FAI hold talks with Chris Coleman amid ongoing search for new manager
The FAI’s 88-day search for a men’s team manager has brought them to Chris Coleman after a failure so far to reach agreement with No 1 target Lee Carsley.
The man who led Wales to the semi-finals of Euros 2016 has met with the headhunting team of Marc Canham, Jonathan Hill and Packie Bonner but no board meeting has been scheduled to rubberstamp a deal.
Hill affirmed 10 days ago that approval of contract terms for an official offer and their chosen recommendation would be necessary from the expanded board of 14 directors.
The association’s chief executive also highlighted the restriction of a budget and it’s believed they have been unwilling to meet the cost of hiring England U21 manager Carsley and his backroom team over the proposed four-year contract.
Whether the parties compromise on a deal in the coming days remains to be seen but the revised timeline is to have a head coach installed by the end of February with a view to selecting a squad for the home double-header friendly against Belgium and Switzerland on March 23 and 26.
Carsley, who won 40 caps between 1996 and 2008, has long been interested in the vacancy but wants himself and the backroom team he’s proposed to be valued in both salary and budget to optimise a squad he deems capable of reviving the country’s fortunes.
Coleman’s appointment, should it materialise, is unlikely to be similarly embraced by Ireland’s fanbase.
Although he oversaw a golden period for the country he also captained, it was spearheaded by a world-class talent in Gareth Bale and another, not far off, in the shape of Aaron Ramsey.
The managerial record of the 53-year-old has been decidedly patchy since, suffering relegation to League One is his sole season at Sunderland and spells
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