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Stephen Kenny has recruited Chelsea coach Anthony Barry to join his Republic of Ireland management team. The 34-year-old will continue to work as an assistant to Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge but will join up with the international squad for the first time at the end of March.
“I’m delighted to join the Republic of Ireland coaching staff ahead of the start of the World Cup campaign,” says Barry, a former midfielder whose youth career started at Everton but who went on to play in the lower leagues with the likes of Accrington Stanley, Chester City and Yeovil Town.
“The opportunity to work in international football is something I’m thoroughly looking forward to and I’m looking forward to working with manager Stephen Kenny, his staff and the squad. I’d also like to thank Chelsea for helping facilitate this opportunity.”
Kenny says that he has been aware of Barry “for a few years now; he is an innovative coach with an energetic style.”
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Barry moved into coaching at Accrington Stanley before former Sligo Rovers boss Paul Cook recruited him to work alongside him at Wigan. The team had a successful season with Barry clearly establishing a reputation for himself and so last summer he moved to Chelsea, under frank Lampard, to work with the club’s first team. He has retained a role under Thomas Tuchel.
The vacancy in international squad was created by the departure of Damien Duff last month when the Dubliner suggested he would not have been comfortable staying on.
Duff is understood to have been unhappy with the investigation mounted by the FAI in to the video shown by Kenny to his players in advance of the game at Wembley back in November although there are said to have been other factors that contributed to his departure.
Barry will work alongside Keith Andrews as well as Dean Kiely who recently replaced Alan Kelly.
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