Full steam ahead for new direction on the 'green line'

In 2022, Marc Canham arrived at the FAI to take on the director of football role with a track record of tying strands together to build sustanable structures from grassroots level up.

On Monday, Eileen Gleeson became the first senior Republic of Ireland managerial appointment under his watch. As Canham talked up her credentials at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, the logic behind going for Gleeson was further crystallised.

Having spent five years working with the English FA and nine years with the Premier League, where he implemented a successful Elite Player Performance Plan, Canham is committed to the principles of joined-up thinking.

He doesn't want the senior team - or any team - to be out of sync with what's going on within the rest of the international infrastructure. Everybody must be on the same wavelength. It was a source of friction with Vera Pauw, who refused to change her approach to elements of training - strength and conditioning in particular.

Canham wants people who buy into the whole vision, and Gleeson ticks all the boxes in that regard.

Gleeson's title is 'head coach' rather than 'manager' - "there's a subtle but important difference" Canham stressed - and she will focus on the football side of the house. It'll be up to the wider support team, which will include Canham, to help establish a broader culture of consistency.

We don't yet know who else will be part of that setup, with the future involvement of interim coaches Colin Healy, Emma Byrne and keeper coach Richie Fitzgibbon still unclear. Canham was uncommittal when asked about the trio on Tuesday.

"It was an interim structure so it was always the intention to be an interim process until the end of the campaign," he said.

"That all happened very quickly. We