Charlie from the Stands: Problems keep mounting for beleaguered FAI

As we approach a summer of football with the European Championships about to get underway, it was hard not to admire Portugal as they faced Republic of Ireland earlier this week in their final friendly before heading to Germany.

The riches at their disposal all over the pitch is only endorsed with having the great Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line.

Last week, I spoke about the likes of Pat Hoban and Padraig Amond are at their age, leading their respective sides, and how they are built of ‘different stuff’.

Different stuff is a suitable term for Ronaldo, who at 39 years of age is still showing up, still scoring goals and still looking every bit as threatening as he has done throughout his career. In my mind, he is the most complete and best footballer of my generation (watch the Messi-lovers blow up!)

Forgetting about his finishing prowess, his stepovers or all his individual successes – look at how well he has done the basics throughout his career. He worked harder than everyone and continues to do so.

The stories of strapping weights to his legs to help build his power and speed, or spending hours on injury prevention to keep him fit and available, or indeed being shaped by the United dressing room initially and then the star-studded Real Madrid – all of this has provided him with a foundation to perform so consistently for so long.

Speaking of foundations, Republic of Ireland look as far away from qualifying from a major tournament as ever before, despite the initial feel-good factor which John O’Shea had brought during his interim outings. Off-the-pitch, you have to feel that there is no stability and, in my opinion, that’s been the case since the appointment of Jonathan Hill in November 2020.

There are numerous gripes with Hill’s tenure – holiday payments, stating an unwillingness to actually work from the association’s headquarters, refusing to relocate despite a healthy salary I’m sure.

His handling of Vera Pauw’s exit, the inability to secure a sponsor for the FAI and then finally, when given the opportunity to address Leinster House about the €517 million required to enhance the country’s football facilities, he spends time talking nothing but nonsense.

Following Hill’s disastrous tenure, Marc Canham’s decision to stand-in has him looking so far out of his depth, he needs a life jacket. If the team hasn’t performed on the pitch, the marketing team has certainly pulled a few blinders by putting Canham in front of a camera trying to answer the Irish public’s concerns. It’s like watching an episode of The Office at times. His managerial search looks like it’s never-ending despite the false dawns he promised. 242 days and not a manager signed. England might have a new manager by the time we play them!

This lack of succession planning has been a car crash, and with John O’Shea being a proud, distinguished Irish international, he has stepped in to try steady the ship while Canham et al display their incompetence and indecision, and exemplify a culture that obviously many are steering clear of.

Should O’Shea get the job, then best of luck to him. The players like him. He appears to have gotten on a level with the players where they have attempted to implement his thinking, not to mention the respect his career in both club and international football deserves.

However, if he does, the conclusion to that search process will not be remembered for the end result, more so the farcical nature of getting to there.

You wonder if the League of Ireland would prosper if it broke away from the FAI. More on that later.

Domestic matters

With Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians not in action, it was left for the remaining clubs to try and gain some momentum ahead of the mid-season break.

With wins for Derry City, Waterford and Shelbourne, and a scoreless draw between the struggling St Pat’s and Drogheda, there wasn’t much change to overall landscape.

As a player, you always hear sayings like ‘We need to match them’, or ‘We need to earn the right to play.’

Anyone who didn’t get to watch Derry City’s win over Galway United last week would be forgiven for thinking it was an impressive result for Ruaidhri Higgins’ side. And it was, but it was an even better performance.

To date, the ties between the sides have been tight, physical affairs of few chances, with Galway coming away with more praise than Derry for their work-rate alone. Indeed, John Caulfield’s side have earned plaudits this season for their endeavor and how tight a unit they are.

However, on Friday, Derry looked a different animal. They were aggressive in their style of play, positive in formation and won their individual battles all over the pitch. After just 90 seconds, Brandan Clarke was called into action to make a couple of saves, and that largely set the tone for proceedings. Throughout the game, the work rate of the players was the most pleasing thing, with Will Patching in particular ditching his nonchalant style of play for a new ‘rocket-up-the-arse’ approach.

Despite Patching being further up the pitch, it didn’t stop him from winning every second ball and carrying out his defensive duties as well as any number 10 has in years. There is no doubt in the quality that Will Patching possesses, but if you added the work rate we witnessed on Friday night on a consistent basis, you have a player that can go through the levels. The Derry City players have set standards from Friday night that if they can maintain will go a long way to ending the 27 year wait – let’s see.

Going into the second half of the season, I feel we will start to see the top three sides pull away from the rest. Despite Galway’s defeat at the Brandywell, them and Waterford will both be delighted with their first half of the campaign.

I say that after another impressive dominant win for Waterford (4-1) against Sligo, showing that they are a free-scoring side and when they go in front, they don't rely on their defence to see out a one goal lead.

With their dynamic midfield getting goals and Amond’s predatory instincts, I can see them continuing to pull away from their nearest rivals.

In contrast, Damien Duff’s Shelbourne are continuing to do what they do. Their defence is showing week on week how strong they are, getting them to the final quarter of games where they can push on and try score late.

The old ‘one shot on target, one goal’ method is effective if executed, but how sustainable is it? How many games can Shels stand firm in and try to score late in.

Their tie with Waterford will be an interesting battle of attrition