Latest news with #EileenGleeson
Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ellen Molloy keen to make the most of opportunity after Ireland recall for United States trip
It's just over a month since Ellen Molloy downplayed her chances of a recall to the Republic of Ireland squad when she chatted with this paper, despite her sparkling form for Wexford since she rejoined them in January. 'I've a lot do before I'm even in the conversation,' she said . Well, she's in the conversation now after Carla Ward called up the 21-year-old midfielder for the first time since she succeeded Eileen Gleeson as manager for this week's friendlies against the United States in Denver and Cincinnati. The Kilkenny native has, then, a chance to add to the seven caps she's won so far, the first given to her by Vera Pauw when she was just 16, the last when Gleeson brought on her as a late substitute against Georgia in October's Euro 2025 playoffs. 'I honestly wasn't expecting this,' she says. 'I was just focusing on club. But I was absolutely delighted when I got the call from Carla. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks, it's a good opportunity.' READ MORE It's a welcome boon for Molloy, who's been through the mill the last few years, starting with the anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered in September of 2022. Then there was what proved to a short-lived move to Sheffield United last September, her first taste of professional football. But while there, her grandmother's illness and subsequent death had a deep impact on her, Molloy admitting she lost her love for football during that time. After four months, she returned home and re-signed for Wexford. Has she got the love back? Ellen Molloy scoring for Sheffield United during the Championship game against Birmingham City at Bramall Lane in October, 2024. Photograph:'Yeah, in the last few months I've started to really enjoy football again and I think you can see that in the way I've been playing. I just stripped it all back, took the pressure off and went back to my roots. We've such a family atmosphere at Wexford and Seán Byrne coming in has been really good for the team and myself as well. I'm feeling like I'm back to myself.' She hasn't ruled out moving away again, although for now she's focused on playing part-time and completing her PE and geography degree in the University of Limerick. But she acknowledges that her chances of staying in Ward's plans could depend on her returning to professional football. 'I know I need to be playing at a higher standard, obviously there is a huge step up from the League of Ireland to international football, and there's no question there is a difference in the standard between here and in England. We're a few years behind – but it definitely is going in the right direction. But, right now, I'm not really focusing on that too much, I'm just focusing on the next few weeks and I'll see how it goes.' Ward addressed the same issue when she was asked about Molloy on Sunday. 'I think I've been pretty clear, the League of Ireland is an evolving league, but it's still got a long way to go. It's a part-time league. So let's not be too naive, international football is a massive step up. Ellen has done tremendously well, she's been involved before, so this is about us having a look at how she can cope in an international environment. 'I never really want to get involved in what league the players play. That's a decision that only Ellen can make. But of course, you want players playing full-time. That's a reality. The sooner we can get the League of Ireland full-time, the better for the future of the game.' But much as Molloy initially enjoyed being a full-time player in Sheffield, she ended up finding it a challenge. 'You train, you're home at 1 and that was your day nearly done. It's not like you can go to the gym then because you've got all that done too. There probably should be more awareness about that side of it, it's not spoken about enough. I suppose different things work for different people. I like to be busy, it's just about finding that balance and what works for me.' 'This camp with Ireland is like a condensed version of professional football, so I'm just looking forward to getting back in to that, working under Carla, and seeing how I feel in that environment again.'
