Ireland's Matt Doherty has confirmed that he, like many others, hasn't a clue what is going on with the Ireland manager chase.
Since Stephen Kenny was relieved of his duties with Ireland in November, the chase for his replacement has been ongoing, much to people's frustration.
The FAI claimed that they planned to bring someone in before the March friendlies were gone. This wasn't the case, and former player John O'Shea was brought in on a temporary basis.
It was also stated by the FAI that they planned to bring a new Ireland boss in early April, but that deadline was missed.
FAI Director of Football Marc Canham released a statement last week apologising for the missed deadline and also admitted the search for a new men's head coach could extend as far as September.
"Realistically, we are looking towards the UEFA Nations League with our first game against England in September; that’s what we are aiming to do,” said Canham.
FAI director of football Marc Canham during a Republic of Ireland press conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) )“We recognise the timelines and deadlines we’ve previously set, which created a sense of expectation and potentially confusion for everyone. In hindsight, we might not set those deadlines if we were to do this again. We recognise and apologise for that, but we are also confident that ultimately this process will result in us finding the best person for the job."
Many have become disillusioned with the chase and are now fed up with the saga. Doherty, an Irish international, is just as confused as the rest of the Irish public.
"I don't know what's going on over there," said Doherty. "It looks messy. It seems to be taking a while, and there doesn’t seem to be any clarity. To the neutral eye, it really has taken that long."
It is likely that O'Shea will take charge of the team until the FAI eventually gets their man in place. The Waterford native took charge of the Belgium and Switzerland ties last month.
Doherty believes that O'Shea would make a good appointment if they did manage to land the job full-time.
"If it is John, then it will be pretty good," he added. "Really, they needed someone for the summer so they could implement what they wanted to do before the games started getting competitive."
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