Brian Kerr believes that the remit of the Irish football manager should be expanded beyond the affairs of the senior team.
"I would like for us to go back to somebody, people, who are involved in the whole game, not just with the senior team," Kerr told Sky Sports.
"Much as the Welsh have done with Ryan Giggs, and not alone Ryan Giggs, the people around him and below him have stayed there consistently. Through the underage teams, there has been a consistency in the thought process, in the style and the way players are developed."
Kerr says the joined up thinking seen in Welsh football is not present in the Irish game.
We've had our underage teams trying to play in a certain style and we have a senior team who play a completely different style.
There also seems to be a detachment between those and between the game here in Ireland. Roy and Martin have attended some games here but, in my book, not enough. We haven't seen them often enough.
I don't think they've had any involvement in the coaching courses, in the education of our coaches - I think they should have had a part in all that. After all, they only had nine matches this year, 11 matches last year. There's a lot of spare time, a lot of spare time in the summer months when the coaching courses are taking place - the senior manager should be involved in all of that.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kerr said that he would be interested in once again becoming the Ireland manager - he would seem well-suited to the expanded role he described - however, he does not expect to be offered the job.
Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
