THE CURRENT NUMBER two would be favourite to take the reins for the remainder of the current qualifying campaign at least in the event of Martin O’Neill’s departure.
Keane has made no secret of the fact that he intends to return to club management in the future, but, if results went his way as caretaker, there is reason to believe he couldn’t be enticed into taking the Ireland job on a permanent basis.
As arguably the country’s best ever footballer, there is no doubt he commands the respect of the players but it remains to be seen whether he has learned from his mistakes at Sunderland and Ipswich Town.
Mick McCarthy (4/1)
Paul Harding
Paul Harding
The last man to lead Ireland to a World Cup finals 13 years ago, Mick McCarthy deserves respect for what he has achieved at club level with Sunderland, Wolves and his current club Ipswich, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing their play-off semi-final to Norwich City.
He only signed a three-year contract with the Tractor Boys last summer so it could prove difficult, but the 54-year-old refused to rule out a return to the international set-up when he was linked with the job before O’Neill took over.
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Chris Hughton (12/1)
Steve Paston
Steve Paston
Another manager currently at a Championship club, former Ireland full-back Chris Hughton is just eight months into his spell at Brighton & Hove Albion. He’s got experience working with the FAI from his time as assistant to Brian Kerr and although he would be an excellent candidate to take the Ireland post one day, this may not be the right time for the ex-Newcastle, Birmingham and Norwich gaffer.
Sam Allardyce (10/1)
Out of a job since leaving West Ham at the end of last season, Sam Allardyce has himself been linked with Leicester City among other clubs. The 60-year-old, who had a brief stint in charge of Limerick during the early 90s, has proven he can get the best out of an average group of players on numerous occasions and would be an interesting choice.
Owen Coyle (8/1)
Ted S. Warren
Ted S. Warren
Capped once for Ireland at senior level, Owen Coyle’s name was mentioned the last time the position came up in 2013 and while he said it would be an “honour” to manage the Boys in Green, it was his intention to get back into club management.
That desire has taken the former Burnley and Bolton manager to the States, as he was appointed head coach of MLS side Houston Dynamo back in December. He currently sit second from bottom in the Western Conference.
Harry Redknapp (20/1)
Chris Ison
Chris Ison
‘Arry has been enjoying life outside football since jumping ship at QPR, citing knee surgery at the time, but, at 68, he isn’t completely sold on the idea of retirement and insists he would consider any options on the table.
“I’m not sure really (what I want) – it depends what comes up,” Redknapp said recently. “If anything that was interesting came up then I would be interested.”
Brian Kerr (14/1)
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
The country’s most successful underage manager didn’t quite cut it when he was handed the chance to manage the senior team between 2003-05 and these days he earns a living working in the media.
Clearly passionate about the game and possessing a wealth of knowledge, many would prefer to see Kerr take up a role within the FAI to improve how we are developing our young players.
Guus Hiddink (25/1)
EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
One of those names who seems to pop up whenever there is a job going, the vastly-experienced Dutchman is also one of the favourites to succeed Nigel Pearson at Leicester. Recently finished up a second spell with the Netherlands, Hiddink also worked his magic with smaller nations like South Korea and Australia but he would most likely cost a pretty penny.
Who would you like to see get the Ireland job if Martin O’Neill was to leave?
8 contenders who could take over from Martin O'Neill as Ireland manager
Roy Keane (4/6)
THE CURRENT NUMBER two would be favourite to take the reins for the remainder of the current qualifying campaign at least in the event of Martin O’Neill’s departure.
Keane has made no secret of the fact that he intends to return to club management in the future, but, if results went his way as caretaker, there is reason to believe he couldn’t be enticed into taking the Ireland job on a permanent basis.
As arguably the country’s best ever footballer, there is no doubt he commands the respect of the players but it remains to be seen whether he has learned from his mistakes at Sunderland and Ipswich Town.
Mick McCarthy (4/1)
The last man to lead Ireland to a World Cup finals 13 years ago, Mick McCarthy deserves respect for what he has achieved at club level with Sunderland, Wolves and his current club Ipswich, who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing their play-off semi-final to Norwich City.
He only signed a three-year contract with the Tractor Boys last summer so it could prove difficult, but the 54-year-old refused to rule out a return to the international set-up when he was linked with the job before O’Neill took over.
Chris Hughton (12/1)
Another manager currently at a Championship club, former Ireland full-back Chris Hughton is just eight months into his spell at Brighton & Hove Albion. He’s got experience working with the FAI from his time as assistant to Brian Kerr and although he would be an excellent candidate to take the Ireland post one day, this may not be the right time for the ex-Newcastle, Birmingham and Norwich gaffer.
Sam Allardyce (10/1)
Out of a job since leaving West Ham at the end of last season, Sam Allardyce has himself been linked with Leicester City among other clubs. The 60-year-old, who had a brief stint in charge of Limerick during the early 90s, has proven he can get the best out of an average group of players on numerous occasions and would be an interesting choice.
Owen Coyle (8/1)
Capped once for Ireland at senior level, Owen Coyle’s name was mentioned the last time the position came up in 2013 and while he said it would be an “honour” to manage the Boys in Green, it was his intention to get back into club management.
That desire has taken the former Burnley and Bolton manager to the States, as he was appointed head coach of MLS side Houston Dynamo back in December. He currently sit second from bottom in the Western Conference.
Harry Redknapp (20/1)
‘Arry has been enjoying life outside football since jumping ship at QPR, citing knee surgery at the time, but, at 68, he isn’t completely sold on the idea of retirement and insists he would consider any options on the table.
“I’m not sure really (what I want) – it depends what comes up,” Redknapp said recently. “If anything that was interesting came up then I would be interested.”
Brian Kerr (14/1)
The country’s most successful underage manager didn’t quite cut it when he was handed the chance to manage the senior team between 2003-05 and these days he earns a living working in the media.
Clearly passionate about the game and possessing a wealth of knowledge, many would prefer to see Kerr take up a role within the FAI to improve how we are developing our young players.
Guus Hiddink (25/1)
One of those names who seems to pop up whenever there is a job going, the vastly-experienced Dutchman is also one of the favourites to succeed Nigel Pearson at Leicester. Recently finished up a second spell with the Netherlands, Hiddink also worked his magic with smaller nations like South Korea and Australia but he would most likely cost a pretty penny.
Who would you like to see get the Ireland job if Martin O’Neill was to leave?
Bookie suspends betting on Ireland boss Martin O’Neill taking over as Leicester manager
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Contenders Filling The Hotseat Martin O'Neill Mick McCarthy Owen Coyle Roy Keane Ireland Republic