O'Shea pleads for decision as FAI's search and rescue mission rolls on

Eight months on from Stephen Kenny’s departure the trawl around Europe for his successor continues.

Ireland Interim Head Coach John O'Shea dejected after the defeat by Portugal. Pic ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

In a similar vein to Ireland’s midfield against Portugal on Tuesday, the FAI are marooned in no-man’s land in their search for a new manager.

Eight months on from Stephen Kenny’s departure and the trawl around Europe for his successor has now descended into more of a search and rescue mission.

Whoever finally says yes to the FAI will have to survey the wreckage of a humbling which Ireland were fortunate to limit to three goals.

Instead of embracing John O’Shea’s pre-match demand of being horrible to play against, by the end of the stroll in Aveiro Ireland were horrible to watch.

Stifling heat was cited by debutant Tom Cannon, yet the tendency to waste energy with errant passes and aimless punts contributed to their own shortcomings.

Roberto Martinez could even afford to keep his Manchester City duo Bernando Silva and Ruben Dias on the bench, the extra rest welcome ahead of their Euro opener against Czech Republic next Tuesday in Leipzig. Granted, Ireland were without a sprinkling of their injured regulars, including Chiedozie Ogbene and John Egan.

But another favourite for the Euros awaits next when England roll into Lansdowne Road on September 7.

Whoever is appointed when this game of seek and find concludes won’t be judged by results against upper echelon nations. Kenny’s reign perished on defeats to Luxembourg, Armenia and Greece.

O’Shea will be in Gelsenkirchen, the scene of his famous late equaliser against the Germans, to watch England’s opener against Serbia on Sunday. In this revolving period of uncertainty, he won’t know if his four-match interim period was merely three months of job experience or he’ll be scouting England as his first opponents as permanent boss.

It’s understandable that he’s calling for clarity in this slow-bicycle race, not that there’s much hope of  an imminent resolution.

“For everyone going forward, it is important that people know what is happening as quickly as possible,” he asserted following a bruising reunion with former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We will see what happens over the next few days. But also, if there is no news, then (the FAI need) to tell (us) that there is no news.

"I know everyone wants the answer. Everyone wants it sooner rather than later because It is about getting everything in place.

“We have this structure in place which we’re happy about and we want to move forward. It is as simple as that."

His namesake Dara thinks likewise. The notion of a new manager, with a fresh approach to selection and tactics, being parachuted straight in for the September double-header against England and Greece, made the Burnley defender bristle.

“There’s been a lot of work put in by John and the staff, so to go into the Nations League with a new manager is going to be difficult for the group,” he admitted, while stressing players will adapt to that mangled plan by the FAI.

“We’d have to learn a lot of new ideas so quickly. But as football players we know these things happen and we’ve got to switch onto that, crack onto that and deal with whatever is put on our plate.

“I’d definitely like John to stay, I’ve really enjoyed playing under him. I thought the atmosphere around the camp was brilliant. Lads are enjoying their football here. The wealth of knowledge he and his coaching staff have of international football is unbelievable so it’s great for us younger players.” 

Such is the caretaker gaffer’s trademark demeanour that he chose his words carefully but it was evident the exasperation levels won’t be tolerated for much longer.

Chiming with James McClean’s insistence that the vacancy is an attractive proposition for the right candidate, he wasn’t entirely echoing the other O’Shea’s concerns over a quick turnaround for an alternative boss to himself.

He could well be missing out on jobs himself through his loyalty to a saga which might well cease with being reverted to Ireland assistant coach.

"It is one of them where you have to respect the situation,” he noted with a degree of diplomacy.

“I've been senior international manager for four games and hopefully I’ve shown that I am ready for this job.

“If someone new is coming in, rather than viewing the situation as difficult, they should be embracing it. You come into management to create a squad to win.”