The Irish Sun
17-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ireland to make Aviva Stadium return for Nations League play-off vs Belgium as Carla Ward issues rallying cry
THE home leg of Ireland's Nations League play-off against Belgium will be played at the Aviva Stadium. Carla Ward's side will host Belgium in Dublin on Friday October 24 with the return game four days later at a venue yet to be determined. Advertisement 2 The home leg of their unsuccessful Euros qualification play-off with Wales was held there 2 Carla Ward has had a mixed start since taking over from Eileen Gleeson Ireland are bidding to win promotion to League A with the Red Flames looking to avoid relegation to League B. It will be the fifth time the women's national team have played at Lansdowne Road. Their debut there was a Nations League derby against Northern Ireland in September 2023, when they won 3-0. Last year, they lost Euro 2025 group games against England and Sweden and a play-off against Wales in Dublin 4. Advertisement Read More On Irish Football The four games have attracted an average crowd of more than 29,000. Ward said: 'The game against Belgium is massive for us in wanting to get promoted to League A in the UEFA Nations League. "But also with helping us in the qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA World Cup, so it is fantastic that we will play the first leg in the Aviva Stadium. 'The Aviva Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the world and I've been there as a fan on nights when the Irish fans create the atmosphere that they are famous for and it is really special. Advertisement Most read in Football 'I'd encourage our fans to help make this another memorable night by securing their ticket and getting behind the team.' Cristiano Ronaldo sends Donald Trump a 'special peace message' on signed shirt amid Israel and Iran conflict
RTÉ News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Girls in Green to return to Aviva for Belgium play-off
The Republic of Ireland will play the first leg of their Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium at Aviva Stadium on Friday 24 October. The Girls in Green last appeared at Lansdowne Road back in December, when they were agonsingly beaten by Wales in the second leg of their Euro 2025 play-off. There's been plenty of changes since that fateful night. Eileen Gleeson departed as head coach, replaced by Carla Ward who's had to deal with a quartet of high-profile retirements: Julie-Ann Russell, Diane Caldwell, Niamh Fahey and Louise Quinn are all now gone from the scene. Ward's reign had a serious early wobble when her side were hammered 4-0 by Slovenia in Koper but they got their Nations League campaign back on track after that, winning their next four matches to finish second in League B Group 2 and earn a place in the play-offs. "The game against Belgium is massive for us in wanting to get promoted to League A in the UEFA Nations League but also with helping us in the qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA World Cup, so it is fantastic that we will play the first leg in the Aviva Stadium," said Ward. "The Aviva Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the world and I've been there as a fan on nights when the Irish fans create the atmosphere that they are famous for and it is really special. I'd encourage our fans to help make this another memorable night by securing their ticket and getting behind the team." Belgium finished third in League A Group 3. Ranked 20th in the world, they acquitted themselves well in the top tier, most notably scalping England 3-2 thanks to a brilliant performance in Leuven. Ireland - 25th in the world - are aiming to return to League A having been relegated from a group containing England, France and Sweden in 2024. Belgium will travel to Dublin for the first leg before welcoming the Irish to their patch the following Tuesday. Tallaght Stadium, Ireland's usual base in the capital, was available given Shamrock Rovers are away to Derry City in the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division that night, but they will head for the big house as Ward looks to take a first-leg lead to Belgium. It'll be the fifth time the women's team have played at the stadium. The boss brings her team to the USA for two friendlies on Thursday, 26 June in Denver, Colorado (2am Irish time), and Sunday, 29 June in Cincinnati (8pm Irish time). Katie McCabe is among a number of senior players left out the squad, with Ward keen to give the Arsenal star a rest following a long and gruelling season.
Irish Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Karen Duggan: Manager Carla Ward needs to park her fixation with attacking flair and embrace the Irish way
Belgium it is for Ireland in October's Nations League playoffs . They're a team you wouldn't be intimidated by, but you definitely need to respect them. They had a mixed bag of results and performances in a really tough League A group, some of which were poor while others were excellent. Their stand-out result was beating England at home. It is, then, hard to know what to expect from them. Instead of picking out their 5-0 defeat away to England and taking heart from it, it's much more important that we analyse how Ireland lost 4-0 away to Slovenia and learn from it. Yes, we won our other five group games, but that's the result that stands out. READ MORE It was a tough time for Carla Ward to come in . There had been no end of upheaval and disappointment before she arrived, not least with the defeat to Wales in the Euro 2025 playoffs and the subsequent departures of Eileen Gleeson and Colin Healy . Add in the retirements of Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell and Julie-Ann Russell – four leaders gone from the dressingroom and the pitch – and it was always going to be a challenge. There was also no getting away from Ward's own lack of experience at international level. But my worry throughout our League B campaign was the lack of balance between the Carla Ward way and the Irish way. It's all very well wanting a more