Northern Ireland: Who will succeed Ian Baraclough as manager?

Ian Baraclough was sacked 28 months after taking charge of Northern Ireland

High-profile sackings and subsequent leadership races are all the rage these days.

Ian Baraclough's time as Northern Ireland manager might not have been jaw-droppingly short-lived, but it doesn't feel like very long ago that we were discussing who would become the next man to take the reins.

Over the last 28 months Baraclough's NI failed to catch fire. The former Under-21s boss routinely insisted he was building something for the long term but the Irish FA ultimately decided the green shoots were not emerging quickly enough.

Results have not been good recently, but with a favourable Euro 2024 qualifying draw Northern Ireland have to believe with the right manager they can have a real go at reaching the championships in Germany.

With the hot seat once again vacant, who might be in contention to take over?

Michael O'Neill

Michael O'Neill enjoyed a successful first stint in charge of Northern Ireland before departing for Stoke City

An immensely popular figure among Northern Ireland fans having guided the side to the last 16 of Euro 2016, after qualifying for a first major championships in nearly 30 years.

Having been relieved of his duties at Stoke City in August, a return to the now vacant NI post appears far more likely than it would have done were he still in charge of the Championship club.

In that vein, it would appear only sensible for the IFA to at least sound out O'Neill's interest.

There are several potential stumbling blocks though, not least the question of whether the 53-year-old would view a return as a potential risk to the legacy he has already built in the role.

David Healy

David Healy's Linfield have won the last four Irish Premiership titles

If anyone can challenge O'Neill atop the Northern Ireland popularity standings, surely it is their all-time leading goalscorer.

If you were to take a snap poll among members of the Green and White Army asking for their favourite moments at Windsor Park in this century, the top two answers would by some margin be Healy's winner against England and his hat-trick against Spain.

Gone are the days of the Killyleagh man finding the back of the net, but he has enjoyed considerable success in the dugout since hanging up the boots.

His Linfield side have won the last four Irish Premiership titles, and were a minute away from reaching the Europa Conference League earlier this season.

International management represents an enormous step up from NI's domestic football scene, is Healy ready to take the leap?

Stephen Robinson

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has experience within the NI coaching set-up

The St Mirren boss was among five candidates to be interviewed for the vacancy in 2020, when he was still in charge of Motherwell.

Since then he has swapped Fir Park for Paisley via an eight month spell in charge of League One side Morecambe.

He is another with considerable experience in the set-up, having previously managed NI's under-21s and been on O'Neill's coaching staff during Euro 2016.

Robinson appears to be firmly enjoying himself at St Mirren currently, and has the Buddies sitting pretty in fifth after 10 Scottish Premiership games.

Grant McCann

Grant McCann is currently in his second spell as Peterborough United manager

Another potential contender having a decent start to the season with his club is Peterborough United boss McCann.

McCann has taken his team to fourth in League One having returned to The Posh for a second spell in February after he was sacked by Hull City.

As a midfielder he made 39 appearances for Northern Ireland before retiring in 2012, and in the decade since he has clocked up seven years of managerial experience.

Neil Lennon

Neil Lennon was sacked by Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia just a week after they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United

As of last Monday, former NI captain Lennon is a free agent after he was sacked by Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia following seven months in charge.

The Lurgan man comes with plenty of experience in the dugout and a considerable trophy haul to boot, having led Celtic to 10 major trophies across two spells as manager.

He also enjoyed a stint with Hibernian, with whom he won the 2017 Scottish Championship after arriving in Leith following 17 months at Bolton Wanderers.

Lennon clocked up 40 caps for Northern Ireland and captained the side before ending his international career in 2002 after receiving a death threat just hours before he was due to take the field at Windsor Park.

Tommy Wright

Tommy Wright enjoyed an immensely successful seven-year spell in charge of St Johnstone

Like Robinson, Wright was interviewed for the role two years ago and admitted to being disappointed when it did not go his way.

Wright achieved immense success in seven years as manager of St Johnstone, guiding them to a first Scottish Cup success in 2014 and twice reaching Europe.

He stepped down from the role in 2020 before returning to management with Kilmarnock in February 2021, however he departed the club just 10 months later having been relegated to the Championship.

As a player, the goalkeeper represented Northern Ireland 31 times in an international career that spanned a decade.