by Trevor Keane
International managers do not require coaching badges, unlike in the Premier League, for example. However, they are an essential qualification for any football manager to have. To do the best job, you need to have all the tools to hand.
Staunton was not ready for the Ireland job, but he made the right moves with his appointments to the back room staff. Terry McDermott and the late Sir Bobby Robson were inspired appointments on paper, although sadly for football, and Ireland in general, illness meant that Staunton could not count on Sir Bobby as much as he would have liked.
STAUNTON THE EARLY YEARS
Staunton was born in January 1969 in Drogheda, County Louth. In his early years he showed promise at a variety of sports, and as well as playing soccer he also played Gaelic football for Louth, appearing in the Under-21 GAA Championship. However, it was his performances for Dundalk that prompted the interest of Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, and in September 1986 he signed for Liverpool in a £20,000 deal.
Turlough O’Connor was the manager of Dundalk in those days, and he recalls the fair-haired kid who would one day play for and manage his country: ‘He was a super fella. He was very enthusiastic and also a very good listener. He wanted to be a success. He was a credit to Dundalk. He played Gaelic and local soccer before he got into the second team under Tommy Connolly. We played Stephen as a left midfielder in those days. He had a lovely left foot. In the game before he went to Liverpool for the trial he scored a lovely free-kick from outside the box.
‘After two weeks over at Liverpool they had seen enough and they wanted to sign him. They were coming to Cork for their pre-season, and we travelled down to meet them and agreed a fee. It was marvellous for Dundalk and marvellous for Stephen, who was ambitious and wanted to play in England. I remember I met him when he was manager of Ireland, and I said to him, “You probably didn’t realise it at the time, but the money we got for you kept the football club going for a good few years.” It was a great deal for Dundalk. There were a number of clauses in the deal whereby we got a bonus if he made a certain number of appearances, if he played for Ireland and if they ever sold him.’
His first two seasons were spent at Liverpool in the reserves and on loan to Bradford, learning the trade. However, it would not be long before he finally made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in September 1988. His performance that day ensured that he made the bench again a few days later, coming on against Arsenal in the semi-final of the centenary trophy, and over the course of the season he continued his integration into the team. Typically a defender, Staunton showed his scoring skills in 1989 when he replaced Ian Rush during a League Cup tie at Wigan and scored a second-half hat-trick.
He soon became a vital part of the line-up and was a member of the Liverpool side that was hit by tragedy in the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough in 1989. However, he rallied to help his side win a memorable final 3–2. He was also a member of the side that won Liverpool’s most recent League title in 1989–90, some twenty years ago.
Despite his part in Liverpool’s success, Staunton failed to make an impression on the new manager in charge, Graeme Souness, and he was sold to Aston Villa in August 1991 for £1.1 million. However, he put the disappointment behind him and became an instant hit at Villa Park by scoring during his debut game, in an away fixture at Sheffield Wednesday. The solid start helped him settle well into life at Villa Park and in his first season there he helped his new club to a seventh place finish, just behind his old club. In 1994 Staunton, who had been joined in the Villa team by former Liverpool players Ray Houghton and Dean Saunders, helped the club to a League Cup win over Manchester United and in the process Steve completed his collection of domestic medals. After his starring role in the 1994 League final, Steve added another League Cup winners’ medal to his collection in 1996, although this time he was an unused substitute in Villa’s 3–0 win over Leeds. Two years later Steve left the club to make a shock return to Liverpool on a Bosman (free) transfer, but he did not have the same impact he had on his first stint with the club and was largely a squad member. His two years back at Anfield, which included a loan spell at Crystal Palace, saw Steve reach 147 League games for Liverpool. At the end of his second stint at Anfield, Steve made the move to another previous club, when he returned to Villa Park for a two-year stint. His playing career then wound down with spells at Coventry and Walsall. It was at Walsall that he got his coaching career off the ground, becoming assistant manager at the Bescot Stadium. However, the following January he got a call from the FAI, and Staunton’s world was turned upside down.
