Charlton backs Atkinson to replace Staunton

JACK CHARLTON, the man who first led Ireland to a European Championship finals and two World Cup finals, believes Ron Atkinson should replace Steve Staunton as Republic of Ireland manager.

Said Charlton: “Ron has all the necessary experience at every level from his time at Manchester United and Aston Villa.

‘‘He is a very bright man and knows his football inside out. Big Ron would relish the challenge of managing Ireland.

“I know that there are a lot of names being bandied around at the minute as is inevitable when a big post like this comes up — but Ron would be my choice.

“At the same time I feel nothing but sadness about Steve Staunton’s departure after just 21 months in charge. I don’t know the ins-and-outs of what happened this week between Stan and the FAI.

“But it is a shame that he didn’t get time to complete the job after initially being given a four year contract.

‘‘But that’s the way football is nowadays when you see English club managers given the boot after just a few months in charge when success is not immediately guaranteed.’’