“The FAI need to get their house in order”
Roy Keane has laid into the FAI for their handling of interviews for the Republic of Ireland job, claiming “Every Tom, Dick and Harry was interviewed” before Heimir Hallgrímsson was given the job last summer.
Speaking on the latest Stick To Football Podcast, former Ireland midfielder and assistant coach Keane said the FAI “couldn’t organise a p**s up in a brewery” and said the interview process was a farce.
The national team and the FAI are once again in the spotlight following Ireland’s disastrous 2-1 defeat against Armenia on Tuesday, which leaves their World Cup qualification hopes hanging by the smallest of threads.
Asked by Gary Neville if Keane had spoken to the FAI about the job previously, Keane said: “Yeah, of course. But I think they spoke to every Tom, Dick and Harry.”
“The reason you might take the job is because you think you might help the team. You could help them. You could get them organised, a bit of fight, a bit of spirit, although I know that’s not always enough.
“But yeah, I spoke about the job. But even that was a farce, the amount of people that have come out in the last six months that said they were offered the job. But that’s the FAI, I’ve said it before, they couldn’t organise a p**s up in a brewery.”
“You look at the manager and you fear for them, they’re up against it.”
Keane, who was assistant at Ireland under Martin O’Neill between 2013 and 2018, claims the FAI need to get their house in order before Irish football can progress.
He added: “It’s sad, it’s a long way back. But the FAI as well need to get their house in order.
“Get some proper people in there. Some people who interviewed me for the job, they’re gone now, there’s always people coming and going.
“You hope this manager can get his act together and get some results, but it doesn’t look good.”
Asked if he would be interested in the job in the future, Keane didn’t close down the possibility, saying: “I don’t know. Honestly, until you’re asked the question, it’s not on my radar.
“There’s obviously an emotional side to it, of course there would be. For all the negative stuff, it’s still a great job for somebody.
“I love the flow of the job, having the players for those two weeks. There’s a different type of energy to your life, it’s not day in, day out.”
