Republic of Ireland defender Diane Caldwell has claimed that the success of the Irish Women's football team is due to the players and not their former manager, Vera Pauw.
Pauw became the first manager of the women's team to lead an Irish side to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. However, the FAI decided not to renew her contract after reviewing the tournament this month.
FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill said that Pauw's exit was due to a "fundamental" difference in approach between her and the FAI. A number of incidents around Pauw's tenure, both past and present, were also big talking points that the FAI considered in the dismissal.
The players who were managed by Pauw had remained silent, but now they have broken their silence on Pauw's training methods and tenure.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the Nations League clash with Northern Ireland on Saturday, experienced defender Caldwell said that the former Ireland boss did not meet the requirements she and others set as professionals. The Dublin native also claimed that Ireland's success was mostly due to the players and not the former Houston Dash coach.
"From my position as a pretty experienced player, I don't think it was up to the standard I expected at the international level," she said on Monday.
"I think the results and performances that we got were in spite of Vera being our coach.
Republic of Ireland defender Diane Caldwell has sensationally slammed the management of Vera Pauw insisting that their historic run to a first-ever Women's World Cup was due to the players
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"We just need to raise our standards in all levels of performance on and off the pitch. Expectations of ourselves and expectations of staff.
"Increase the levels of professionalism across the board, in every facet, be it match analysis, opponent analysis, performance, nutrition, recovery, everything across the board to get the best out of us as players and as a group on the pitch.
"I think there are many areas that could have been better under her tenure. The same performance factors I just mentioned. I think preparation for games could have been better, physical preparation, opponent analysis, match tactics, in-game match tactics, changes, systems of play."
Caldwell also explained that she and the players aimed for a change by asking the FAI and Pauw about the topic. The 35-year-old admitted that the Ireland's team pleas for a new direction fell on deaf ears.
"She obviously made myself a part of the leadership that she created, along with a few other players, so she gave us that position to use our voice and try to talk on behalf of the team," she added.
"I think we tried to do that as a group the best that we could, but obviously, at the end of the day, she is the coach and she controls everything. We can only say and try to change so much."
Ireland's next game will be against Northern Ireland in the Nations League. That game at the Aviva Stadium starts at 11pm on Saturday, September 23.
