John O'Shea had the first test of what will likely be a brief stint as Ireland interim manager on Saturday evening, with the visit of Belgium to the Aviva Stadium.
O'Shea takes interim charge of the Irish team as the FAI's search for a permanent Stephen Kenny trudges into a fifth month.
The former Manchester United defender won 118 caps during his 18 years as an Ireland international and worked as an assistant as part of Kenny's coaching team.
Saturday's game marks the first game of his coaching career as a fully-fledged manager - but his years of experience as an assistant at Reading, Birmingham, Stoke, and both the Ireland U21 and senior teams show how valued his coaching ability is.
Speaking ahead of the clash with Belgium, former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy said he was keen to see O'Shea remain a part of the setup when a permanent successor to Kenny is appointed.
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Ireland MNT: Mick McCarthy bigs up John O'Shea ahead of first game in charge
23 March 2024; Republic of Ireland interim head coach John O'Shea before the international friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Belgium at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
McCarthy - Kenny's predecessor in the job - was part of Virgin Media's punditry team for Saturday's international friendly between Ireland and Belgium.
The early years of John O'Shea's international career came under the guidance of McCarthy, and the former Ireland boss spoke highly of O'Shea's suitability for the role.
Though the next head coach is still up in the air, McCarthy said that he was hopeful that O'Shea's experience within the FAI would be utilised by whoever fills the role on a permanent basis:
Whatever about the thought process now, I think further down the line he [O'Shea] should definitely be there, staying with the squad having come through the association.
He's now got the big job. Of course, he's not doing it just for two games, he's doing it for all the time - he'll be scrutinised on how he handles that.
Being a coach and somebody saying something to me or whoever the manager is from behind is all well and good...he's the one that's in the spotlight.
He gets all the praise, he gets all the flak. It's about how you handle all that. He's well experienced in international football and top flight football - but it's different to be a coach.
He's got two games, it's an audition - but he should be here for the long-term, I think, whoever the manager is.
McCarthy's sentiments are likely to be echoed by many Irish fans, with O'Shea still held in high regard by the fanbase for his exploits as a player.
Former Ireland captain and manager McCarthy went on to explain the complexities of the task ahead of O'Shea over this international window:
John can't build that team spirit. He's been with the team before, of course, with Stephen, and he's been behind the scenes and known what's going on. I'm sure he'll have his own ideas and he'll be playing his own way.
To try and build a camaraderie and a feeling you can win games and a togetherness over two games...it's impossible.
John O'Shea has nonetheless won more goodwill of many fans through his integration of Brian Kerr into the coaching team, long left out in the cold after his 2005 ousting from the manager's job. Kerr certainly seems to have connected instantly with the playing squad, and it would be no surprise to see both he and O'Shea becoming long-term parts of the Ireland setup.
Though FAI Director of Football Marc Canham has effectively ruled John O'Shea out as a contender for the permanent Ireland job, it will be intriguing to see whether he will remain part of the setup going forward.
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