Denise O’Sullivan: FAI didn’t seriously consider players' views with Eileen Gleeson and Colin Healy decisions
BATTLE: Türki̇ye's Sejde Abrahamsson with Denise O'Sullivan of Ireland. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Ireland’s Denise O’Sullivan says the FAI didn’t seriously consider the views of players in deciding to jettison the management team of Eileen Gleeson and Colin Healy.
The recommendation for change was endorsed by his board after chief football officer Marc Canham conducted a Euro campaign review involving feedback from staff and players.
Healy has since claimed that prior to the playoff defeat against Wales he was promised a contract extension from Canham while he mulled over an offer from Cobh Ramblers to become full-time manager.
To add further confusion, the assistant coach had to correct David Courell when the chief executive texted him inferring he’d decided to leave the FAI of his own volition for a new position.
League of Ireland managers Stephen Bradley and Damien Duff have both backed Healy in his grievance and questioned the suitability of the FAI leadership.
At Saturday’s FAI General Assembly meeting, President Paul Cooke attempted to stave off any backlash from the floor by reaffirming his support of Canham, stressing in his opening address that no guarantees of continuity were presented to Healy in advance of the Welsh showdown.
O’Sullivan – who won the player of the match award on her 120th cap in Friday’s 1-0 win over Turkey – informed the FAI she wanted Gleeson and Healy to remain in charge.
Unlike captain Katie McCabe, who admitted her commitments abroad with Arsenal prevented her from engaging with the FAI following the playoff defeat, O’Sullivan was asked for, and supplied, her opinion.
It fell on deaf ears, for eight days on from the December loss the axe was lowered on Gleeson and Healy.
While she’d been recently vocal about the handling of the parting, stating it lacked class and compassion in the context of Healy losing his wife Kelly to cancer last April, the Cork woman provided more detail on her input.
It is widely accepted that the FAI leaned heavily on player feedback when discarding Vera Pauw 18 months ago but that wasn’t the case for her successor’s axing.
“I spoke to the FAI a few times, including before the decision," explained O’Sullivan this weekend.
“It never is the decision of the players. It was an FAI decision."
Asked if her opinion contributed to the decision, she said: “No, not as players. They make the decisions and it’s their opinion.
"The situation is over but I voiced my opinion weeks ago because of how strongly I felt about the situation.
"I 100% support Colin. He was great for the team. Such a genuine man and great coach. Ultimately it wasn’t good enough in my eyes.”
The midfielder’s stance mirrors that of colleagues who’ve publicly expressed their view, from McCabe to Aoife Mannion and Caitlin Hayes.
Although Healy insists he was denied the opportunity of being interviewed for his job under successor Carla Ward – the new boss said the FAI prevented that possibility – his main gripe centres on the transparency of the review and ensuring fellow coaches are not subjected to similar mistreatment.
After indicating his intention to lodge a complaint with the FAI, he was invited to meet their HR director Aoife Rafferty. However, his unhappiness with the outcome of that summit convinced Healy to elevate his grievance to the FAI board.
Cooke finally replied to Healy’s escalation last Wednesday, 12 days after the submission, vowing to look into the matter.
The FAI delegation flew to Slovenia on Sunday, trying desperately to ensure this controversy gives way to a spotlight on football.
Friday’s scrappy victory over a Turkish team 35 places below them in Fifa’s rankings didn’t dissolve questions about on-pitch matters.
Slovenia, 2-1 winners over Greece in the other opening group game contested, should represent an even tricker opponent on their home turf of Koper on Tuesday (5pm Irish time).
“I voiced my opinion but I respect Carla and her staff a lot,” noted O’Sullivan about the necessity to avoid distractions.
“I had to change my mindset immediately when I came here to move forward.”
Those steps might be slow. The introductory version of the Nations League in late 2023 facilitated a storming campaign that earned Gleeson an upgrade from caretaker to permanent boss.
An impeccable six straight victories are again the objective in this sequel within the lower rung of League B, essential to make the path to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil more achievable, but the quest for fluency isn’t straightforward.
Tallaght’s soggy pitch didn’t help that crusade but the North Carolina Courage playmaker admits there’s more to it than conditions.
“It is going to take months, even a year, to be able to play that type of football Carla wants,” said the 31-year-old.
"There’s no excuses for Friday – the pitch was bad for both teams. Turkey sat in a low block and we found it hard to break them down.
“The way Carla wants to play will take a lot of games but we have the players to do it. That’s the way a lot of us play at our clubs.
“I only got in (from the USA) on Tuesday morning, so I had only two training sessions with her.
"There is a new energy about the team, I think. Having Carla in has been really good but it will take time getting to know her and the staff.”
Ireland 1 Turkey 0.
Slovenia v Ireland.
Greece v Ireland.
Ireland v Greece.
Turkey v Ireland.
Ireland v Slovenia.
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