Steve Staunton quickly became favourite for the post when big names Sir Alex Fergusson and Martin O'Neil amongst others ruled themselves out of the running. The FAI were origionally worried about Stauntons lack of managerial experience and were keen to surround him with a experienced back up team.
Staunton is the record cap winner for Republic of Ireland with 102 caps to his name. He had a tremendous career that saw him have 2 spells at Liverpool, 2 spells at Aston Villa and stints with Coventry City and ourselves. He also joined Crystal Palace on a short loan deal in October 2000.
Staunton is a true legend in his homeland and is clearly thrilled with the opportunity to manage his country. With no World Cup to travel to Ireland now have to rebuild after many key retirements. They will do this with a series of friendlies before Euro 2008 qualifiers commence