Ireland WNT head coach Eileen Gleeson has refused to entertain talk that she could possibly return to the role of Head of Women’s and Girls Football in the FAI at some point in the future, insisting that she is “ fully focussed” on her current job at hand.
Gleeson had departed that developmental role within the FAI in order to take up her new mantle as Irish boss in November, although reports last week in the Irish Independent suggest that some applicants for the position of her former job had pulled out of the process when the conditions changed from a permanent position to a fixed term period job.
𝙒𝙉𝙏 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙙
Head Coach Eileen Gleeson will be supported by Assistant Coaches Colin Healy, Emma Byrne and new addition Rhys Carr, plus Performance Coach Ivi Casegrande 👊
The full support staff will begin prep for the UEFA Women’s European… pic.twitter.com/Of4X2nK8UP— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 12, 2024
The Irish Examiner also echoed similar statements, with one person even going as far to say that they weren’t aspiring to just ‘keep the seat warm for Eileen’ in that role.
With her contract as head coach of the Girls In Green currently in place until after the 2025 Euros campaign, The Dubliner wasn’t keen to shed any light on who might fill the position.
“I am just not going into it. It’s as simple as that,” she says.
“ If you want to ask any questions about the camp, feel free. If you want to ask about that, ask Marc [Canham],” she added.
When asked, Gleeson did answer that the position of Head of Women’s and Girls Football is a “very important” one, but for now she is “busy enough trying to take care” of the WNT to be drawn into that conversation.
☘️ Eileen Gleeson named her first squad of 2024 yesterday, here’s Her Sport’s 3 key takeaways from the announcement!#irelandwnt #womensfootball #womeninsport pic.twitter.com/md244HposJ
— Her Sport (@HerSportDotIE) February 16, 2024
Eileen Gleeson on the squad for the WNT’s first games of 2024
Eileen Gleeson was speaking at a press conference yesterday live from Florence, ahead of Ireland’s upcoming friendly game against Italy this Friday.
The side are also preparing to take on Wales in Tallaght Stadium on the following Tuesday, but will now have to do so without two of their midfield maestros in Denise O’Sullivan and Tyler Toland due to injury.
Commenting on those injuries, Gleeson says that O’Sullivan had experienced “an impact injury to her knee which has caused extensive bruising” and that even “ if this was a qualifier we wouldn’t have been able to play Denise.”
Order is restored, the @LoiWomen are back in the Irish WNT!
In unfortunate news though it does come at the cost of Denise O’Sullivan and Tyler Tolund, injury ruling out both.
They play Italy this coming Friday, before taking on Wales in Tallaght Stadium the following Tuesday. https://t.co/HcAYOKQgnt— Alanna Cunnane (@acunnane10) February 18, 2024
Elsewhere she mentioned that fellow midfielder Sinead Farrelly was ruled out with a concussion injury and that the team are “letting her build up with a focus on the April camp”, while defender Louise Quinn, who had recently suffered a shoulder injury with the “ longer term view of the Wales game.”
“Louise had a shoulder injury so we’ve been in constant contact with the club through medical team,” she says.
“She has been given the all clear medically and orthopedically. We are bringing Louise in as an experienced member of the squad.”
Referring to these two tests as “a real benchmark of what the opposition will be for the qualifiers”, she’ll be hoping they get off on the right foot for 2024.
Who is Emily Murphy, the new entrant into Eileen Gleeson’s Irish WNT? https://t.co/l4lduPf3e7 via @hersportdotie
— Alanna Cunnane (@acunnane10) February 15, 2024
