Former Ireland Senior football coach Brian Kerr, he was still “starting to integrate” himself and his players into the team when he was ousted. 

From 2003 to 2005, Mr Kerr saw Ireland win 18 matches, lose four and draw 11, roughly a 71% success rate. 

Despite this seemingly good performance, he was not renewed for another contract with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) in 2006. 

He told The Anton Savage Show he has “never” lost his passion for management. 

“In terms of working with players and people and being around matches,” he said. 

“It just hasn't happened over the last number of years for various reasons.” 

He said there is nothing like “winning or losing the match”. 

“Particularly the winning,” he said. 

“The losing is very painful, I had a bit of that – not too much of it, 

“It’s the feeling you've had some influence on the game, on the performance, on the players.” 

Brian Kerr on performance

Mr Kerr noted in September 2005, Ireland was bitterly defeated by France by one goal. 

He said that loss was “massively disappointing” - but it was also the only loss Ireland saw in that group during qualifiers. 

“I felt at the time I was still, I suppose, starting to integrate a lot of the younger players that I dealt with previously before,” he said. 

“But look, at the end of it, they decide your time is up and you have to get on with life. 

“I wouldn't have been delighted about it - rarely people get sacked in life and they say, oh, that was great.” 

Virgin Media Sport pundit and former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr at half-time of the UEFA Europa League Group B match between Dundalk and Arsenal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

The FAI at the time was “not in very good hands”, according to Mr Kerr. 

“I saw that at the time and I was frustrated by it and I was frustrated for a long number of years afterwards.” 

Mr Kerr returned to FAI as a technical advisor for the team in March for friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland. 

He said he was “delighted” to collaborate with interim coach John O’Shea - who he previously trained – but he would be unable to work with the team in future matches. 

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