Last night Ireland only managed to draw with Cyprus 1-1 at Croke Park, leading to intense speculation that Ireland boss Steve Staunton will definitely get the sack. Ireland have look atrocious in their last few qualifiers picking up two points in four games and that in my view has to spell the end for Stan. Though Ireland equalised late on against the Cypriots, that couldn't be enough to save the Louthmans job.He took over at the begining of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign and has since then failed miserably. Along the road Ireland nearly only drew with minnows San Marino, lost to Cyprus 5-2 in Nicosia and failed to show anything like the form that got us to the World Cup knock-out stages back in 2002.
I am personally sick of the way Staunton says after the matches that he is proud of the players and saying were only developing, that's bullshit and he knows it. I was personally against him getting the job in the first place because I was afraid he would employ defensive tactics and not make us possess any kind of attacking flare and that has proved to be the case.
All right not all of the blame has to fall on Stan's shoulders, but the majority of it should. Quite simply the players haven't performed and that all comes down to one person... the manager. I feel the FAI are for some absolutely stupid reason stand by their man. It is clear that Stan won't do the decent thing and resign because he said after last nights game that he wants to lead this team forward into the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup.
Ireland have now failed to qualify for the last three major tournaments and that's not right. We have had Brian Kerr and Steve Staunton in charge and that's not right either. After Brian Kerr's exit, FAI chief executive John Delaney promised Irish fans a "world-class management team" but that boast rings hollow two years on. Ireland should have a top class manager in charge because we have the players, but they need to be guided in the right direction.
So if Stan was to go, who would take over. Well at the moment the names being mentioned are the likes of David O'Leary and John Aldridge but quite frankly that would be worse. I would love someone like Martin O'Neill. Now he is a man with passion and I would have no doubt he would certainly turn Ireland into a good outfit.