STAUNTON THE INTERNATIONAL LEFT-BACK, CENTRE-BACK AND MIDFIELDER
Just a month after Staunton made his debut for Liverpool, and still not having completed a full ninety minutes for his club side, he also made his debut for Ireland, playing the full game and setting up a last minute goal for Tony Cascarino in a 4–0 win over Tunisia. A month later, in November 1988, he made his first competitive start for Ireland in a World Cup qualifying loss to Spain. Over the coming year, Staunton started to cement his place in the team and at the age of twenty-one, with thirteen caps to his credit, he was selected for the 1990 World Cup squad, starting in Ireland’s opening game against England. He played the full ninety minutes in all of Ireland’s games at Italia ’90, with his only substitution coming during extra time in the second round match with Romania.
Post-Italia ’90, Staunton continued to be an important part of the Irish line-up and four years later he made his second appearance at a World Cup tournament. Once again he featured in all of Ireland’s matches. Despite missing out on the World Cup in France 1998, he was a senior member of the 2002 squad. His four appearances in Japan in 2002 meant that Steve Staunton is the only Irish international player to have played in all of Ireland’s 2002 World Cup games. His appearance in the group game against Germany was his hundredth game for his country. Despite his record appearances at World Cup tournaments, he never got to play in a European Championship, as Ireland failed to qualify for Europe’s biggest competition during his international career. This was the only blot on a successful international career. In all Staunton won 102 caps for Ireland, calling time on a thirteen-year international career after the 2002 World Cup.
STAUNTON THE GAFFER
Just a year after retiring from professional football, Steve Staunton became the second youngest manager in the history of Irish football, when at the age of thirty-six he was picked as the successor to Brian Kerr, who had paid the price for his failure to guide the team to the World Cup in Germany. Prior to his appointment Staunton was assistant manager at Division Two side Walsall. He was a surprise appointment by the FAI, which, after the departure of Brian Kerr, had promised that a world class manager would be appointed. The organisation took the step of appointing a three man committee to oversee the selection process. Despite being one of Ireland’s greatest players, Steve was not the world class manager promised; in fact, Steve’s journey on the managerial road was just beginning. However, the FAI’s reasoning was clear. Staunton was a Division One and FA Cup winner with Liverpool and a double League Cup winner with Aston Villa. He was used to success, and he was going to be working in tandem with Sir Bobby Robson, a manager of the highest calibre who had managed Barcelona, Newcastle, PSV Eindhoven and England with great success.
Staunton quickly surrounded himself with experienced coaches, appointing former Aston Villa reserve-team coach Kevin McDonald. However, his and the FAI’s biggest gamble was the appointment of an ageing Sir Bobby Robson in the role of International Consultant. Sadly, Sir Bobby soon began a fifth battle with cancer and as a result had little interaction with the Ireland set-up.
Staunton’s reign became a constant battle with the media, although he struck the first blow himself at the start of his reign when he publicly declared himself the ‘Gaffer’. Although not quite in the ‘I am the special one’ vein of José Mourinho, Staunton’s self-proclaimed title earned him ridicul
e in the media and was the first of many such incidents with the press.
Any doubts as to his appointment were put to the back of people’s minds when in his first game in charge, with Robbie Keane as his new captain, Staunton led Ireland to a 3–0 win over Sweden. The impressive start was soon forgotten, however, and doubts reappeared as Ireland lost their next two matches to Chile and Holland. The 4–0 defeat at home to Holland was Ireland’s biggest home defeat since a similar 4–0 loss to West Germany in 1966.
