After leading Shamrock Rovers to shock Europa League qualification, the 42-year-old has been chosen as the man to replace Nigel Worthington at the helm of the national side
SOURCE: GOAL
Former Shamrock Rovers boss Michael O’Neill has been announced as the new manager of the Northern Ireland national side on a two-year-deal.
O’Neill was seen as the ideal candidate to take over from former manager Nigel Worthington, who failed to mount a strong enough challenge to qualify for Euro 2012, taking only nine points from 10 games in qualification.
The former Newcastle player will take charge on February 1st, having initially been approached regarding the post last week, with his first game in charge against Norway later in the month.
O’Neill told the Irish FA's official website: "I am honoured to be chosen to manage my country. I am a proud Northern Irishman who was fortunate enough to win 33 senior caps and it was always an ambition to manage my country.
"To be entrusted with the role early in my managerial career is quite humbling but I am confident that we can make progress. Northern Ireland has a strong football tradition but one that needs to be refreshed with some more contemporary success.
"That is my primary objective - to restore a sense of belief and pride in what it means to represent Northern Ireland so that our players will want only to play for their country. That is how it should be.
"There is a huge amount of work to be done but with the right direction and the necessary passion good progress can be made. The board and the CEO have a clear plan for the future and have given me responsibility to set about the task of renewal within the context of a long-term plan.
"At the same time, in the interests of everyone involved, most particularly our supporters my job is to work with the players to sustain a competitive performance throughout the qualifying phase of the 2014 World Cup finals."
The 42-year-old's success with Shamrock Rovers, in which he guided them to the group stages of the Europa League, was a key factor behind the decision to hand O'Neill the post, Irish FA president Jim Shaw revealed.
"I am delighted that Michael has accepted the role of managing our senior international team and I would like to wish him every success as he prepares for the World Cup qualifying campaign next year,” Shaw said.
Northern Ireland chief executive Patrick Nelson also hailed the appointment: "Michael was the stand-out choice from an excellent field.
“The selection panel was very impressed with his thoughts and plans for football in Northern Ireland over the coming years. We are all looking forward to 29 February now when we take on Norway at Windsor Park."
