Ian Baraclough: Northern Ireland manager sacked by Irish FA
- Published
Northern Ireland won four of their 22 competitive matches under Baraclough
Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough has been sacked by the Irish FA.
The decision was taken at an executive board meeting in Belfast on Thursday evening.
NI have won just four of their 22 competitive fixtures under Baraclough, who replaced Michael O'Neill at the helm 28 months ago.
He departs after his side avoided relegation to the fourth tier of the Nations League despite losing to Greece at the end of September.
"Under Ian's stewardship we have seen the introduction of new players who will wear the green jersey with pride for years to come and for this we place on record our gratitude," said IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson.
"However, in light of the overall record of results on the pitch, the Irish FA board has subsequently taken this decision."
The search for a new manager begins with NI not in competitive action again until March.
Possible candidates include his predecessor O'Neill, who is currently unattached having been sacked by Stoke City in August, while Northern Ireland's record goalscorer David Healy has led Linfield to four consecutive Irish Premiership titles.
Current St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson, ex-Kilmarnock manager Tommy Wright, former NI midfielder Jim Magilton and Northern Ireland women's manager Kenny Shiels were all interviewed for the position alongside Baraclough in 2020.
Momentum a struggle after Euro 2020 play-off loss
Former Under-21 manager Baraclough, 51, was promoted to the senior job following O'Neill's departure to Championship side Stoke.
Prior to joining the NI coaching set-up, the Englishman enjoyed a successful spell with League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers before taking charge at Motherwell.
Having initially agreed an 18-month deal, the IFA handed Baraclough a two-year contract extension last December which was supposed to take him through the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
His third game in charge was Northern Ireland's Euro 2020 play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina, which they won via a penalty shootout.
However their hopes of reaching a second consecutive European Championship were dashed in a 2-1 home defeat by Slovakia.
Since then, NI have struggled to find any momentum and won back-to-back games just once in Baraclough's tenure.
They finished a distant third in their 2022 World Cup qualifying group with nine points from eight games, while last month's home victory over Kosovo ended a 14-game winless run in the Nations League.