Ireland fans all make the same joke after seeing new Sky jersey for first time

IRELAND fans all managed to come up with the same punchline upon Wednesday morning’s big announcement from the FAI.

Having been the shirt sponsor for the women’s team for over two years, Sky will also sponsor the men going forward.

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It plugs what was an embarrassing hole for both the current and previous FAI top brass.

The new men’s kit will be available to buy online and in shops from Friday.

The Castore creation has broadly received a positive reaction from fans as an improvement on their last offering.

But the most repeated reply to the FAI’s promotional posts touched on the same joke template.

One fan got the ball rolling by exclaiming: “All we need now is a manager!”

And as you can imagine, a version of that joke was trotted out countless times over the course of the day.

Early April can’t come quickly enough as the ‘race’ to be the next Irish men’s manager has turned out to be something of a slow bicycle one.

But Wednesday did also bring with it concrete news that it WON’T be Lee Carsley whom takes over The Boys in Green.

Speaking with The Daily Mail, the England Under-21s gaffer categorically ruled himself out of the running.

He said: “We had an initial conversation in November.

“I went to speak to them. Really informal, enjoyable, for around an hour. It went no further.

“It was good to see what their thoughts were and to explore whether I was ready to take that next step. It just went no further. I didn’t push it.

‘I’ve always said that I’m really privileged to do this job I’m in.

“I appreciate that I’m in a really good position with a lot of responsibility.’

Carsley led England’s Under-21s to European Championships glory in July which has attracted interest from would-be suitors.

But the 50-year-old has insisted he is committed to staying put for the rest of the current Euros qualification campaign.

He added: “There was a feeling that I would go and do a senior job after the summer but speaking to John McDermott and other people, I’m committed to this campaign.

“At some point, maybe it’s something I’ll do. I didn’t need convincing. I see myself as a development coach.

“I’ve not put myself out there, applying for jobs or anything. I definitely wouldn’t go down that route with the position I’m in and how lucky I am.”

Willy Sagnol – who is preparing Georgia for a Euro 2024 play-off semi-final against Luxembourg – is the second favourite for the post.

The Frenchman has indicated he is ready for a new challenge.

And former Ireland assistant coach Anthony Barry – who is on Thomas Tuchel’s staff at Bayern Munich – is also regarded as a contender.

TUCHEY SUBJECT

Tuchel is stepping down at the end of the season but the Association has indicated that the timing of their announcement is related to the candidate’s current contractual obligations.

Barry is also an assistant coach to Roberto Martinez with Portugal who have qualified for Euro 2024 and will play Ireland in June as part of their preparations.

FAI Director of Football Marc Canham insisted that the new man will begin work straight away with Ireland.