Latest news with #BrianBarry-Murphy
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kasey McAteer: 'I'd never turn my back on a club where I've grown, loved and supported'
Brian Barry-Murphy was foremost in Kasey McAteer's mind on who to contact when informed of his first Ireland start. Almost two years after Stephen Kenny first spoke about the Leicester City winger pledging his allegiance to Ireland, he finally made the team on Friday. Last September's debut against England was the first of four appearances as a substitute but this was next level. Heimir Hallgrimsson's news to the 23-year-old on the eve of facing Senegal had to be shared with a select few. Up first were his proud parents, regular attendees at club and country games, and Corkman Barry-Murphy was next on the list. He's coached McAteer since being handpicked by Foxes manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy to join him when taking over the strugglers at Christmas. The son of Leeside legend Jimmy has carved out his reputation as a stellar tutor, managing at Rochdale before having the privilege of leading Manchester City's development squad. Read More Stoke's Bosun Lawal called up to Ireland squad for Luxembourg friendly Avoiding the drop proved too much a task for Leicester but on a personal level McAteer finished the season strongly, starting six of the last eight games. 'Brian is a top guy,' he said about his mentor. 'I texted him last night to say I was starting. He said good luck and he'd be watching. It's great to have a fellow Irishman at the club.' It remains to be seen whether either will start the next Leicester chapter in the Championship. Foxes chiefs have yet to decide if they're sticking or twisting on the managerial front. Newly-promoted Sunderland were already admirers of McAteer before he crowned his first international start with his first goal but he's intent on staying loyal. 'I want to play for the club - I've been since I was eight years old,' he said about his affinity to City. 'The plan is to stay. I'd never turn my back on a club where I've grown, loved and supported. 'I want to go into pre-season for Leicester to start fighting for us to get back to the Premier League where we deserve to be. 'What I can say is I'm fully dedicated to Leicester and always will be while I'm there.' Even he seemed unsure about who'd he be reporting to when he returns from his summer break. 'Whatever happens with the management is up to the club to decide,' he said, rather diplomatically. 'All we can do as players is back the manager who is in charge. I've said before about the gaffer that he didn't give up on us even when we were relegated. We all tried every week. As manager, we'll fight for him so let's see what happens in the future.' Regardless of whether Van Nistelrooy and Barry-Murphy are retained, he's thankful for the benefits accrued from his first real string of top-flight games. 'There's a lot of senior players at Leicester and I respect that,' he outlined about the difficulty of snaffling a spot. 'Being home-grown, sometimes it easy to overlook players like myself but I never stopped fighting. I've kept banging down the door to get in the team. 'I got in the team, got my first Premier League goal (against Ipswich Town) and a few good results. It wasn't enough because we were already relegated but I can personally look back with a lot of pride.' Next year marks a decade since Leicester shocked the world by usurping the established order to win the Premier League but the atmosphere has changed with fans turning on the Thai owners. He said about the latter stages of the season: 'It's not nice playing in a stadium when there's a lot of animosity and boos. Leicester fans paid their hard-earned money, watching us weekly home and away, but for myself it's about taking it and learning. 'I didn't play every game in the Premier League so I don't take it as personal.' McAteer augmented that flourish with a splash on the international circuit. Timing is everything and producing the man-of-the-match performance in the penultimate friendly ahead of the World Cup qualifiers heightens his profile. The Icelander does have Mikey Johnston and the injured Chiedozie Ogbene to return for the opening double-header at home to Hungary and Armenia away but they won't be around either for Tuesday's visit to Luxembourg. 'The manager said in the dressing room afterwards that I've created a bit of a stir,' he revealed about the impact of schooling the slick Senegalese for large spells. 'That's what I wanted coming in. You want your name being thrown about in conversations around team selections – it was about creating a ruffle. 'Before the World Cup qualifiers, Luxembourg are up first and we won't take them lightly. 'There's quality players competing for the position but I know the qualities that I have too. I need to believe in myself and whatever will be, will be. 'Sometimes in this game, it can be everyone for themselves but I'm sure whatever happens the squad will be strong.'
