Eamon Dunphy column: Declan Rice humiliated Ireland and that's on Martin O'Neill and the FAI

Only for Caoimhin Kelleher, England would have won 5-0 or 6-0. They have a proper manager in Lee Carsley, we have a dentist that nobody had heard of four months ago. Where are we going?

Saturday was a great day for Irish football. Never mind the defeat to England. Those kind of things don't really matter. It's what goes on in Abbotstown that counts. It's how we reward those we have entrusted with the future of the game. So there was dancing in the streets when we heard of Marc Canham's new job title.

Many were quick to compare the scenes of jubilation to Italia '90. They have a point. It's hard to remember another moment in Irish football over the past three decades to compare to the pure rush of joy we experienced on Saturday.

No longer would Canham be the FAI's Director of Football. From now on, he'll be known as - quick drum roll, please - Chief Football Officer. Maybe the FAI are on to something. I might start describing myself as 'Chief Football Pundit', though my old pal, John Giles, might be a bit put out.

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On a serious note, this kind of nonsense sums up why we are on the road to nowhere.

Let's rewind to Jonathan Hill's time as CEO of the FAI. He was the man who never even bothered to move to Ireland.

Those whose jobs involve making excuses claimed that the FAI were really lucky to get him, and that commuting across the Irish Sea was no big deal.

He left the FAI in April with the fall-out from his acceptance of €12000 in payment in lieu of holidays not taken dogging his final year in charge.

So where is Hill now? Remember, this is the guy who we were told was an exceptional operator and that we were blessed to get him.

Well, Hill went on to take up a position as interim CEO of London City Lionesses. They play in the second tier of women's football in England.

The average salary for players in that division is €25000 a year. So it's clear that Hill is operating at a journeyman - and woman - level.

Paul Cooke is someone I got to know when he was MD of this newspaper, and he is now President of the FAI.

Cooke is one of several figures in the FAI making the case for increased government funding of the game here.

But there is a major problem with handing Abbotstown chiefs hefty chunks of taxpayers' money. Do we trust them to use the money well?

Will money be wasted on another Hill? Does Canham's fancy new title mean he is getting a large pay rise?

That a chap like Canham seems to wield so much power now is worrying.

His CV is up on LinkedIn for anyone to look at, if you're curious about where he came from.

Looking through it, what attracted the FAI to him? Was it his spell as Lead Foundation Phase Coach - no, I have no idea, either - with Bristol City's academy?

Or maybe they were taken by his time as assistant head coach of the Britain women's university team.

Maybe they were blown away by his six appearances - three as a sub - with Colchester United in League One.

Sure, he did have a stint as - drum roll for another fancy title - Director of Coaching in the Premier League. That sounds impressive but clubs do all their own coaching, I haven't a clue why the Premier League would have a Director of Coaching.

Saturday was confirmation of my belief that Irish football hasn't been at a lower level in my lifetime.

That's a big claim, given the fact that the national team had several winless years in the 1960s.

But, back then, we still had quality players with some of the best teams around. Mismanagement held them back.

Now we have stopped producing top players - bar the odd exception every now and then. That is a reflection of the way the FAI has been run for years.

There is no connection between schoolboys football and the top tier of the game anymore.

The granny rule is no salvation anymore. It used to give us Mark Lawrenson, Ray Houghton and Andy Townsend. Now it gives us Will Smallbone, Callum O'Dowda and Kasey McAteer.

It did give us Declan Rice, it has to be said, and his situation sums up how badly Irish football is run.

There is now way that a footballer who played three senior internationals should be let go.

Martin O'Neill was the manager who gave Rice his caps and let's look at what he has said about the player's decision to defect to England on Talksport last week.

"Personally speaking, I couldn't care less. Secondly, if I did care, then I would think to myself, that Rice has chosen to play for England, what a terrible decision that's been! He's been to a couple of Euro finals and the Republic of Ireland haven't won a game,'' said O'Neill.

The Derryman was on the same station two years ago and expanded on how he felt about the Rice situation.

"First of all, you can’t coerce players into becoming international players, he played in three friendly games at senior level, he was terrific in the games. It’s as simple as this: Declan Rice wanted to play for England," he said..

“He’s born in England, it really is as simple as that, you cannot just bring them into an international game, a competitive game, where the minute they play a competitive match for the country that’s them announcing they’re going to be playing for them.

“That was never going to be the case, you can’t deceive people into playing these games, you cannot force them into that.''

It's hard to get my head around what O'Neill had to say. He was the IRELAND MANAGER. His job was to sell Ireland to Rice. Saying you can't tie them to Ireland...really? That's exactly what needed to be done.

Rice destroyed Ireland on Saturday. That's on O'Neill and the FAI, in my opinion.

Only for Caoimhin Kelleher, England would have won 5-0 or 6-0. They have a proper manager in Lee Carsley, we have a dentist that nobody had heard of four months ago. Where are we going? What are they doing to the game I love?

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