Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill has dismissed suggestions that he is set to take over the vacant managerial job at Nottingham Forest in order to overcome the boredom at managing an international team. The former Aston Villa manager was recently appointed as the successor for Giovanni Trapattoni, and he has laid down the marker immediately after taking over. O’Neill says that the main target for Ireland now is to qualify for the Euro 2016. However, he also recently stated that the lack of day-to-day involvement is making him miss club football.
Nottingham Forest is a club where he has a lot of connections and the recently sacked their manager Billy Davies following a poor run of results. The club were recently beaten 5-0 by rivals Derby County. There have been recent rumours that the 62-year-old could be set for the vacant managerial job, which would make this international job into a part-time role. O’Neill, though, has rejected such rumours by saying that he does not know where they have come from. Aside from O’Neill, Nottingham Forest have also been linked with the likes of Stuart Pearce.
O’Neill is not the only high-profile manager involved in the Ireland team, as he has also roped in former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane into the frame.
“No, there’ll always be speculation. I was linked with a job a few months ago and I’ve had opportunities to go abroad but me and Martin have been in the door two minutes with the senior team and we’re enjoying it. Sometimes with this speculation you’d take it as a compliment. Forest are a top club but my intentions are to continue working with Martin and the senior team and try and qualify for the European Championships,” said assistant manager Roy Keane at a recent interview.