Mick McCarthy, Stephen Kenny and Neil Lennon the early front-runners
Thursday 22 November 2018 16:22, UK
Former Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy is the early favourite to replace Martin O'Neill as manager of Republic of Ireland.
The 66-year-old stepped down as manager on Wednesday after five years at helm, with assistant Roy Keane and coaches Seamus McDonagh and Steve Guppy also leaving their roles.
McCarthy is currently out of work after leaving Sky Bet Championship outfit Ipswich in the summer and he leads the way in the betting.
Here, we run through some of the top candidates...
The 59-year-old previously enjoyed a six-year spell in charge of Ireland from 1996, guiding them to the 2002 World Cup.
He has since led Sunderland and Wolves to promotion to the Premier League, while keeping Ipswich in the second tier on a relatively small budget in six years at Portman Road.
Sky Sports are reporting that McCarthy would be open to a return as manager of Ireland, who he also represented over 50 times as a player.
A name on the list that may be unfamiliar to some, but Kenny is second favourite after working wonders as manager of League of Ireland side Dundalk.
He has won four league titles since arriving at the club in November 2012, as well as two FAI Cups and two League of Ireland Cups.
He notably oversaw a run in Champions League qualifying which saw them go within a win of reaching the group stages, instead qualifying for the Europa League. In a difficult group with Zenit, AZ Alkmaar and Maccabi Tel Aviv, they earned four points with a historic victory over Tel Aviv and a draw with AZ.
Discussing Ireland's style, Kenny recently told Balls.ie: "It is important to dispel the current train of thought that it is in the DNA of Irish players to play a more direct style of play, that somehow being Irish...you were inherently born with a skill deficit.
"The players have constantly shown their talent, their ability to pass and receive the ball under pressure and they continue to take risks in possession and open their imagination to see possibilities. We have a group where creative players trust their talent and strive to express themselves in pursuit of fulfilling that potential as individuals and as a team."
The 47-year-old had a brief playing career before going into management and, exactly six years to the day after being appointed in his current role, he is one of the front-runners to become manager of Ireland's national team.
Currently out of work, Allardyce could be tempted by a return to international management after his short spell with England in 2016.
The 64-year-old is an experienced manager with a plan and, contrary to belief, he insists his tactics are varied and dependent on his playing squad and he could continue the work put in place by O'Neill and his staff.
Allardyce was most recently at Premier League side Everton, completing his remit to avoid relegation but it was still not enough to keep his job at Goodison as the Toffees hierarchy wanted a bigger, European name in Marco Silva.
After leaving Crystal Palace in 2017, Allardyce initially said he would not be joining another club and would be open to an international role, something which may currently suit him at 64 years of age.
Remember, on the international stage Allardyce has played one and won one!
The 47-year-old former Northern Ireland international is currently in the Scottish Premiership with Hibernian and could be earmarked as a potential successor to O'Neill.
After winning the league three times with Celtic, and two cups, he had a disappointing spell at Bolton before impressively guiding Hibs to promotion from the second tier in 2016/17.
Lennon recently threatened to quit his current role after clashing with opposition fans in the Edinburgh derby defeat to Hearts and an international role could offer him a good way out.
Wigan's new chairman Darren Royle recently admitted they were worried manager Paul Cook could be poached by a Premier League club after impressing with the Latics.
The 51-year-old Merseyside-born boss had a good spell with League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers from 2007 to 2012 before going on to guide Chesterfield, Portsmouth and Wigan to promotions in the Sky Bet EFL.
Royle may also have national teams to worry about now, as well as Premier League outfits, if he is to keep hold of popular character Cook.
Former Everton and Birmingham midfielder Carsley represented Ireland 39 times and has been working as a coach since retiring in 2011. He was most recently at Birmingham City as assistant manager to Steve Cotterill after previously working under Dean Smith at Brentford.
He has little experience as a manager, let alone as boss of Ireland's national team, but he has done his apprenticeship by working with some successful managers and knows the international level well from his playing days.
Click here to see the list in full
*Odds correct as of 1500 GMT on 21/11/18
