After yet another Irish managerial prospect yesterday ruled themselves out of contention, the prospect of now-interim manager John O'Shea remaining on board permanently is becoming a lot more plausible.
While the FAI have offered assurances that O'Shea's appointment was interim and a permanent appointment had been lined up and was only being publicly withheld due to contractual obligations, with Lee Carsley widely believed to be that mystery man. He unequivocally ruled that prospect out yesterday, leaving people wondering if a mystery man existed or if this role may be open to John O'Shea should he perform well over the next seven days.
So far the FAI have confirmed that John O'Shea will take charge of the Boys in Green on an interim basis for their two upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland this Saturday and Tuesday.
Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes Fanzone ahead of O'Shea's upcoming friendlies, former Ireland star Shane Long didn't hold back in his praise of the manager, recounting their time playing with each other and calling for O'Shea to be considered for the permanent role, seemingly dismissing the FAI's assurances they've somebody lying in wait.
31 May 2018; John O'Shea, left, and Shane Long during a Republic of Ireland training session at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
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Long calls for John O'Shea to be given the opportunity at international level
While John O'Shea was already a decade-long servant of his country by the time Shane Long made his Ireland debut in 2011, the pair enjoyed a successful 11-year run of playing alongside each other at international level.
Speaking ahead of Ireland's upcoming friendlies with Belgium and Switzerland, Shane Long called for O'Shea to at least have a shot at the permanent role, revealing he always fancied O'Shea to have a managerial career.
At the moment it's only a caretaker role, and he's got two tough games against Belgium and Switzerland to try and prove his worth. But I think the door is open for him; if he does well, when you consider that he knows everybody in the FAI and they know what he's about... if he can get things going on the pitch and get the fans back behind the team, then I don't see why the permanent job wouldn't be there on the table for him.
It's not a surprise for me at all, to see John stepping into management. When I played with him, he was always the first one I'd look at and think 'he's going to go on and be a manager', because he just had that love for the game.
Long didn't stop there either, pointing to the managerial qualities John O'Shea had back when they played together and pointing out the often-overlooked fact that O'Shea learned from two of football's greatest managers Alex Ferguson and Giovanni Trapattoni.
John is a great guy. You know, he was a bit more experienced than me, when I came into the international set-up and he was the same with every young player; he took you under his wing and made you feel equal. Considering what he's achieved in the game, none of it ever went to his head.
He's good with people, as well, so I can see why he's been given this opportunity. He's been coaching for a few years now, and he'll have obviously learned from some top, top coaches over the years: Giovanni Trapattoni and, obviously, Sir Alex Ferguson. He's got his badges, he's done everything the right way and I think he deserves his chance.
Asked whether he'd rather see Roy Keane or O'Shea take up the role, Long was in no doubt about who the best man for the job was.
I'm interested to see whether he (Roy Keane) does end up back in the dugout. If you're asking me now about the Ireland job, I'd rather see John in there. He'll really relish the role - I'm not saying Roy wouldn't - but I'm really hoping these two games go well and he can prove himself. The FAI have a tough decision to make because a lot of big names and proven managers have shown interest. But they're giving John a chance and hopefully he can prove to them that it was the right decision.
While the FAI had previously ruled that permanent role out, it's anyone's guess as to whether that still stands heading into this weekend, with the only certainty being that John O'Shea is most definitely a fan favourite and well-thought-of within both his former international and club setups.
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