Double acts rarely a perfect match

MANAGERS aren’t like comedy acts. They don’t work in pairs. It’s hard to think of a sport in which the names of great managers are followed by an ampersand: Stein. Shankly. O’Dwyer. Heffernan. Even the name Woodward stands alone.

The potential Staunton-Robson alliance doesn’t have happy antecedents. The best-known double management team of recent times was Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans at Liverpool. The Frenchman was appointed joint manager with Evans in the 1998-9 close season, but it was a doomed from the start. By November 1998 Evans resigned, leaving Houllier in sole charge.

Irrespective of formal declarations, the FAI’s intention seems clear, and having Robson give Staunton the benefit of his experience is a good idea in principle. However, in practice it appears fatal to both.

Ideally Robson would be seen as a font of hard-earned wisdom advising soon-to-be-sole boss Staunton, but in reality the players may view Staunton’s leadership as compromised and Robson as a training-ground irrelevance.

In competitive games the partnership becomes a bigger issue. Who makes changes?

If Robson is in the dugout with Staunton, what input will he have? If his input is minimal, there seems to be little point in having him, while if he’s responsible for changes, what’s the point in having Staunton on board?

March 1 and Ireland’s friendly clash against Sweden in Lansdowne Road can’t roll around quickly enough.