What we learned about Hallgrimsson in his Jamaica job
Heimir Hallgrimsson, Head Coach of Jamaica prior the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Group B match between Ecuador and Jamaica at Allegiant Stadium on June 26, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
Toronto had been silenced in way which felt unsettling. On a truly frigid late November night it was the snooded and gloved Reggae Boyz who’d brought all the heat and noise. An aggregate Nations League quarter-final win over Canada took Heimir Hallgrímsson's Jamaica to the Copa America
When things quietened again an hour after full-time, down under the main stand of BMO Field Hallgrímsson pondered his grandest night as Jamaica manager, his finest coaching achievement since Roy Hodgson and England had been knocked off in Nice. What did it mean for his present but future too?
The dentist was happy to open up about it all. He looked forward to the Copa America and what it could mean on the road to the 2026 World Cup, when the same Toronto stadium would be one of the venues.
Eight months later Hallgrímsson is still focused on 2026 but, suddenly, as Ireland manager. If Wednesday’s announcement, 231 days later, came as a bolt from the blue for most of a green persuasion, there are insights from watching Hallgrímsson up close in that two-legged Copa America playoff late last year. Across his Jamaica tenure, there are some pointers for where he may now take Ireland.
In the first 20 words of his post-match press conference, Hallgrímsson pointed to how important Copa qualification was, not for his team but for the national federation: “The biggest thing is financial for the JFF, which doesn’t have a lot of money.” Hallgrímsson had worked small wonders in cash-strapped, institutionally chaotic surroundings. Abbotstown may not be Kingston but there could be loose similarities of circumstances nonetheless. The coach has shown he can thrive amid uncertainty.
Hallgrímsson and his staff had leaned heavily into a thorny topic, using the granny rule liberally to call up British-based players of Jamaican heritage.
In doing so, they trawled the lower half of the Championship and League One, his squads often featuring as many as 15 or 16 players from England’s second and third tier. Ireland’s talent pool occupies similar spaces and the FAI have signalled even more of a focus on identifying dual nationals.
Having lost the first leg 2-1 while playing 4-3-3 in Kingston, Hallgrímsson switched to a 4-4-2 in Toronto with little joy, his side now 3-1 down on aggregate with 45 minutes of the tie to go.
He made a drastic change moving imposing defender Damion Lowe into central midfield. It was a masterstroke as his side scored three in 15 startling minutes. “We don’t have too many options in that [CM] position playing at a high level,” admitted Hallgrímsson afterwards. He’ll find similar issues in his new role. Perhaps giving Nathan Collins the Lowe treatment could change that.
The team had come in for strong criticism from the Jamaican press after the first leg. With his clear but stern deliveries Hallgrímsson wasn’t afraid to throw it back to news crews in victory: “I guess some of the media will still give the players some shit.” He won't be backward in coming forward.
Asked later how the win had changed things for him, Hallgrímsson replied: “[Qualifying for the Copa] was always my plan so it doesn’t change anything.”
We now know things changed drastically.
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