Carla Ward credits 'Irish mentality' as motivation for her appointment

While Carla Ward's Republic of Ireland WNT appointment press conference was dominated by talk of Colin Healy's dispute over his departure from the FAI, the ex-Aston Villa boss made very clear the intentions for her tenure.

The main, and obvious, goal is to make the World Cup in 2027, but with only 11 slots available for European nations, Ward has a tough task ahead but explained that the "Irish mentality" may make the lofty goal that bit easier to achieve.

"I've been really fortunate to coach some great players over the years, many of them Irish. I’ve always loved the Irish mentality and loved to play with Irish players - even if the ones I played with were a little wild.

"I think anyone that knows me, certainly anyone who knows what I’ve done in England, will know that I’m very passionate. I’d like to think that I’ve got a little bit of an Irish mentality," Ward told RTÉ Sport during a press conference at the Aviva this afternoon.

Ward also stated her short-term intentions and plans to be as visible as possible in the run up to her first game in charge in the Nations League against Türkiye on 21 February and emphasised the importance of developing pathways to the national team.

"First of all, we need to get amongst the players. There's a lot to do. The camps coming around so quickly, it's really important that we look at players. We get to games, starting this weekend, as soon as the League of Ireland starts, get over here, look at players.

"We have to be looking at as many games as possible in this period.

"We need to go and probably meet clubs over here as well, make sure we're visible and they understand that actually, there is a pathway to the national team."

Julie-Ann Russell is among only a few League of Ireland players