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Brian Kerr calls for "clea...

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Brian Kerr calls for "clean sweep" at very top of Irish football

98FM
98FM

04:48 21 Nov 2018


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Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr has called for a "clean sweep" to reform Irish football.

Kerr joined Joe Molloy in the wake of the departure of the Republic of Ireland management team as Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane's tenures come to an end.

Brian Kerr calls for "clean sweep" at very top of Irish football

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The hunt now begins for the next permanent manager of the Ireland senior team with the next set of fixtures not coming until next Spring but with the draw for the Euro 2020 qualifiers to be made at the start of December.

Asked who he would like to see succeed O'Neill, Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny featured highly in his thoughts.

"I would love to see Stephen Kenny getting a go at it. I think he's earned it," said Kerr, pointing out Kenny's achievements for Dundalk and elsewhere within the League of Ireland over the years and his knowledge of the players.

"I think he would be a good fit for the job. But I wouldn't have any problem with Mick McCarthy getting the job. Mick is available. I think he would be interested. He still has the enthusiasm. He's probably a better manager now than when he finished up in 2002 with the international team. But I'm sure there would be other candidates will emerge over the next few days, unless the FAI make a very quick appointment."  

Kerr also touched on the wider issues within Irish football that need to be rectified in parallel to identifying the next manager and backroom team and the need for change and reform within the FAI and the underlying structures from underage level upwards.

"I think the game has been mis-managed here for years and years and now I think there's a chance, an opportunity for everyone that loves the game to demand an explanation for what's gone on, to demand some transparency," said Kerr.

"I think the focus now should be on the board who allow John Delaney to run the association in the way he runs it. That's where the focus should be now as much as it should be on the appointment of the senior manager and the under-21 manager. There's space and time now for a bit of a clean sweep I think and that's what should happen."

When asked if he has faith in the way the Delaney and the FAI board has managed the game in Ireland, he responded "no" firmly and added "I would suggest that very few people have".

Kerr also confirmed that he has had no meaningful correspondence with the FAI apart from a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) which is related to coaching licence maintenance.


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