Ireland's World Cup campaign provides challenges to those working behind the scenes

Meet the team working behind the team at Ireland's first ever major tournament.

VERA's ARMY: Republic of Ireland manager Vera Pauw with her coaching staff. Photo credit: Brian Lawless/PA Wire.

News last summer that Finland were parting ways with head coach Anna Signeul sounded like good news for an Irish team due to meet the Scandinavians in a crucial World Cup qualifier at the start of September. Andy Holt wouldn’t have disagreed per se, but he was entitled to greet the development with mixed feelings.

Holt is the performance analyst for Vera Pauw’s squad so a fair chunk of his working life is spent poring over footage of upcoming opponents alongside assistant coach Tom Elmes. Anything up to ten of a team’s previous games will come under their microscopes long before the first player checks into camp so, while football is a game that habitually thrills and surprises, it’s their job not to be taken aback by anything new.