The Icelandic view: 'A very pleasant guy but cut-throat as a manager'

'No bullshit, no. What you see is what you get,' said Andrews, who is currently the manager of Vikingur’s women’s team and barring a three-year spell has been based in Iceland since 2008.

NEW COLOURS: Heimir Hallgrímsson was announced as the new Republic of Ireland manager in Dublin on Wednesday. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

What can Irish fans expect from their new manager?

That’s the question now on everybody’s lips following the FAI’s surprise announcement on Wednesday that Heimir Hallgrímsson has been given the role.

And who better to answer that question than John Andrews, who has dealt with the 57-year-old Icelandic coach on a number of occasions.

“No bullshit, no. What you see is what you get,” responds Andrews, who is currently the manager of Vikingur’s women’s team and barring a three-year spell has been based in Iceland since 2008.

Hallgrímsson, a former dentist, was still learning his trade in coaching at that point and it wasn’t until he joined the national side in 2013 that he truly began to build his reputation, which culminated in their victory over England at Euro 2016 under Lars Lagerbäck before they reached the World Cup in 2018 under his sole control.

“Most of the times I met him were over and back on the boat to the Vestmannaeyjar,” continues Andrews.

“He used to be a coach there and even after the World Cup and the European Championships, he’d sit down with you and give you a half an hour of his time, no problem at all.

“A lovely, lovely chap. He’s very approachable, a very pleasant guy but cut-throat as a manager.

“He will make the big decisions and will have no problem whatsoever making them. He is very direct and forthright. There’s no messing with him.

“The players that were left out of the World Cup squads and stuff like that. It’s a small country and he had to do it. It’s difficult to do but there’s no problem with him doing it, it’s what’s best for the country and what’s best for the result.” 

Andrews believes it is that eagerness from Hallgrímsson to get the best possible result suggests Irish fans shouldn’t get to used to the new man sticking to just one style of football and that, along with his attention to detail, is what the Irish national team needs right now.

“It’s been a long time since we have had a run of wins,” adds Andrews.

“The way he is with the fans as well, the Irish will love him. He used to go into the supporters’ clubs before the game and let them know this is how we are going to do it tactically; this is what to expect and this is why we’re doing it so that supporters would understand in certain games they might have to play a certain way.

“He will get involved in the grassroots; he will be a very hands-on manager. There will be a very definite identity with him, but his style of football is results. It’s not going to be purely based on ‘well we need to have this much possession. We need to do this, we need to do that.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s a results-based coach. He wants to win. He’s meticulous. One of his ex-players is our director of coaching here. He played in the World Cup and the Euros, and he said we were never surprised by any team ever. Heimir would have absolutely everything covered, everything scouted, everything ready.” 

Another question on the lips of Irish fans is will Hallgrímsson be successful? A more philosophical question which will only be truly answered in time.

But Andrews is confident he will be, given he can still see his legacy in Iceland.

“He’s on a Mount Rushmore here of Icelandic coaches. The Icelandic people revere him, and they are saying this is the perfect job for him because it keeps him closer to home.

“We have so many talented players coming through now that maybe – I say maybe because I like Stephen (Kenny) and John (O’Shea) a lot – we just lacked that structure and stability and that identity.

“We can grab onto something now. He will definitely give us that. That’s the next step for the Irish national team and there’s no better man than Heimir to do it.”