Since it was confirmed that Stephen Kenny would not be continuing in his role as Republic of Ireland manager last month, quite a few familiar names have been linked with the job. What's more, a sizeable portion of them have already confirmed their interest in the position.
It is thought that Lee Carsley is the FAI's preferred candidate, with the former Ireland midfielder having developed quite the reputation during his time in charge of the England U21s. In saying that, it remains uncertain if he would be willing to leave his job with the FA to take up any potential offer.
However, quite a few managers have made their interest known. Steve Bruce, Neil Lennon, and most recently Sam Allardyce have all thrown their hat into the ring over the last ten days or so.
That trio has largely been dismissed by Ireland fans, although it seems that some of them are keen for the FAI to consider one recently sacked manager.
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Ireland fans intrigued by prospect of available English manager
Tony Mowbray has put together an interesting coaching CV over the last two decades, managing at the likes of West Brom, Celtic, Middlesbrough, and Blackburn Rovers. He experienced various levels of success at those clubs, having promotions from both the Championship and League One to his name.
He was most recently the manager of Sunderland, where it was widely accepted that he was doing an excellent job. He led the club to the Championship play-offs on their return to the division last season and had them back in the promotion mix once again this time around. However, he was surprisingly sacked by the club in recent days.
Now freshly available, could he be in the running for the Ireland job?
Quite a few Irish supporters have already said that they would be open to the prospect.
He’d get the thumbs up from me Tommy. Always enjoyed watching his teams. So harshly treated by Sunderland. Very surprised by his sacking.
— Alan Cawley (@alancaw) December 5, 2023
Out of all the options available to be the next Republic of Ireland manager, the one that now stands out to me the most is Tony Mowbray. He is brilliant with young players and plays attacking football with limited resources. I would be all over him. #COYBIG
— C (@ChroniclesWA) December 6, 2023
Tony Mowbray for The Republic of Ireland job. He'd be the perfect man
— Brendan McGilligan (@BMcGilligan97) December 5, 2023
Tony Mowbray for Ireland is a far better shout than Steve Bruce - I’d still rather someone else than both of them but still…
— Pol MacFhionnghaile 🇮🇪🏴 (@mcginleybhoy) December 5, 2023
I don't know if Paul Heckingbottam or Tony Mowbray have any interest in managing Ireland, but either would an excellent appointment 🇮🇪#COYBIG
— Johnny Clark (@Johnny__Clark) December 5, 2023
🇮🇪| With Tony Mowbray sacked as Sunderland boss last night, the FAI could do a lot worse than appointing him the new manager of Ireland
He plays decent football and got results, seems a no-brainer
If he’s up for international management, we should go all out for him 👀 pic.twitter.com/BZ6RHboRX4— IrishPropaganda🇮🇪⚽️ (@IrishPropaganda) December 5, 2023
I would genuinely take Tony Mowbray as Ireland manager. https://t.co/lJ5s93xOf9
— Evan Fanning (@evanfanning) December 4, 2023
Will Tony Mowbray be an outside shout for the Ireland job?
Plays a fluid style of football, maximised a limited Sunderland team and has quite a bit of experience. Not for us but could do a lot worse 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/8VfZMyOWgc— The Green Machíne (@GM_Pod) December 5, 2023
Tony Mowbray has often had his teams play an attractive brand of football during his time in club management, where he also developed a reputation for developing young players.
That would seem like a good fit for Ireland considering the current state of the team, with the Englishman having a penchant for maximising the often limited resources at his disposal.
He is someone the FAI should keep in mind.
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