Staunton's role stunned O'Leary

Former Leeds United and Aston Villa manager Dave O'Leary has admitted to having been surprised when the FAI handed the Republic of Ireland manager's job to Steve Staunton a year ago.

Speaking yesterday at the Mater private hospital in Dublin, where he was unveiling highly sophisticated heart imaging equipment, the former long-time Arsenal defender said the news had come out of the blue after a surprise visit from the Dundalk native.

"I don't know Stephen well and I don't know about his coaching abilities," said O'Leary. "He came up to see me at Aston Villa (to ask if Kevin MacDonald could become part of his management team) and I didn't know what it was about.

"He sat me down and said to me: 'Do you know why I am here?' And, on my dad's life, I hadn't a clue that he was about to get the Ireland job. I hadn't heard. I didn't know. Being honest, the move surprised me because he had no youth-team experience, no anything experience, but I just wished him well."

Asked about his own ambitions for the future O'Leary conceded: "I'd love, one day, to manage my country. Things like that are what you dream about. But I have always felt that you should get your day-to-day stuff out of your system first.

"I have unfinished business to attend to. The national job is the icing on the cake and I would like to do it after getting club football out of my system."