Ireland search for new manager with eyes on 2016

The Republic of Ireland are already looking towards the Euro 2016 finals as they launch a search for a new manager.
Giovanni Trapattoni and the Football Association of Ireland parted company after five and a half years on Wednesday with qualification for next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil no longer a realistic possibility.
However, as chief executive John Delaney prepared to instigate the recruitment process, he indicated that the successful candidate will be asked to build upon the foundations laid by the Italian with a view to securing a swift return to the big stage.
Delaney told Newstalk: “I think he [Trapattoni] felt he had done a good job. When he first came, we hadn’t qualified for a major tournament for a long time.
“He genuinely believes there’s a group of young players available to the next manager. Most people in Irish football would agree he’s left Irish football in a better state.
“It has been a tough campaign, today is an emotional day, but the work begins from today to get to the 2016 Euros.
“We will look at the process for a new manager because there are good young players who want to get to a major tournament.”
One of those youngsters is 24-year-old Everton full-back Seamus Coleman, who admitted Ireland’s failure to make the finals had hit him particularly hard after he missed out on selection for the Euro 2012 finals.
He said: “As professional footballers at the standard some of us are at, we want to be qualifying.
“The lads qualified for the European Championship, we want to be qualifying for major championships.
“It’s disappointing for me especially because after missing out on the Euros, I wanted to get to a World Cup, and it wasn’t to be.”
Coleman has been one of the main beneficiaries – James McCarthy is the other - of Trapattoni’s agreement to develop a new generation in showdown talks after the 6-1 qualifier defeat in Germany, which followed hard on the heels of a difficult campaign in Poland and Ukraine.
Delaney said: “The Euros was a difficult medicine to take. We spoke to him at that time and told him we wanted younger players to come through.
“He took that on board, particularly after the German game, because we made it clear we wanted young players to come through.”
However, it will be Trapattoni’s replacement who reaps the rewards or otherwise of that policy with Martin O’Neill being quoted as an 8/11 favourite by Boylesports on Wednesday evening.
However, there has been support too for the likes of Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane, Chris Hughton and Brian McDermott, and Delaney admitted those men would be among those to be considered.
He said: “I think names like Mick, Brian McDermott, Chris Hughton, Roy Keane all come into the pot – Martin O’Neill, of course.
“I wouldn’t want to comment on any individual chances. Mick has done a very good job for Ireland and in England as well.
“We will look at the job description over the next week.”