Emma Duffy
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND boss Carla Ward says she would consider Colin Healy for an assistant coach role should Amber Whiteley depart in the coming months.
Whiteley has been appointed Liverpool interim manager for the remainder of the season, and is making a real case for the permanent job, overseeing impressive wins over Arsenal and Manchester United.
Whiteley, the number three coach on the Ireland ticket, has made clear that she wants the Reds’ full-time gig, and Ward endorses it, despite the implications for her Ireland management set-up.
Asked if she had thought about what might happen if Whitely landed the Liverpool job, Ward said: “We would open it up to all, for sure.”
The Colin Healy saga has been rumbling on, and when that was put to her, Ward added:
“If Amber Whiteley goes, would Colin be considered? Yes, he would. Yes, he would.”
Further confusion reigned after another lengthy-over-and back at Ward’s squad announcement press conference on Tuesday.
It followed a media briefing Monday in which FAI chief football officer Marc Canham appeared to contradict Ward’s understanding that Healy was unavailable to be appointed to her staff when she got the job in January.
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Ward said last month that “it wasn’t an option to consider” Healy as her assistant head coach as he “wasn’t in the building”, but Canham claimed Healy would have been available had Ward not had such a “clear vision” in wanting to appoint Alan Mahon as her number two.
Ward stood by her version of events as she responded to Canham’s comments.
“Everything I said to you that day [last month] is true. When I came in (Healy) wasn’t employed by the FAI, he wasn’t an option. If he’s an option now, 100% would we consider him? Yeah. I’ve never met him but the girls speak highly of him, the staff speak highly of him, he seems, from what I’ve heard, a lovely guy. If I had the opportunity to work with him? Absolutely.”
As of Tuesday morning, Ward had not spoken to Canham following his media appearance on Monday.
“Being really honest, my day was long and crazy. Have we spoken about it? No. Have I seen it? Yes. Look, I’m not going to get into he said, she said because it’s a really exciting moment to talk about where we are in terms of the squad.
“I’ve answered my side but I don’t want to keep talking about it because I’ve been in the job three months and across all press conferences, I’ve had to address it. It was before me and not a conversation for myself. I’ve answered it on four occasions, said the same thing and never changed what I’ve said.
“I stand by what I’ve said.”
Alan Mahon is Ward’s number two, with Whiteley the number three: hers is a part-time, camp-to-camp role which later became available through increased budget. Healy was previously assistant head coach, or number two, to Eileen Gleeson.
“Alan Mahon was coming with me whether I got this job or the other international job,” said Ward. “If there was an opportunity that he (Healy) could have stayed on in Amber’s role, 100% he could have.”
“That’s not a question for me,” she added when asked why Healy was not an option at the time.
She later continued: “He wasn’t considered when Amber came in because obviously the day I first met you guys, there was that big kerfuffle, and it took me aback a bit because I didn’t know the ins and outs, but of course then, I am not going to pick up the phone when all of that is going on, that would be completely inhuman.”
Ward believes there is a genuine chance for Healy to return to the set-up if Whiteley departs, despite many feeling bridges have been burned in the entire controversy.
“Yeah, I do. I came into post whatever’s gone on. If Amber gets the Liverpool job and Colin made himself available, of course he would be considered. He’s really well respected among the players and staff. I don’t know him, I’ve not spoken to him but he seems a great guy. Would we have a conversation? 100%. It would be natural to.”
In one definite change to Ward’s staff, performance coach Ivi Casagrade has departed after 18 months in the role and has been replaced by Holly Pickett.
Meanwhile, Ward stands by her comment that Ireland “overachieved” by qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. The head coach was correctly quoted after last month’s 4-0 drubbing to Slovenia, but later denied using the word on The Late Late Show.
“Look, I have overachieved my whole career and I think I had done really well by overachieving and I love that. What Vera [Pauw] did, getting to the World Cup is unbelievably good, and the players. It is part of the reason I came for this job, I love the Irish mentality, love the willingness to get the extra percent from the absolute heart.
“That use of word, some people might look at it as a negative, I look at it as an absolute positive, I have overachieved my whole career and I think we as a group can overachieve. Look at the World Cup coming up, there are 11 European spots and we are world number 26. If we make the World Cup, we are going to overachieve.”
“Look, I say what I think and I have to live and die by what I say,” she added. “I do sometimes say things that I mean, but I maybe shouldn’t say. Sometimes, you just have to own those things. I could sit here and be a puppet and say what people… or I could just be me and just answer your questions.”