Time for Stan to go but FAI must share responsibility

ON a human level, you had to feel for Steve Staunton on Wednesday night.

Interviewed on television immediately after the narrow escape against Cyprus, the Ireland manager looked extremely emotional — full up, to use a childhood phrase — with his voice on the point of breaking once or twice.

That was easy to understand. The late late show from Steve Finnan had certainly kept the guillotine suspended for another day or two, but it didn’t stop the jeering of the crowd. Twelve months on from a vocal display of disapproval in Nicosia, the Irish fans again let the manager know what they thought as he left the Croke Park pitch last Wednesday.

My companion watching the game made a good point just after Finnan’s shot flew home: what kind of person boos lustily, then abruptly changes tone to cheer and celebrate a late goal — and then, just as quickly, resumes jeering when the final whistle blows shortly afterwards? We hear a lot about the best fans in the world, but how does that particular vocal flip-flop work?

Circumstances certainly haven’t helped Staunton: out-of-sorts goalkeeper Paddy Kenny was clearly not focused during the 5-2 horror show 12 months ago in Cyprus, while the ongoing soap opera with Stephen Ireland has been an unnecessary headache. Even off-the-field issues have been tinged with the surreal — remember the man who threatened the Irish manager in the Portmarnock Hotel with a gun last August 12 months?

The peripherals wouldn’t matter if the team was doing well, of course, but they haven’t, and the professional responsibility is Staunton’s. Charged with putting out a team that can compete, he hasn’t done that.

The core of the case against the Dundalk man isn’t based on the fact that he has somehow alienated a crowd of extravagantly-talented youngsters or squandered their talent; it’s more to do with odd alignments, with bizarre placement. Joey O’Brien in midfield? Liam Miller on the bench?

Perhaps we’re being too demanding: maybe the 21st century and a life of being served cappuccinos by Poles and Slovaks has given us an exaggerated view of our place in Europe, with commensurate expectations of our sportspeople.

Or maybe we just have an exaggerated view of those expectations. During the recent Rugby World Cup, one former Irish rugby international told this column that people had to be realistic about Ireland’s chances: just because it was “professional” to tell the press that of course the aim was to win the World Cup, it didn’t mean that that was a reality — you had to acknowledge that maybe a semi-final place would be a fine achievement.

Perhaps that should be taken on board by those interested in the football team as well, not just the jeerers we heard Wednesday night. The team Jack Charlton took over was backboned by players from top clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool; Liam Brady was coming to the end of three years with Inter Milan.

Nowadays the players on offer are not in that league. But Staunton should still be able to do better than putting full-backs who are uncomfortable on the ball into midfield, while leaving midfielders who are comfortable on the ball on the bench.

The time has come for Steve Staunton to go. Not because the crowd wants that, not because it would be a knee-jerk reaction, but because he cannot do the job and is now in danger of overshadowing a magnificent career as a player.

That much is abundantly clear. It’s also clear that those who appointed Staunton, promoting him beyond his abilities, share the responsibility for the team’s poor displays. Several bookies have been putting up lists of potential managers and rating their chances of succeeding Staunton.

Would any of them care to list potential administrators who might take over from those who appointed Staunton?

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