Could Celtic’s Scottish Premiership winning manager Brendan Rodgers be tempted to take over the Republic of Ireland?
After half a decade in charge of the Republic of Ireland, Martin O’Neill has bowed out with a whimper.
A torrid 12 months have seen the ROI battered by Denmark in the Euro 2018 play-offs, fail to qualify from their Nations League group… and produce some of the most torrid football in the nation’s recent history. O’Neill departed after a goalless draw against The Danes, meaning they have failed to score in five of their last nine games.
So while Mick McCarthy will always be a national hero after leading Ireland to the knockout stages of the 2002 World Cup, appointing another veteran manager whose style of play is best left in a foregone era seems like a backwards step.
As a result, these increasingly disillusioned supporters are hoping for a bright, forward thinking manager to lead the country into a new era – and some have turned to none other than Brendan Rodgers.
Sure, Rodgers would represent a massive coup for the Republic of Ireland. He is a proven winner, having sealed successive domestic trebles in charge of Celtic, and his positive, attack-minded approach would be more than welcome.
But with the 45-year-old hailing from Northern Ireland and admitting in September that he was fully committed to Celtic, as reported by Sky Sports, any hopes of Rodgers replacing O’Neill look slim.
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