Wales Online
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Everything we know about Cardiff City's manager search with deadline tomorrow
Everything we know about Cardiff City's manager search with deadline tomorrow The Bluebirds are still yet to appoint a new manager, with the month of June soon to be upon us Leicester City coach Brian Barry-Murphy (Image: Getty Images ) Cardiff City's search for a new manager is yet to reach its conclusion, with the natives understandably getting restless about the situation. Chairman Mehmet Dalman told the media and the club's Fan Advisory Board that they were confident a new man would be in post by the end of May. Indeed, club sources a week ago insisted they were still confident that would be the case. However, the month ends tomorrow – and there is no white smoke just yet. Omer Riza was sacked almost six weeks ago, meaning the club have had ample time to sort a successor. Granted, they ideally would have wanted to know in which division they would be playing their football next season, but even so, you suspect many clubs with more full-time footballing members of staff would have had swifter succession planning. For it is the third year in a row in which Cardiff risk starting the summer cold. Two years ago, the club cut loose from Sabri Lamouchi after he helped to steer the club to safety, albeit narrowly. Then, last year, it took an age for Cardiff to resolve the contract dispute with Erol Bulut, whose own deal was up after overseeing a 12th-placed finish. It risks poor transfer planning and less time to implement a robust strategy for the short term – and next season, the short term is very important. Cardiff will play in the third tier for the first time in more than two decades and it will be unfamiliar territory, getting the manager call right and the summer business correct are both paramount. While the Champions League final rings to its conclusion in Munich tomorrow night, there will be Cardiff fans pointing at their watches saying, "Well, it's June tomorrow? They said the end of May!" Right they did. More of a self-imposed deadline than a hard deadline, but a deadline nonetheless. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community The board's recommendation, from the shortlist, has been with Vincent Tan for more than a week now. There were considerations, we are told, post-recommendation, with one or two other names still in the offing, one of them likely Nathan Jones, who then took Charlton up via the play-offs on Sunday. A number of candidates have been in the mix over the course of the last three weeks or so. The main runners and riders, which you can read about more in depth here, being the likes of Ian Evatt, Rob Edwards, Des Buckingham, Brian Barry-Murphy, Aaron Ramsey, Ruben Selles and Co, although it must be stressed that is not an exhaustive list. We were told that Tan had gone a little colder on the idea of appointing a younger, or more inexperienced, should we say, senior boss, after taking culpability for appointing and then continuing with Riza for so long last season. We were also told that experience in English football and a promotion on the CV were both desirable qualities, too. However, two candidates buck that trend and are understood to be in the frame. Barry-Murphy has one poor spell at Rochdale to his name when it comes to senior football, however his work within the Manchester City academy is lauded. He is also on the staff under Ruud van Nistelrooy at Leicester City, who just got relegated from the Premier League. However, the Dutchman's future at the King Power Stadium is shrouded in doubt, so Barry-Murphy may be out of there shortly, either way. He would represent something of a project and Cardiff would need to commit to giving him time and resources to see that project through. Another is Vitor Campelos, a manager who was in the conversation before Bulut was appointed two years ago. It is understood that he is also a potential candidate. He has a strong track record of bringing through young players — his former Chaves player, Alexsandro, has just been called up by Brazil after impressing for Lille and the manager signed him for a pittance while in charge of Chaves. A clear question mark is hanging over his head, though, when it comes to experience of English football, of which he has none. The 50-year-old's experience is largely limited to the top few divisions in Portugal with spells at Trofense, Vitória Guimarães, Moreirense, Chaves, Gil Vicente and, most recently, AVS, where he lasted just 12 matches with the top-flight club before leaving in November last year. Of the others, Edwards and Selles would represent ambitious appointments, but both appear to be eyeing jobs higher in the pyramid than Cardiff at present. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here. Evatt and Buckingham both have their merits and tentative backers from different corners within the club, too. Evatt's strong character and consistency at League One level are to be admired, while Buckingham's recent promotion with Oxford United is undoubtedly a tick in the 'pros' column. Buckingham, much like Barry-Murphy, would be a project-type manager, too. Ramsey is not to be discounted, of course, however it seems increasingly remote a prospect that he won't be playing football next season. He has stated his desire to play for Wales at the next World Cup and that, surely, prohibits him from taking on the all-encompassing job of managing the club the size of Cardiff City. Article continues below The only way that would happen is if the footballing structure he so craves is implemented in order for him to focus solely on matters at the training ground and on matchday. Will that sort of structure be put in place this summer? Again, looks unlikely. The reason for the delay would appear to be the broad spectrum of options having been put in front of the board and subsequently Tan. They all have different merits — once again, it's not an exhaustive list — and all have very different drawbacks. Fans will hope the delay isn't drawn out too much longer and a very important summer can then kick off in earnest.
