“You need to be more commanding when you go in.”
Roy Keane’s advice to former Man United legend and Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney, shows why Ireland are finding it so hard to find a decent manager.
Rooney was sacked after just a couple of months from taking the reigns at Birmingham, and in his previous jobs in the MLS and over Derby county who were going into administration at the time, the ex England striker has had to deal with countless issues in his short managerial career.
Keane went into management when he took the Sunderland job shortly after retiring from his playing days, where he achieved some success, but couldn’t replicate it in his next role at Ipswich.
As someone who has been in Rooney’s situation before, he offered his former teammate some advice on the latest episode of Stick to Football.
“Whenever you first went in, and we talk about luck and timing, and there was maybe a negativity towards you, that’s not necessarily your fault, but because of the previous manager – that’s when you need one or two results to go your way.
“If you’re in the door, and people are just not sure about you, and you are not getting two or three wins quickly, like we talk about momentum you get when you are winning football matches, but when you aren’t getting it in a positive way then it’s really negative.
“That’s hard to deal with when you first go into a club, people are almost waiting for you to fail.”
Roy Keane advice to Wayne Rooney shows why Ireland are finding it so hard to get a decent manager.
The Republic of Ireland are currently without a manager, and seemingly have been rejected by just about everyone as they continue to work their way down their list of targets.
Lee Carsley, Gus Poyet, Steve Bruce and now Chris Coleman have all reportedly dropped out of contention, and the reason behind that might be because the FAI are not willing to meet their demands.
Some of these demands may of course be around finances, but as Keane reveals on the podcast, sometimes it can be over simple things like choosing your own staff.
When Gary Neville asked Rooney what he would change if he was to go into management again, the Englishman said that he would be much more rigid in his demands.
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“You need to be more commanding when you go in, a bit more ruthless, because there were a few decisions which I let slide past me, which is obviously the club’s decision in the end, whether that’s having a coach pushed on to you, or whether it’s recruitment.
“You need to be stronger in terms of how you are going to do it, and why it needs to be my way.”
This prompted Keane to interject and offer some advice that might shed a light on why Ireland are struggling to agree a deal with any of the managers that they interviewed.
“Sometimes I think there are certain people that you might want with you – you’re never going to get everything your own way. Clubs who you might have gone into, like Derby, they are going to say that you can bring in a few staff, but you are not going to get 10 or 15, it’s not like Pep or any of these managers.
“I definitely think you should have two or three people in mind where you say ‘I am taking these two or three people.’
“Whatever is going on at the club or who is coming or going, I think they are the decisions you got to stick with, you get two or three people that you trust around you, it might be a fitness coach, a goalkeeper, a coaching assistant – I think that’s where you need to be really strong when you first go in.
“You say if that’s not happening, then I think you need to be prepared – because managers get desperate and they are told you can only bring one staff with you or whatever, but if you have three or four people and go ‘if you are not entertaining these, I am not even having a discussion about a contract.'”
Related links:
- Roy Keane raises major concern about Man United’s latest appointment
- The possibility of Roy Keane getting the Ireland job has taken another twist
- Wayne Rooney reportedly in talks over boxing fight
