IT WOULD APPEAR that Michael O’Neill’s six-year spell in charge of the Northern Ireland team is over and that the 48-year-old will be appointed as Scotland boss sooner rather than later.
The Scottish FA have held talks with the former Shamrock Rovers manager and, after a lengthy back-and-forth, compensation was agreed with the Irish Football Association recently.
It now seems just a matter of time before O’Neill is officially confirmed as Gordon Strachan’s successor.
Having qualified Northern Ireland for the European Championships in 2016 – the first time in 30 years that the side had reached a major tournament – O’Neill fell agonisingly short of guiding the team to this summer’s World Cup after a controversial 1-0 play-off defeat to Switzerland.
Still, he has been Scotland’s prime target ever since Strachan stepped aside in October after his team failed to make it to Russia.
O’Neill always seemed to make sense as a target given he lives in Edinburgh and has both playing and coaching experience in Scotland.
He has two years to run on his current NI deal and has been offered a four-year extension.
O’Neill has been courted by other teams in recent months and turned down the Middlesbrough job late last year.
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Dead right. hopefully a win today now to give him and the players a little boost.
Looking forward to seeing what he does with the team over the next few transfer windows. It’s obvious he takes no sh!t from anyone, players or owners. Hoping he gets rid of the rot in the club asap.
He’ll need about €350 million if he gets rid of all the rot in that squad
The owners gave so much to Rodgers and his transfer committee, and they squandered the lot, apart from a handful of players who have either made a positive impact or look like they have a bit of potential. Can’t see why Klopp won’t be given the same financial support. If he’s allowed buy the players he wants, that will buy into his philosophy, I can see Liverpool improving vastly. First thing though is to sell those who either won’t or can’t play his kind of football.
Considering the players he lost Rodgers was given peanuts. He was only given 17 milion on top of what they got for Suarez after he left. You can’t compete for the league I’d your net spend is just 17 million.
@Ron, he still nearly spent £300 million over three years. Three years with not one trophy to show for it all. Rodgers came out and said that Spurs should be challenging for the title after spending £100 million. Most of that £100 million came from the sale of Bale. I’m a Liverpool fan like yourself, but that is embarrassing.
philosophy score more than the opposition.
ah come on ron stop that oul guff he spent a couple of hundred million.
Cutting the waste is more important than bringing in new players right now. Liverpool will go backwards before going forward.
I have to admit I like this bainisteoirs philosophy and the sort of staccato German-English soundbites are altogether more succinct than the usual waffle
First job is to buy a brand new back 4 and goalie
@Beano I don’t think Mignolet has been that bad lately. His distribution is poor but he’s made a few quality saves. Back four is the problem. A centre back should be his first purchase.
He will need time and can’t be judged until we see what moves are made in and out of the club in the transfer market. Problem is there are a lot of average players there now and to get the quality needed to attract better players champions league football is needed. So then he could be relying on the current squad to get into the top four or three as it might be. Some of Rodgers players like firminho, origi, lallana etc. etc needed to deliver something and really he needs to pray that sturridge gets fit again otherwise he is a luxury that the club can’t afford.
I actually think that Sturridge won’t be able to cope with Klopp’s demands. He’s made out of glass, every time he comes back from an injury, he immediately is ruled out again. I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll be able to keep up the tempo and the pressure. Hope he proves me wrong but if he can’t, I don’t think Klopp will stick with him.
It’s clear looking at that Liverpool squad how bad it is. Much work for Jurgen to do
thats Baloteli gone for good so