Staunton’s first competitive game in charge was a European Championship qualifier, and the heavy defeat at the hands of Holland was put to the back of people’s minds as Ireland produced a spirited display, managing to restrict Germany to a 1–0 home win. However, once again Steve’s inexperience as a manager was evident as a kicked water bottle, a reaction to his own frustrations, landed on the pitch and the referee reacted by sending Steve to the stands. It would be a costly mistake for the team as Steve was forced to watch Ireland’s next game, away to Cyprus, from the stands. With Kevin McDonald in the dugout, Ireland was on the end of an embarrassing defeat, losing 5–2 to one of Europe’s smaller sides. With the pressure mounting, Steve needed a run of results to appease the fans and critics alike. A 1–1 draw with the Czech Republic at Lansdowne Road, followed by a 5–0 win over San Marino, finally gave him some breathing space.
The return match against San Marino saw a return to the struggling autumn performances with Ireland needing an injury- time goal to come away with a 2–1 win. The team’s poor away results coupled with their inconsistent displays meant that Steve was under constant pressure. Successive 1–0 wins over Slovakia and Wales did little to inspire the nation, but despite this, Ireland remained in contention for qualification. Four games in September and October ultimately decided Steve’s fate, as a defeat away to the Czech Republic was followed by successive draws with Slovakia, Germany and Cyprus (who before the campaign had never taken any points from Ireland). Ireland would not be on a plane to the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland. Despite finishing the group in third place, Ireland were twelve points behind the Czech Republic.
Confusion about Staunton’s role surfaced thereafter, as the FAI refused to back their beleaguered man while Staunton refused to resign, the manager stating that he intended to see out the remainder of his four-year contract. However, in the end the FAI and Staunton bowed to public pressure, and his twenty-one month reign as international manager came to an end.
BACK TO BASICS
With his reputation seemingly in tatters following the Ireland job, it was a case of back to basics for Staunton. It was crucial for him to remain in football and lessen the damage done by his time with Ireland. Thankfully, his first opportunity for redemption arrived in the shape of the assistant manager’s role with Leeds United under another former Liverpool teammate, Gary McAllister. The move back to day-to-day coaching was essential to his redevelopment, and although he was sacked along with McAllister following a poor run of form, his reputation was not further damaged by the Leeds appointment.
During Staunton’s time at Leeds he worked with Alan Sheehan, a former Ireland Under-21 defender: ‘He was a massive influence on my game. He came to Leeds as assistant to Gary McAllister, and one of his main duties was to work with the defenders. As I am a left-back like him he really looked after me a lot. He passed a lot on to me, and he definitely helped my development as a defender. He’d work on defending exercises with us, and I found that he had a lot to give as a coach. When it came to games Gary would say his piece beforehand, and Steve would also get involved. The day-to-day involvement seemed to work for him. They were unlucky in the end at Leeds. A couple of bad results cost them in the end.’
His old Ireland teammate Mick McCarthy offered Staunton a coaching role with Wolves. During this time Staunton completed his coaching badges and took the opportunity to watch St Kilda, an Australian rules team, train in an effort to get an insight into other sports and their methods.
In October 2009 he returned to club management when he accepted the manager’s job at Darlington, who at the time were the ninety-second club in League football, rooted to the bottom of League Two. It was a big job for the manager, but he did not have to wait long for a morale-boosting victory, which came in his second game in charge. Taking the job with Darlington could be viewed as an attempt by Staunton to take things back to grassroots level. That was how Paul Ince, for example, had started out, and success with a small club, struggling with budgets and cash, can catch the eye of money conscious chairmen around the country.
When Staunton took over at Darlington they were at the bottom, and the only way, or so it seemed, was up for both club and manager. However, the remit of saving the team from relegation proved too difficult, and in March 2010 he was sacked from the role, with Darlington still rooted to the bottom of the League.
While he might not be recognised as one of Ireland’s greatestever managers, it is hard to dispute what Steve Staunton has given to Irish football over the last twenty years. While his reputation might have been tarnished by his time spent in the Ireland hot seat, with his growing experience he will have the opportunity to become a great manager in time.
