England's Little Boy Makes Soccer History by Scoring Above the Republic of Ireland Borders
There will be pride in Belfast when Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe faces Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior for the first time. The pair may be English, but they came through the coaching pathway at the Irish Football Association (IFA). So you can be sure Sean-Paul Murray, the IFA's head of coaching education, will be among those watching on from afar on Saturday.
"It's a headline-grabber when you see people of that level come up and face each other," he said before Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge. "It's wonderful. " The IFA's coaching courses have grown in popularity over the years, mainly through word of mouth, and Ruben Amorim, Gary O'Neil and Ricardo Carvalho are among those who have come through the system.
Howe had actually been recommended the pathway by long-serving assistant Jason Tindall, who also spent time in Northern Ireland. He certainly left an impression on fellow pro licence candidate Roddy Collins. "He was steady Eddie," the former Carlisle United boss said of their time together in 2011.
"He was precise and strong-minded, and simplified everything on the course. "He was never one to stand out and give an opinion. He was calm, very likeable, honest and very respectful to everyone.
"We had one assignment where we had to prepare a draft pre-season. Everyone was coming up with these big, mad ideas with coloured pencils, but Eddie just had one straight line of stuff. It was brilliant.