Jim Crawford sure John O'Shea has all the tools to make senior Ireland role a success

The former Man Utd defender takes charge of the Boys in Green for a double header of friendlies.

Head coach Jim Crawford, right, with assistant coach Paul McShane at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Jim Crawford has backed John O’Shea, his old sidekick with the Republic of Ireland U21s, to bring a lifetime’s worth of experience and a varied skillset to the interim role of senior management.

O’Shea is in charge for the upcoming men’s friendlies against Belgium on Saturday and Switzerland three days later having been handed the role following the departure of Stephen Kenny last year and in the absence of a confirmed successor.

That latter scenario is due to change early next month when the FAI finally gets around to naming the new man in charge. For now, the senior side is in the hands of O’Shea who enjoyed three years as assistant to Crawford with the U21s.

“John will bring an air of calmness,” said Crawford. “His knowledge of the game is second to none. He was extremely influential with us when we got to our first ever playoffs. I have nothing but admiration for him. He had a lot of input, as did every other staff member.

“John has fantastic knowledge of the game and as a head coach you need to be able to control your emotions and he is certainly able to do that. He sees the game in a very clear way and he has the communication skills to transfer his ideas to the players no problem.

“He is extremely likeable and what underpins all that is the career he had as a player. Being a head coach is totally different, it is a different skillset, but it will help him in that role having been so successfully with Ireland and Manchester United and other clubs.

“He was massive with us and I do know that he learned a lot from his time here with the 21s and, in saying that, he learned a lot when he was with Reading and Stoke and Birmingham, We’re all delighted that John was given the opportunity.

Crawford was impressed with O’Shea’s first moves as a head coach when the Waterford man invited Glenn Whelan and Paddy McCarthy into his staff and ended Brian Kerr’s long spell on the outside looking in at the same time.

Goalkeeper coach Rene Gilmartin and lead analyst Martin Doyle has also made the step up from 21s to senior for this March chapter while Joe Hodge and Andy Moran will kink in with the men’s after Friday’s U21 Euro 2025 qualifier away to San Marino.

Hodge has been seeing game time with Queens Park Rangers in a more attacking midfield role since his loan move from Wolves in January. Moran has found minutes harder to come by at Blackburn Rovers in recent weeks.

For now, though, they are dialled in to the underage side and the need to take three points against the group minnows having suffered a heartbreaking loss in Norway and conceded an injury-time equaliser to Italy back in November.

“You can immediately see their input in training sessions and team meetings. The quality they have, I’ve always admired the two of them. They are exceptionally high-potentially players. They’re not near their ceiling at the minute but they can certainly get there.” 

A trip to San Marino should hold little difficulty for the visitors tomorrow. Norway and Italy have both won 7-0 at the Seravelle Stadium although due diligence demands that Crawford and his crew voice the appropriate caveats before kick-off.

“It could be a banana skin if you don’t prepare right and approach the game in the wrong manner. It can happen. Wales [U21s] came here in 2013 and got beaten 1-0 and we showed the clip of the goal San Marino scored against them and what it meant to them.

“Put yourself in Wales’s position at the end of that game, so you have to prepare like you are playing Italy. It is still the same three points, it’s only you are favourites to get the three points because Norway, Italy and Turkey have to play them and will get the three points.”