Michael O’Neill is West Brom’s Ideal Man

Michael O’Neill has put himself in a position where he’s on a different level to other managers out there at the moment particularly with getting Northern Ireland to the World Cup Play-Offs and of course in qualifying for the European Championships in France last year.

That’s something he’s got to assess in the coming days. Being offered a 6 year contract by the IFA, that’s something that turns your head and you feel that you’ve got a chance to build a real legacy there with a real chance to target qualification for the next couple of tournaments.

I think from his own position, it’s where can he take Northern Ireland from here?

It’s a huge deal for Northern Ireland, its unprecedented in international football; managers rarely stay around at any level longer than a couple of seasons in modern football, so it’s a big call for Northern Ireland.

In saying that, Scotland want to take him over there, he lives in Scotland, his family live there, it would probably make more sense for him to get settled and take a new position closer to his family. It’s nice from O’Neill’s own point of view that he’s got a lot of options on the table.

I just feel though that the West Brom job is the ideal move for him, he fits into the whole ethos of what Albion do. He’ll be able to concentrate on coaching the team, getting them prepared for the week-to-week games. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for him really, it looks to me like the perfect fit. Given the position that West Brom are in at the moment and where they want to go in the next few years, I think he is exactly the man to take the club forward.