Staunton sacked by Ireland

[Craig_H]

Erm...yeah, that's it.

[Dan]

[Jayesh87]

Staunton for England

[Craig_H]

[kurtangle01]

On SSN now. To be fair, you can't blame them for sacking him, can you?

[Dan]

On SSN now. To be fair, you can't blame them for sacking him, can you?

No but you can blame em for hiring him, ******s

[Craig_H]

Poor Stan.

[Dan]

Who's next lads?

I'd lump on Stevie Coppell

[h7k]

Lets hope Delaney follows him shortly.

[livvy145]

Staunton sacked as Republic coach



Steve Staunton has been axed as Republic of Ireland manager following an emergency meeting of the Irish Football Association on Tuesday.

Staunton, who took over from Brian Kerr in January 2006, had been under pressure after poor performances in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

Hopes of making the finals ended when his side could only manage a 1-1 draw with Cyprus last Wednesday.

Former Leeds and Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is the favourite to take over.

Staunton vowed to stay in the job after the Republic were booed off the Croke Park pitch after the Cyprus game.

However, FAI chief John Delaney refused to publicly back the former Liverpool defender in the wake of another disappointing display.

Staunton was something of a shock choice for the post given his limited managerial and coaching experience.

Surprise at his elevation from Walsall assistant coach to international manager was tempered by the appointment of Sir Bobby Robson in the role of consultant and adviser.

It was hoped that Robson's wealth of experience would compliment Staunton's enthusiasm and stature as the Republic's most capped player.

Robson's role as a guiding hand was greatly limited by failing health and he seems sure to relinquish that role after the current qualifying series.

A 4-0 friendly defeat by Holland last August set the tone for things to come.

A month later the Republic boss was ordered from the touchline in a qualifier against Germany and a humiliating 5-2 away defeat to Cyprus followed soon after.

Even greater embarrassment was avoided when a last-minute winner saw Staunton's charges beat San Marino 2-1 away in February .

Staunton earned some breathing space with a 4-0 friendly win over Denmark in August but the sceptics resurfaced after a draw with Slovakia and a defeat in the Czech Republic.

A draw with Germany was followed by a last-gasp point against Cyprus but another poor display led to Delaney declining to offer a vote of confidence.

The Republic are now ranked 32nd in the world compared to 15th just a few years ago.

Steve Staunton addressed an emergency meeting of the FAI in Dublin on Tuesday night which will decide on his future as Republic of Ireland boss.

Staunton is set to be axed after his reign suffered a new low with last week's draw 1-1 against Cyprus.

After the Euro 2008 qualifier, FAI chief John Delaney refused to publicly back the Republic manager.

Former Leeds and Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is the early favourite to take over - if Staunton is sacked.

Former Republic striker Tony Cascarino thinks it is inevitable Staunton will go.

"I think he'll lose his job," Cascarino told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I always wanted to give Steve Staunton the benefit of the doubt over the course of a campaign and there were some positive signs probably a month ago.

"But that was before we had four crucial games. That was where Staunton was going to be judged - and we've failed miserably. Ireland are underachieving."

O'Leary, currently without a club, said at the weekend he would not comment on Staunton's position.

However, the former Republic centre-back has previously made it clear he would be keen on managing his country at some stage in the future.

Sunderland boss Roy Keane, who made 66 appearances for the Republic, ruled out any prospect of succeeding Staunton by saying he was enjoying life at the Stadium of Light.

In an RTE interview last Thursday, Delaney was repeatedly asked to back Staunton but refused to do so.

"This is the third or fourth crisis around the management," said Delaney.

"We had it after Cyprus, we had it after San Marino, we had it after Prague, so people are getting conditioned to this form of crisis.

"But I think that it's important board members get time to reflect on recent performances."

Staunton vowed to stay on in the post after last Wednesday's game but time now appears to be running out for the Dundalk man.

The Republic are third in the Group D table but Germany and the Czech Republic have already qualified for the finals in Austria and Switzerland next summer.

[kurtangle01]

Who's next lads?

I'd lump on Stevie Coppell

O' Dreary.

[Dan]

O' Dreary.

Did you see him on Goals on Sunday (last Saturday)

The man's gotten fat! He looks real old now and spent the whole show rubbing Tony Adam's arm and leg

[andyinswinton]

Has Staunton really done such a bad job or has he not had the players at his disposal that previous managers had?

I've not seen too much or Ireland but it seems that there isn't the quality players that Ireland previously had playing for them.

[Dan]

Has Staunton really done such a bad job or has he not had the players at his disposal that previous managers had?

I've not seen too much or Ireland but it seems that there isn't the quality players that Ireland previously had playing for them.

Staunton had pretty much the same players as Brian Kerr yet Kerr won 20% more matches than him

[Red Chilli]

Former Leeds and Aston Villa boss David O'Leary is the favourite to take over.

Class