Stephen Kenny hails ‘terrific job’ by Vera Pauw

Vera Pauw called Stephen Kenny on Thursday morning. The two senior Republic of Ireland managers developed a “good relationship” over the past three years but the fact that Kenny was being asked about the FAI refusing to offer Pauw a new contract, at his squad announcement before the Irish men’s crucial European Championship qualifiers against France and the Netherlands made this a fascinating revelation.

“Listen, Vera’s legacy will be that Ireland qualified for the World Cup,” said Kenny. “It was a great achievement.

“She did a terrific job as Ireland manager in her time. I’d a good relationship with her, I spoke to her after she came back from Australia and she actually rang me this morning. It obviously wasn’t the ending that she wanted but she can be very proud of her achievements.”

“It was a private conversation,” Kenny added of his telephone conversation with Pauw before explaining how the pair came to be on good terms. “The football division in the FAI is where all the coaches in the FAI get together. For example, we had Paul McGinley in and different stuff like that, all the seminars and different things, so I’d meet her fairly regularly.

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“So I wish her well, she has had a great career overall and I’m sure the next chapter could be exciting for her as well.”

[ Malachy Clerkin: Digging through the rubble of the end of the Vera Pauw era ]

Pauw’s former assistant manager Eileen Gleeson will coach Ireland in the upcoming Nations League games against Northern Ireland and Hungary. Gleeson is not being considered as the manager on a more permanent basis, even if Ireland win both games, as she is committed to her full-time role as the FAI’s head of women and girls’ football.

Led by director of football Marc Canham, the association began the search for Pauw’s long term replacement this week.