It's safe to say that Eileen Gleeson's interim spell in charge of the Ireland WNT has been a major success.
In the aftermath of the World Cup, Vera Pauw departed her role as senior manager, having brought Ireland to their first ever major tournament.
The task at hand for her successor was always going to be a demanding one - and Eileen Gleeson has handled it with aplomb, invigorating the squad with a newfound attacking verve.
Four wins from four have secured Ireland top of their Nations League group with two games to go - but, speaking ahead of those final two games to Balls and the Irish media, Gleeson said that she was not fussed with what her legacy as manager might be:
You hear these things like, 'most successful manager ever.' It's ridiculous to me to have that chat around as short a period as six games, compared to those who have had long careers in the game.
Do we want to win six games? Yes. But, not as a personal motivation, it's a team motivation, it's what we want to do. We want to finish this out and stay fully committed to that task.
Yeah, of course, I want to win, we want to win - it's all one and the same. But it's not any record to be a manager with six wins in a row.
I've discovered I can manage change quickly, it was a lot of change that happened when we came into the first camp. As a staff, it's not a singular achievement in any way.
There's a full set of staff here who've been fully aligned, and super proactive in creating that environment for players to flourish. Coming in at a time where there was a lot of transition and change management, it's proud to be able to bring stability in that moment.
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"It's a smile - it's Christmas!" - Eileen Gleeson refuses to be drawn on Ireland speculation
30 November 2023; Interim head coach Eileen Gleeson during a Republic of Ireland women training session at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Of course, one of the leading questions throughout this campaign has been, "What's next?"
After all, Pauw had been in the job for four years and departed with Ireland at their highest point yet as an international side, so who would take the reigns to push them on further?
As things have progressed under Eileen Gleeson, she has become a more and more attractive option to take over as manager - though she has been resolute since day one that she had no interest in taking the job on a permanent basis.
Nonetheless, questions continue to circle, and Gleeson admitted on Thursday that she understands that they will not stop until final clarity is given on the FAI's choice of full-time manager.
Gleeson was asked what she saw her future with this team being, to which she said:
That's a new way of asking!
I'll always be part of this team. I absolutely love this team and Irish football, so I'll always be part of the team.
As Kyra said, we've a super positive environment, the girls have been amazing since I've come in. There was a lot of change and transition, and they've really hit the ground running.
We as a staff have been trying to create an environment where we can prove them right. They felt like they had potential in parts of the pitch that could be explored a bit more and added to the game. They had developed a real hard-to-beat reputation, but they wanted to add to that.
For the next two games, that's what we'll be focusing on - but we want to be even better than that.
So, no direct answer, but no direct sign either that Eileen Gleeson had any intention of changing her mind on staying on as Ireland manager.
Nonetheless, at the conclusion of the press conference, the question was raised once again - just as Gleeson herself had anticipated.
When asked if she had changed her stance on staying on, Gleeson merely smiled. Was that an indication of a change of heart?
"It's a nice smile. It's Christmas!"
Fair enough.
Whether or not she does stay on, Eileen Gleeson has undoubtedly set this Irish team up for future success, with a Nations League A qualifying campaign for EURO 2025 to come next year.
The Ireland WNT face Hungary in Tallaght (Friday, 7:30pm) and Northern Ireland in Belfast (Tuesday, 6pm) in their final two games of the Nations League, with both games live on RTÉ 2.
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