Charlton angry over FAI snub in consultancy role

JACK CHARLTON has slammed the FAI for being snubbed in favour of Bryan Hamilton as an advisor in selecting the next Irish manager.

Hamilton was only given the role after Liam Brady and Kevin Moran turned it down.

"Why didn't they ask me?" Charlton said at a dinner in Dublin this week.

"I have never been in contact with the inner sanctum of the FAI since the day I left. What have I done to upset them? Why didn't they ask me if they were looking for advice on who should take the Irish job?

"Instead, they went to a fella like Bryan Hamilton. Football never ceases to amaze me."

Charlton, still clearly upset that his lieutenant from the glory years left the job in such acrimonious circumstances in October, said Mick McCarthy has left a fruitful legacy for whomever takes the job. But, he has no idea who should be manager.

"I don't know Brian Kerr very well, I have only met him a couple of times. The national team is totally different from what he is used to. He has done very well with the young lads, the U19s and U16s, but whether he would do it at national level is an entirely different question."

"Certainly not Kenny Dalglish. Anywhere Dalglish has gone, he has been a disaster. Kevin, certainly yes.

"When I left the Irish manager's job, if I was asked who were the three players who would make Irish manager some day, who had the understanding of the game that you need to be an international manager, Kevin would be one, Andy Townsend and Mick McCarthy would have been the other two."

But Charlton believes Ireland are in much better shape for the in-coming manager than they have been in a long time.

"Whoever takes the job, Mick left a great bunch of young lads. And we have seen how John O'Shea has suddenly developed into a world-class player. It's a bonus for whoever takes the job, he has a lot of Irish players at the right age to pick from."

Although the Elland Road crisis seems to have been stemmed somewhat after last night's game against Bolton, the boorish Charlton was still concerned about the state of his beloved United.

"I think Terry will sort it out eventually. I am disappointed the fans haven't given the opportunity to sort things out."

Of course, El Tel's current cause hasn't been helped by Lee Bowyer's act of thuggery last Thursday night.

"Lee Bowyer was stupid. You just have to shake your head sometimes when you look at a player like Lee Bowyer. He is a hell of a player, but some of the things he does, you just have to shake your head.

"Anything you do, there is cameras at every angle, so everything you do will be picked up by the cameras and you won't get away with it anymore. So, it is stupid."

While Charlton is enjoying his life outside of football, he is still concerned with some of the problems that the game will face in the coming years, particularly the influx of continental players into the Premiership.

"I read a statistic a few weeks' ago that there were 36 home-born players playing in the Premiership one weekend. Now, how can you develop national teams when that is the base you have to pick from.

"It is like what Kevin Keegan said when he was manager of England, that he would soon be picking the English team from the First Division if we weren't careful about the number of foreigners we were bringing into the Premier league and that is what happening."