
But she’s meticulous, so even if she doesn’t have the experience, she will put the time in to make sure that everything is in place. She’ll be happy to lean on the team around her, she’s got the smarts to figure it out.
Her vision and intelligence is largely why I wanted her to remain as the FAI’s head of women’s and girls’ football, I felt she could lead us on a good path to development. This is a really pivotal time for the game here, we have such a high participation level now, it’s important that we capitalise on it, not least in terms of making our league more professional. It’s professional in name, but the players don’t really see that. We’re trying our best, we’re training more, we’re doing everything that we can, but, no, it’s not professional.
This national team can go from strength to strength, but we don’t want it to be a one-off golden generation. We want it to be a blueprint for what we can do going forward. We want it to be a springboard, more than just a fleeting moment.
[ Eileen Gleeson hired as Ireland head coach after ‘extensive’ interview processOpens in new window ]
The appointment of Gleeson’s successor to her former role will then, for me, be just as important – maybe more – than the FAI making her the Irish manager.
It’s up to them how much importance they put on that role, but if they are serious about the development of our women’s game, they need to find a really strong replacement for Gleeson.
The good news for our League is that we now have an Irish manager who will pay attention to its talent and will show up at games. And give its players a chance at an international level if they’re talented enough. And Gleeson knows our League well enough to figure out who can cut the mustard and who might not - but at least our players will know they are being watched, rather than feeling the only way to be monitored is to rush off to England or Scotland before even doing their Leaving Cert.
Despite my initial misgivings, I’m excited about this new era. For someone so immersed in Irish football for so long, and who is so passionate about it, Gleeson will want this to be a success more than anyone. I think this job has always been her ambition - and now she’s achieved it. She’ll want to make a right go of it. I wish her only the best.
