Heimir Hallgrímsson will take charge of his 3rd and 4th games as Ireland manager this week when Ireland take on Finland and Greece in the Nations League. However, media pressure is already mounting on the recently appointed manager who has taken charge of just two games so far.
The former Iceland manager assumed the position in July after a protracted search by the FAI. However, just two games into his run, Hallgrímsson's comments about the 'attention' that comes with the job seem to be coming to fruition, with one former Irish star saying the Icelandic manager could be sacked if Ireland fail to impress in this week's games.
Hallgrímsson suffered defeats in both of his opening games at the Aviva Stadium in early September, when both Greece and England departed South Dublin with 2-0 wins under their belt.
The sharp criticism that followed those losses came as a shock to Heimir, who admitted he was not used to the intense scrutiny that came with the job.
I probably wasn't ready or aware of how big the job was, how much media there is, how much attention there is. I am not used to it. I haven't been in this environment where there's so much attention. That probably was the thing that surprised me. I have been in Jamaica for two years, before that with Iceland and it was always the same there. You had 10-15 journalists. Here we have all the media.
10 September 2024; Republic of Ireland head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson during the post match press conference following the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between Republic of Ireland and Greece at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Irish star claims Hallgrímsson could be sacked this week
Hallgrímsson's comments seem to have been proven right, with calls for his sacking already beginning to circulate before the former Jamaican manager has even begun his second run of games as International manager.
Speaking to BetVictor former Irish international Richard Dunne cast the manager's suitability back into the limelight, claiming that his career in Dublin could be ended prematurely if he can't deliver a win in this week's fixtures.
I think Heimir Hallgrímsson is already feeling the pressure of the Ireland job. He has a bit of leeway after how long it took the FAI to find this manager but if they don’t win either of the upcoming Nations League games against Finland and Greece, then I do think there’s the potential that they will look to bring someone new in.
I’d be shocked if John O’Shea isn’t ready to step in again when needed after how he handled himself when he took charge of the team before.
He needs to put a side together that the fans respect and can be proud of. We still don’t look like a team, and it is the manager’s job to make sure we don’t look disjointed. The structure needs adding, it’s a big two games for Hallgrímsson.
While Irish football may be desperate for a turn in their recently poor fortunes, Hallgrímson has only managed two games since taking charge of the side, one of which came against Euro 2024 finalists England.
Any change in stewardship so early in the Icelander's tenure would seem premature and hasty at best, with some consideration needed on whether an immediate change at the top would actually deliver more favourable results.
Ireland take on Finland in Helsinki on Thursday evening at 19:45 Irish time.
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