Kevin MacDonald would obviously be my first choice. He’s worked with the players, he knows the FAI well, he’d be cheap and he’d probably be the fans’ choice.
Failing that I’d go for Aldridge out of those offered. He has a decent pedigree with Tranmere and importantly they were a very decent side in cup competitions - this implies Aldridge is capable of setting out a team to win individual matches against similar or superior opposition. He seems tactically sound, he was very keen on it last team and he deserves a shot more than Stan ever did.
i assume your joking with that list or is that what paddy power have odds on- personally i wouldnt touch an irish or British manager (apart from scully but he is busy)
First of all I was suggesting local cheap alternatives for the FAI. They could conceivably be appointing someone like Beenhakker or potentially anyone in world football but I had to limit the poll so I constrained it to a couple of Irish and English based options.
Re Aldridge himself he did a smashing job with Tranmere. He had zero cash to spend - in fact he had to sell guys like Kenny Irons and Ian Nolan every year without bringing in anybody at all (other than free transfers) to replace them. Tranmere remained extremely competitive in the first division until the last year when they were fairly poor. In fairness to him though he delivered big results in plenty of big games over that period and combined much of it with playing at the same time.
I remember one game against Southampton in the cup when Tranmere went in three down at half time, made a couple of switches at the break and won 4-3. After the game he was asked by Andy Gray or someone why he didn’t make any changes (even tactical) before half time. He said that he was going to make some switches at 40 minutes but figured that would give Southampton time to see what was happening before sorting it out at the interval so he waited until half time to catch them off guard. I think Parkinson was one of those who was lightning quick and Southampton just weren’t expecting it. It’s not brilliant or inspirational or anything but it’s indicative of experience and knowledge of the game that is way, way beyond anything Stan has. 91 minutes and 30 seconds into that game today there was a close up of Stan. “Come on” he was roaring at someone. What the hell is that supposed to achieve?
i assume your joking with that list or is that what paddy power have odds on- personally i wouldnt touch an irish or British manager (apart from scully but he is busy)
You still think Stan should be manager anyway. :shock:
Anyway I explained my rationale above. It’s just a list of possibles drawn from Ireland and England. Far better options elsewhere but from that list (which is a conceivable FAI shortlist) who would you go for?
You’ve told me that Tranmere-Southampton story about seven times. I’m expecting it to get a mention at your wedding speech next year. He managed for 2/3 years in the lower reaches of English football, which is a level slightly above Staunton given Stan laid out the cones for Walsall reserves or something, but he’s exactly the type of guy we should be avoiding. Actually who are the Walsall coaches these days? Maybe we should replace like with like?
It’s way above the level Stan was at. It’s the level McCarthy is managing at now and always managed at really, it’s the level Charlton was suited for and to be honest it’s probably the highest we can expect from the FAI.
Anyway I heard Paul Merson on Newstalk a couple of months ago and he said Staunton didn’t put out the cones - he pretty much said that Staunton wasn’t even really at the club, he was just using it for his cv or something.
[quote]i assume your joking with that list or is that what paddy power have odds on- personally i wouldnt touch an irish or British manager (apart from scully but he is busy)
You still think Stan should be manager anyway. :shock:
Anyway I explained my rationale above. It’s just a list of possibles drawn from Ireland and England. Far better options elsewhere but from that list (which is a conceivable FAI shortlist) who would you go for?[/quote]
The money they save on making cheap appointments would more than be recouped by the endorsements, advertising, TV and competition revenue earned from qualifying for major tournaments.
Solution:
Pay the extra money to get a ‘world class’ manager.
Manager goes about his business in an efficient manner given his experience and ability.
Team are organised and confident and get results.
Ireland qualify for tournaments.
'A return to Merseyside on 11 July 1991 with Tranmere Rovers was Aldridge’s next step, he repaid the bargain price of 250,000 as he scored a club record 40 goals in his first season at Prenton Park - scoring his 40th goal against former club Oxford United. He maintained his international place as Ireland qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the U.S. and became involved in one of the country’s most notorious spats.
In 1996, Aldridge became player-manager of Tranmere, finally giving up playing and concentrating on the management side two years later. In 889 career appearances, he scored a record 476 goals, a tally not matched by any goalscorer in post-war English football to this day.
Aldo made his debut for Rovers aged 32 on the 17 August 1991 scoring both the goals in the 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Goldstone Ground, he eventually amassed a total of 294 appearances for the Birkenhead club scoring 174 goals, a goal every 1.7 games, including 22 goals from just 25 League Cup ties. During his career in England alone Aldo played 739 times scoring 411 an incredible goal every 1.8 games.
Though Tranmere were involved in some memorable runs and giant-killing acts in cup competitions, including reaching the 2000 League Cup final (which they lost to Leicester City), they were eventually relegated into English football’s third tier in 2001, where they remain. Aldridge resigned just before Rovers went down, and nearly six years on he has yet to return to management despite recent press speculation heavily linking him to the job at Derry City F.C.’
He wouldn’t be near my longlist, never mind my shortlist.
I’m not suggesting that should be the shortlist. I’m saying out of that list who would you choose?
Anyway I had a soft spot for Tranmere around Aldridge’s time and saw plenty of their games. He was a more than capable manager at that level and crucially he produced good results in one-off games which is exactly what international football is about. Wikipedia might not tell you that though.
One-off League Cup ties that no half decent side gives a scheidt about and a ‘giantkilling’ of the mighty Southampton. Come off it Rocko. What about the year they got relegated? I’m sure the old cliche, ‘every game’s a cup tie now’ applied there and they weren’t too hot in these games. In addition, he hasn’t managed in years and having assumed the Tranmere job when he was still a player I doubt he has any coaching qualifications whatsoever. It would be a ludicrous appointment. Not quite as crazy as the Staunton one but very close to it.
Bandage: He has all the coaching qualifications required.
Raven: someone needed to regulate Tranmere, it just happened to be him. What’s your evidence for claiming he’s a tactical dullard? How many Tranmere games did you see when he was managing? He was highly thought of by the fans as a manager.
It doesn’t change the fact he hasn’t managed in 6 years and operated in the lower reaches of the English league. To compare to GAA, I wouldn’t advocate the coach of a club side who had some scalps in the local Junior A or Intermediate championship in 2000, but who hasn’t managed a team since then, for a senior inter-county managerial position. It would be plainly ridiculous, as would appointing John Aldridge as Ireland manager given his experience and achievements as a manager and the level he’s operated at. I agreed with Dunphy last night when he said that international football is not the place to serve a managerial apprenticeship. That’s more or less what Aldridge would be doing too given his time out of the game and considering the Tranmere post would have absolutely no bearing on international football given the gulf between both jobs.