adventurous attacking style, but it was our defensive strength and resoluteness that ultimately got us to the World Cup. We can't lose that. We can't afford to. It's not that she has reinvented the wheel with her preferred 4-4-2 system as all of our players have played it at some stage from underage up. But the effort to improve us going forward can't be done at the expense of us being defensively sound. That's the balance that has to be found. Maybe she underestimated Slovenia and overestimated us when we played them in February, but she went gung-ho, with too many attacking players on the pitch, some out of position. It just looked disjointed. We were torn apart. And that was the result that cost us top spot in the group. We were hearing too much about how it was a great job for her work-life balance She didn't quite know her team then and you'd hope she does now. But when you don't know your team, you need to err on the side of caution. I hope she's learned from that. We should certainly err on the side of caution against Belgium. They've been playing at a higher level than us recently and will have a Euro 2025 campaign behind them by the time we meet in October, so their intensity is going to be high. I didn't see any intensity from Ireland until that first half in Cork against Slovenia on Tuesday, in our final group game . By that stage, my concern had grown about how this team was shaping up. But there was real improvement that evening. We were excellent: back to basics, direct, strong, quick, playing for each other, taking responsibility. I thought it was all there – except we still didn't have the finishing. Louise Quinn with her son Darragh after her final appearance for Ireland against Slovenia in Cork last Tuesday. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho I wondered if that performance was an emotional reaction from the players to it being Louise Quinn's last game for Ireland, although I'd prefer to think that it was down to work done with Ward in training, having reviewed the team's struggles in the campaign until then. Either way, it was heartening after a less-than-stirring start to her time in charge. I think she started off with too much of a 'nice' approach to it all. We were hearing too much about how it was a great job for her work-life balance and how she loves the Irish way, the grit and determination. But sometimes you have to coax that out of the players too, especially when they had taken such a confidence hit from their defeat by Wales. I don't think that was addressed. The key for me is that she learns she has to bend a little bit on the Carla Ward way in favour of the Irish way until we're a bit more settled. It's all still a work in progress, I'm not sure she even knows her best starting 11 yet. And there's still scope for change on the player front. She has talked about the scouting efforts for new talent. She brought in Mel Filis, from the English Championship, in her first squad, and Erin Healy, from the Australian league, in her last, after both of them got their Irish passports. And that's fine. But both inclusions raised an eyebrow and in the end, neither played. I think you need to be very sure, when you pick these players, that they'll come in and make an impact. Otherwise, why not keep an eye on players closer to home? Such as Ellen Molloy, Jess Fitzgerald, Ellen Dolan and Joy Ralph, or any of the players coming through from the under-19s. Bring them in, give them a taste of where they need to get to in terms of making it at professional level. Have a look at them. If you don't rate them, fine. But give them a chance. In wider development terms, nothing seems to be working too well. Hannah Dingley left her role as head of women and girls' football after just a year. There was no impact. In with a whimper, out with a whimper. And the strategic plan that she presented was, to put it mildly, underwhelming. We need someone in that role who is willing to put a few years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. It needs to be someone who is passionate about the development of the game here. Dingley's predecessor, Eileen Gleeson, was a great appointment. Would she be willing to take that role again? I don't know what her relationship is like with the FAI now. Ward could have done without all that drama, but her focus now has to be on getting past Belgium in the playoffs. It's been a damp squib of a start for her in this job, but there's time to get things right. The report card on her and her team, at this point, might say: 'Expect more from someone with their ability.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Republic of Ireland boss Ward 'turned down WSL job'
Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward has revealed she turned down an offer to manage a Women's Super League club "a few weeks ago" and has reiterated her full commitment to her present role. Ward succeeded Eileen Gleeson as Republic manager in January and has been at the helm for four Nations League matches to date, three wins and a heavy 4-0 defeat by Slovenia. The primary focus for the 41-year-old however is qualifying for the 2027 World Cup, which begins in February. Ward formerly managed Sheffield United, Birmingham City and Aston Villa in her native country, but stepped down as Villa boss a year ago. "I'll tell you one thing. I was offered a WSL job a few weeks ago and I turned it down because I am loving what I am doing," said Ward after naming her squad for the forthcoming Nations League games against Turkey and Slovenia. "Listen, I really wanted the Ireland job. I turned down two other countries that offered me the job whilst I was in the interview process for Ireland because I wholeheartedly wanted to manage this country. So when I say I am in, I am in. "I am talking long term to the board, not just around the next two games, but how we develop the League of Ireland - we've spoken a lot about that - so there is a bigger picture here. I have loved being here. There have been some challenges of course, but I love being here. I am proud to represent this country."
