Republic of Ireland Senior Side
After two defeats in the opening two qualifying games for Euro 2004, national manager Mick McCarthy resigned from his post. On 26 January 2003, Kerr was appointed as the new full time manager. This was welcomed by most sections of the media and fans alike. Following a draw at home to Russia, and a defeat in Switzerland, Republic of Ireland finished 3rd, and were out of the competition.
In qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Kerr's team lost once, drew 5 and won 4. The Republic of Ireland finished in 4th place in the group. For the second time, Kerr's squad failed to qualify. Kerr came in for heavy criticism from sections of the media, who saw his tactics as negative. Kerr himself felt that the media were being excessively intrusive and unhelpful, in his efforts to perform his job. Kerr responded by refusing to entertain media questioning concerning his decision making. As a result of Ireland's failure to qualify their FIFA world ranking dropped.
In October 2005 Kerr's contract was not renewed by the FAI. Kerr was personally disappointed. He was replaced by Steve Staunton. In 2006 Kerr became a director of Sport against Racism Ireland (SARI). Kerr is a regular contributor on radio, television and to newspapers (including the Irish Times) as a soccer pundit.
Read more about this topic: Brian Kerr (football Manager)
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