Next Republic of Ireland Manager Odds
To say the Republic of Ireland are going through a tough period would without a doubt be an understatement. However, there are a lot of talented young players at the disposal of the next Ireland manager and they will almost certainly be given time to improve the results after a truly dismal period for the Republic of Ireland. Stephen Kenny led the charge for R.O.I for three years but after failing to replicate his success with the under 21's Kenny was sacked with a win percentage of just 27.5%.
Ireland haven't qualified for a World Cup since 2002 and haven't qualified for the European Championships since 2016. Since 2020, the best team they have beaten is Scotland but they have suffered losses to Luxembourg, Armenia, Greece and Finland during that period.
Whoever takes on the role as the next Ireland manager will be looking towards World Cup 2026 qualification to make a statement, nobody currently expects Ireland to qualify for the tournament but a solid performance in qualifying could see them replicate Wales and make it through to the tournament.
The man sat in the Interim role as it stands is former captain John O'Shea, the former Manchester United player took over on February 28th 2024 and it has to be said that things have improved, their 0-0 draw against Belgium in O'Shea's first game was arguably their most impressive result since their draw against the same team two years prior.
Who are the favourites to take the role?
If we're brutally honest, the running for the next Republic of Ireland manager doesn't look too promising for Irish football fans. Every appointment looks to have a substantial risk level. England under 21's manager Lee Carsley is the favourite, the former Everton midfielder has a wealth of experience with young talent but has only managed 24 games at a senior level, 11 as Coventry City caretaker, 10 as Brentford and 3 as Birmingham City caretaker - so there isn't much you can fairly judge Carsley on except his performances with England.
The second favourite is Roy Keane, who hasn't managed a football team in 12 years. However, if anyone could bring discipline to a young Irish national team, it might be Keane. Keane has been an assistant with the Republic of Ireland for five years between 2013 and 2018, during that period, Ireland had their most successful European Championships campaign after a historic victory against Italy in the group stage led to them facing France where they took the lead but eventually lost to two quickfire Antoine Griezmann goals, Griezmann would also score a brace to take France to the final.
Other names in the running include former Newcastle United managers Chris Hughton, Steve Bruce and Sam Allardyce alongside former Celtic boss Neil Lennon, who being from Northern Ireland, would be a surprise appointment. All four of those candidates would bring experience to the role.
We think that given his current spell in the role that John O'Shea may change from being an interim manager to a full-time manager for the R.O.I
What outsiders could get the role?
There are certain outsiders that always appear in the betting odds for certain teams, Ant & Dec for Newcastle United is one of our personal favourites. However, the Ireland manager odds are a little more serious.
One former player that we believe could have a good shout of taking on the Republic of Ireland manager role is Damien Duff, Ireland manager betting odds have Duff at 20/1. Similar to Roy Keane, Duff is a former Republic of Ireland international but the Shelbourne manager has certainly impressed fans in Ireland and looks like he could have a successful coaching career ahead of him after taking Shelbourne from the Irish second tier, all the way up to the Europa Conference League in 2024.
Another former player could could replace Stephen Kenny is Robbie Keane who is formerly manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and left the club with a 73% win rate. Robbie Keane would likely be happy to take on the role after leaving Tel Aviv in June 2024.
Who will replace Kenny as Republic of Ireland manager, could it be a former Premier League head coach or will the Ireland job go to someone who is a little newer to football management.