Roy Keane favourite for Ireland job after Luxembourg debacle

Ireland's 3-2 loss to Serbia on Wednesday was followed by an embarassing 1-0 home defeat to one of Europe's weakest sides, Luxembourg.

The Boys in Green have one more game during this international break - a friendly with 2022 World Cup hosts, Qatar.

With that in mind, here are five potential candidates who could take over. 

Roy Keane - 9/2 (PaddyPower)

Lets begin with the bookies favourite - Roy Keane. 

The Manchester United legend did previously have a role with the national side; acting as assistant manager under Martin O'Neill from 2013 to 2018.

His time came with a few controversies, as well as a short-tenured run as assistant to Paul Lambert at Aston Villa while holding the ROI assistant role too.

Keane's two prior managerial roles were with Sunderland from 2006 to 2008 and Ipswich Town from 2009 to 2011.

During his time in the North East, Keane masterminded Sunderland's return to the Premier League. He led the Black Cats to a Championship title and also won the Manager of the Year award.

Sir Alex Ferguson once said that he wanted Keane to succeed him as Manchester United coach when he retired. However, the bitter nature of Keane's departure from the club in 2005 caused Ferguson to backpedal on those comments later.

Steve Bruce - 12/1 (PaddyPower)

The Newcastle United manager is in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle. With the Magpies sitting in a dismal 17th place and only two points off the drop zone, Bruce might soon find himself without a job.

Bruce has been on the English football scene since his playing days with Gillingham in 1979. He is most remembered for his nine years with Manchester United.

He has been managing since 1998 and has held managerial positions for clubs across the country. Despite this, Bruce is yet to make his mark on the international stage. 

At 12/1, Bruce is far from favourite. However, should his time with Newcastle come to an end, those odds are likely to shorten. 

Neil Lennon - 6/1 (PaddyPower)

Neil Lennon has recently become a free agent after leaving his post at Celtic.

He had two very successful runs with the club - the first from 2010 to 2014 and then again from 2019 to 2021. He has won five Scottish Premierships, four Scottish Cups, and multiple SPFL Manager awards. Simply put, he is no stranger to success and knows how to win.

With his previous experiences and successes, Lennon could be a solid shout to take over and instil something within the team that has been missing since Mick McCarthy stepped down last year.

Mick McCarthy - 20/1 (PaddyPower)

McCarthy has taken charge of ROI on two previous occasions; once from 1996 to 2002 and again from 2018 to 2020. His first spell saw him in charge for 68 games, including a good run in the 2002 World Cup.

The second run didn't last as long, though it was largely successful. On the road to UEFA Euro 2020 qualification, he guided them to the top of their group after five games. He left the role in April 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

McCarthy might be a bit of a longshot given he was recently appointed as the new Cardiff City manager. After enjoying a great run of form, he was given a two-year deal in March. 

Sam Allardyce - 25/1 (PaddyPower)

Allardyce has only ever had one international managerial job. He was named Roy Hodgson's replacement as England manager in 2016 and lasted a whopping 67 days. He oversaw one game as manager before leaving by mutual consent due to allegations of malpractice.