STEVE STAUNTON’S CLUB MANAGERIAL HONOURS RECORD:
No management honours
STEVE STAUNTON’S IRELAND RECORD:
Total number of games in charge: 17
Total number of wins: 6 (ratio 35.29%)
Total number of draws: 6 (ratio 35.29%)
Total number of losses: 5 (ratio 29.42%)
Biggest win: 5–0 v . San Marino
Biggest defeat: 4–0 v . Holland
Longest run without defeat: 9 games
14
DON GIVEN
Collins Dictionary describes a caretaker as ‘a person employed to look after a place or thing’, and on two separate occasions that is exactly what Don Givens has done for the Irish football team. Despite knowing that the role was only temporary every time he took it, he has managed the team in a professional manner, and the performances under him have been in line with what is expected of an international coach. Don has stepped in and helped his country whenever he has been called upon, whether in the dugout or on the pitch.
Imagine a striker who played at the top level of English football and was top scorer for his country for over nine years, and no, I am not talking about Robbie Keane or John Aldridge. Don Givens might be more familiar to younger readers as the Ireland Under-21 boss, but his goal-scoring feats for Ireland were the stuff of dreams. Over the years Ireland have been blessed with some fantastic strikers, from the great Jimmy Dunne in the 1930s and 1940s to Frank Stapleton, John Aldridge, Tony Cascarino, Niall Quinn and the current strike pair of Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane, all fantastic players, and, although they weren’t strikers, Noel Cantwell and Gerry Daly had impressive scoring records for Ireland. However, during the dark days of the 1970s Don Givens was a shining light for Ireland, and his exploits endeared him to the fans of the day.
He has a higher profile today, especially as a result of his time spent managing the Under-21s and his stints as caretaker boss of Ireland. And whereas Giovanni Trapattoni is known as ‘the Italian’, Givens will always be remembered as ‘the Caretaker’, for it seems likely that he will always be the bridesmaid and never the bride, although perhaps he would be better described as the best man, as he is still an essential part of the Ireland setup, overseeing the FAI’s UK-based scouting network.
There is no doubt that Givens can be very proud of the role he has played in Irish football, from his goal-scoring displays as a striker to his more recent roles, including being on the panel that helped select the current Ireland manager, not to mention his role in developing future talent while manager of the Under-21 side. He has given himself fully to the cause and deserves his rank as a legend of the game in Ireland.
Born in Limerick in 1949, Givens the footballer started his career as a seventeen-year-old with Manchester United,
arriving at the club in 1966 in one of the most glorious chapters in the team’s history. Givens was surrounded by and learned from players such as George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, although it was two years later before he would make his debut for United. His time at the club was short-lived, and he only made a handful of appearances for the Red Devils before making the switch to Luton in a £15,000 deal. He spent two seasons with Luton, scoring nineteen goals in eighty-one games, before he transferred to Queens Park Rangers.
Gordon Jago was the manager at QPR at the time, and he was faced with the challenge of replacing Rodney Marsh. He recalls, ‘QPR had sold Rodney Marsh in March 1972 for £200,000. However, my instruction from the club chairman was that we would not buy any new players until after the season had ended. Other clubs knew about the money we’d received for Rodney and would tend to place a higher price on any players who were of interest to us. I was to consider new players, and we would make enquiries during the summer months.
‘I had seen Don play against us and was very impressed. He was a highly skilled player in control of the ball, quick and ice cool in front of goal. We knew that we would need two or three forwards to replace Rodney, and Don was my first choice. We contacted Luton Town in the summer to enquire if he was available. Fortunately for us they were in need of money, and we agreed a price of £40,000. Don was away playing for the Republic of Ireland in South America, so we had to wait until he returned before we could speak to him and discuss his terms. It was a nail-biting wait, for we were sure that other clubs would get to hear about our deal with Luton and there would be competition for his signature. Fortunately, we met with Don on his return, and he signed for us. Before the start of the new season we also signed Stan Bowles from Carlisle for £100,000, and not long into the season we added Dave Thomas from Burnley for £162,000. The new forward line was complete, and we won promotion to the First Division that season.
