THE FAI ARE exploring the prospect of adding more international friendly matches to their June schedule to allow Heimir Hallgrimsson assess some more options available to him ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in September.
The FAI last week announced June games against Senegal and Luxembourg, but The 42 understands they are hopeful of adding more games to allow their manager add squad depth before the World Cup campaign kicks off against Hungary in September. No additional games have yet been confirmed.
Added games would allow Hallgrimsson pick an extended squad and look at some players he is monitoring but has yet to call up to a full squad, including Shamrock Rovers’ defender Josh Honohan, former Rovers’ forward Johnny Kenny, St. Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips, ex-Irish U21 captain Joe Hodge, and Spanish-born midfielder John Patrick Finn.
Hallgrimsson wanted to arrange a January camp earlier this year for LOI players along with high-potential academy prospects to assess more options, but the FAI did not sign off for budgetary reasons. He says he is hopeful of staging this camp next January, pointing to the success of similar camps during his stints with Iceland and Jamaica.
An extended summer schedule would be a substitute for this, particularly as there is a window to play additional games during the League of Ireland summer break.
Speaking after Sunday’s 2-1 win over Bulgaria, assistant coach John O’Shea hinted at seeing new faces in the summer.
Responding to a question asking whether team selection would be more consistent from henceforth following a Nations League campaign in which Hallgrimsson picked 34 different players, O’Shea said, “There is going to be hopefully a few more surprises in the sense of more players, potentially in June.”
O’Shea also praised the impact of Hallgrimsson, who has now won four of his eight matches in charge.
“He’s got us winning football matches,” said O’Shea about his new boss. “It’s an important thing at international level, a key thing. His organisation, his principles, all those things you expect from a manager that’s had the experience he’s had, qualifying for major finals.
“Those ideas and the simplicity in terms of certain things for certain games, understanding what things would work, what things we need to shake up the squad, in terms of maybe different players, different characters. It’s getting that balance right.
“In terms of the preparation we go in beforehand, obviously we had a good bit of time after the last camp, but we were going around to games, meeting players, catching up with everyone.
“Obviously at some stage we have to focus on Bulgaria, the detail you then go into then, the preparation is all done, and it’s great then that you can come into camp and you’re focusing on the players as the work is done, and you can build up the relationships in the squad. You can do that more so in camp rather than on the phone or on FaceTime.
“When you’re in camp you get that relationship getting stronger and stronger with the players.”
The shambles rumbles on. Why any of the previous administration are being allowed to stay on is beyond me. If they were therewhile delaney was pilfering the coffers, they are either accompices, enablers or weak. Get them out.
Niall Quinn doing commentary instead of being at the meeting says enough. Farce
@Tony Yeboah: He is on a contract with Virgin and it is his job at present, while the FAI role is a voluntary one.So when meetings and work clash,it happens.
Virgin pay the Bill’s for Niall.
@John Kenny: Your not wrong, but you’d think a meeting of this significance would have taken priority this once.
Anyway its hard to see him being involved in the future with the FAI due to missing this meeting
@Tony Yeboah: and he’s lousy at the commentary awell
@John Kenny: sorry John only saw your comment now, yeah I was aware of that , still in terms of a massive event for review of the future of Irish soccer and in light on Quinn’s position, it does not hold the Association or himself in a good light that he didn’t attend. It’s not like Virgin couldn’t have got another bang average commentator, Keith Andrews stealing a living on it
@Seoirse Ó Staighe: god yeah, not as bad as Keith Andrews, at least Quinn is likeable
@Tony Yeboah: or the fai could have scheduled the meeting at a different time
So they had a four hour meeting ! Big trill ! All is good again. Soccer is saved. Unbelievable nonsense
They showed there true colours last week giving them money is only throwing good money after bad . Let it go bankrupt or let the billionaires uefa or fifa bail them out.
@john s: I’m in total agreement with this. Not a penny more should be given to this rotten boys club. Let FIFA baol them out. Let’s see what the Garda report has to say.
Who cares really..
I bet they got a kick out of that meeting!!! The gurus of Irish soccer.
Mick ‘Bamkrupt’ Wallace complaining about people who don’t know how to run organisations and bailed out banks. 1. His company is gonsky 2. He’s part of the reason the banks needed bailing out.