Delaney: We’ll take our time and pick the right man
All of the noises emitting from Abbotstown in the days immediately before and after Giovanni Trapattoni’s dismissal a fortnight ago pointed to a search and rescue mission for the unemployed Martin O’Neill.
Instead, for one reason or another, the trail to the Derryman has gone cold – leading the FAI board on Monday night to appoint Noel King as interim manager, along with Ray Houghton and Ruud Dokter being tasked with “analysing the market” for a new boss.
With speculation intensifying yesterday that it had been, in fact, Martin O’Neill himself putting the brakes on any potential snap appointment, rather than a cooling coming from the FAI hierarchy, Delaney has refused to put any timeframe on completing the recruitment process.
When it was put to him the FAI didn’t know when the appointment would be made, the chief executive said: “We don’t but there will be a next Ireland manager, of course there will be. The timeframe we don’t want to put too rigidly on.
“I could appoint, or the FAI could appoint, maybe 20 people today because there have been lots of applications and lots of interest.
“I think it is better that we take our time and make the right appointment. We took a lot of time the last time to appoint Trapattoni and it turned out to be a very good appointment for us, especially over the first two qualifying groups he managed us for.”
King, present at Prenton Park last night to watch Stephen Ireland in action for Stoke City, will unveil his extended squad on Monday for the concluding World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan.
His temporary elevation from the U21 international manager’s post was firmly defended by Delaney.
“Noel deserves that opportunity,” he said. “Noel has been Technical Director of the FAI under Jack Charlton in 1988, he’s managed the women’s team, the U21s team, and he’s played and managed in the League of Ireland.
“So Noel King deserves that chance and good luck to him.”
Should, as expected, King name exiled Ireland and Everton player Darron Gibson in his panel on Monday, it will be welcomed by Delaney. The chief executive has also urged any of the players disaffected under the Trapattoni era to make themselves available.
Meanwhile, former Ireland manager Brian Kerr has questioned the appointment of Dokter to assist King for the double-header and as one of the two head-hunters.
When the Dutchman began his role as the FAI’s High Performance Director on August 1 with the remit of overseeing all bar the senior squad, he didn’t expect that scope to broaden so swiftly.
“He [Dokter] has hardly been in the country and he’s been asked to do these jobs,” said Kerr. “It seems a bit strange to me. He hasn’t had involvement with the people or personalities in Ireland.
“Maybe it makes sense if he knows potential managers around Europe but I hope we don’t end up with another one who had no idea about Irish football before he came here.”
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