All about the moments on Gleeson's circuitous journey to top job 

SCENIC ROUTE: Newly appointed Republic of Ireland head coach Eileen Gleeson, left, and FAI director of football Marc Canham. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

One World champion, another wannabe one, a bag of balls and a ropey pitch at the Guinness Sports Grounds.

That backdrop, where one Katie Taylor was defying the dangerous underfoot conditions, formed the gestation for Eileen Gleeson to embark on her coaching career.

Like the froth on the famous stout, she’s risen to the top. Now she’s managing her country, sharing Taylor’s desire to compete on the world stage.

“I had a moped and a bag of balls at St James’ Gate,” recalled Gleeson at yesterday's unveiling, confirming her promotion from interim boss to the permanent one for next year’s Women’s Euro qualifiers.

“At that time, we had Katie Taylor and Sue Byrne - stalwarts of the game - and we trained on a pitch that was 20 yards wide by 30 yards long. You'd roll your ankle just walking on it.

"All of these things, they build your love. They are fun when you look back on it but that’s where you build your resourcefulness.” 

From the ‘Gate, Gleeson elevated to Peamount United, bringing Taylor with her, and there she elevated them to the knockout stages of the Champions League – unprecedented for an Irish team. 

There was no shame in being eliminated by the mighty Paris Saint-Germain.

“For me, there have been so many moments and often it transcends the actual football,” she adds of her circuitous route to her ultimate job.

“They would blow your mind. Qualifying for the Champions League, we were as green as the grass. We were told there’d be media interviews but didn’t have a clue what to do.

"Then there was watching Chloe Mustaki stepping onto the pitch after recovering from illness. It was great to see our players getting called up for international squads.

"All that way back, 20 years ago when Noel King was managing Ireland, I drove players to that training because they didn't have a lift.

“I was nearly like another parent and you share that experience with them. Some are still playing now.

“I have always loved women’s football. I was always pushing for standards. People might think I was always moaning or being argumentative but it was never for self-gain; always to push standards for the girls and the game in Ireland.

“I've huge respect for the clubs, their capacity and how they commit to it. I want the story to continue with this team.” 

She’s got the big job, the first Irish manager of Ireland for almost seven years. Colin Bell and Vera Pauw were enlisted as full-time bosses and now she’s that honour.

Not that she’s starstruck. Gleeson was the reluctant heroine from early September, assuming control of a team scarred from the highpoint that simply wasn’t.

Reaching the World Cup last summer, Ireland’s first senior tournament, was vindication for the likes of Gleeson who’d worked in the trenches but the trip Down Under was overshadowed by strife.

Ireland didn’t win a match and nobody knows who won the public spat between captain Katie McCabe and Pauw during the final game against Nigeria but the latter was soon disposed of by the FAI.

Gleeson has steered clear of discussing the role of Pauw in that saga, probably out of loyalty for the manager she was assistant to from 2019 to 2021, but there’s unlikely to be well wishes emanating from the Netherlands. 

The newcomer, who was in Australia with the FAI delegation, confirmed there’d be no contact from Pauw since confirmation of her appointment on Monday.

It was an appointment many could foresee except herself. She’d applied for the last two vacancies but wanted to test herself in the Nations League before putting her hand up. Nobody with a realistic knowledge of the Irish game ruled her out from the outset.

“I was also very happy as head of women’s and girls’ football role and reconciled with that,” she said of her initial attitude to staying put off-broadway.

“This opportunity presented itself pretty speedily and unexpectedly. I was in it but I still had to get a feeling.

“It was all transitional. This was all change for the players as well and, from a personal point of view, I still had to see how I would do in that environment. I settled into it and thought, alright, this is where I’d like to be.” 

All that’s left is plotting a route to the 2025 Euros.

A double-header friendly awaits in February but the critical juncture is March 5 when they’ll be drawn among the top pool of nations. That could entail facing world champions Spain, Euro holders England and a stellar Sweden side, if they emerge through the playoffs.

Gleeson is only contracted for this campaign and has yet to finalise her backroom team – Emma Byrne is expected to stay on as assistant – but the man who whittled the field down from 42 to the sole candidate he offered the job to is confident another piece of history beckons when the Switzerland showpiece nears.

“I don’t want to directly answer what you said, but we are absolutely committed to trying to qualify,” said Director of Football Marc Canham when asked if missing out on the 16-nation event constituted failure.

“We have a great chance to qualify. If we finish in the top two, we are straight through but if below that, we’re into a playoff.

“This is as good a chance as any we’ve had and we’ll get to play against good opposition which will be great for our development.”