Eileen Gleeson: Republic of Ireland name interim boss as head coach of women's team

Eileen Gleeson guided the Republic of Ireland to six wins out of six in the Nations League

Eileen Gleeson, who was interim Republic of Ireland head coach for the recent Women's Nations League campaign, has been appointed to the position on a full-time basis.

Gleeson assumed the temporary role in August after the Football Association of Ireland did not renew Vera Pauw's contract after the World Cup.

The Republic won all six Nations League games under her guidance.

That series of results earned the team promotion to League A.

Gleeson will now lead the team into the qualifying phase for the 2025 Uefa Women's European Championships, which will kick off in April following the draw on 5 March 2024.

Preparation for those qualifiers will begin with an international camp in February, with the new Republic manager using the coming weeks to assemble a coaching and support team.

Dublin-born Gleeson steered her side to home and away victories over Northern Ireland, Hungary and Albania during the Nations League, scoring 20 goals and conceding just two.

Gleeson (left) was assistant to previous Republic of Ireland boss Vera Pauw (right) before taking over as Glasgow City head coach

She spent two years as Pauw's Republic of Ireland assistant before taking over as Glasgow City head coach in November 2021.

She left that role in January to become head of women's and girls' football at the FAI.

"For me, there is nothing greater than being Irish. To have the opportunity to lead my country on the highest stage internationally and be entrusted with the responsibility of maximising the potential of this exciting team and future Ireland players is the proudest and most humbling moment of my life to date," said Gleeson of her full-time appointment.

"This is an extremely exciting time for Irish Women's Football. I am truly honoured and privileged to be involved. A special thanks to the FAI Board, CEO Jonathan Hill and Director of Football Marc Canham for their trust and support.

"I look forward to an exciting and busy 2024 on the road to qualification for the UEFA Women's European Championships in 2025."

FAI Director of Football, Marc Canham explained: "When we started the process of recruiting a new head coach for the Ireland women's national team, we did not want to rush it but also it was important to have someone in place by end of the year.

"We spoke with candidates from around the world and we are delighted to confirm Eileen as the outstanding candidate following an extensive interview process where we were pleased that Eileen decided to join the process in October following an excellent start to the Uefa Nations League campaign and discussions around her future.

"We have seen how effective Eileen can be in the role - not just in the results achieved and the football played but in creating a positive, inclusive and high performing environment that brings the best out of everyone."

Analysis

BBC Sport NI's Andy Gray

After speculation that her run of matches as interim manager would be an audition for the main job, Eileen Gleeson was adamant in September that her tenure would be six matches and six matches only.

However, as the wins continued to pile up, her stance softened and she was no longer in denial but it was still expected that a new manager would take over the reigns for the Euro 2025 qualifying campaign.

After the tumultuous end under Vera Pauw, Gleeson came in and re-energised the team. With six wins from six and only two goals conceded while scoring 20, Gleeson was the obvious candidate - it was just a matter of persuading her to take it on a full-time basis.

Straight talking and no-nonsense, she is extremely passionate about football in Ireland, and that fed through into the team during her interim era.

Gleeson has passed the initial test - now it's time to see if she can take the team to the next level.