Almost from the very outset of her interim period in charge of the Ireland WNT, Eileen Gleeson had been keen to rule herself out of contention to fill the role permanently.
Already settled within the FAI as Head of Women's and Girls' Football, Gleeson stepped in to take charge of the senior team after Vera Pauw's post-World Cup departure.
Six wins from six later, it is no surprise that Irish fans are thrilled with Gleeson's U-turn on staying in the job.
Hugely popular among the playing squad and Irish fanbase, the FAI confirmed Gleeson as the permanent head coach on Monday and she will lead the Ireland WNT into the upcoming qualification campaign for EURO 2025.
Speaking to Balls.ie and the Irish media on Tuesday at her official unveiling as head coach, Gleeson revealed the unexpected moment she realised she wanted to stay in the Ireland job.
The head coach divulged that the gritty victory through the torrential downpour in Albania in the Nations League was a crucial crossroads moment.
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Eileen Gleeson reveals rain-sodden Albania win was turning point
31 October 2023; Republic of Ireland interim head coach Eileen Gleeson after the UEFA Women's Nations League B match between Albania and Republic of Ireland at Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkoder, Albania. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Eileen Gleeson said that she had not needed any persuading from any of the playing squad to stay on - confirming that she had twice previously applied for the job and, after seeing through a gritty win in Shkoder, she knew the time was right to throw her hat in the ring once more:
In terms of a personal reason for applying, it's not about being influenced by players or other external. It had to be right for me in that moment, and I felt that it was.
If you're asking for a critical specific point where I changed my mind, it was standing in the rain in Albania! Who wouldn't want to be there?!
It's nice to have positive feedback from players but in terms of decision-making, it wasn't what would have tipped me towards applying for the role.
In terms of 'wanting' to do this - this is not a new found thing that I wanted to be the head coach of Ireland. I've applied for the two previous roles and was unsuccessful, so this is a natural evolution.
That game in Albania saw torrential rainfall leave the pitch waterlogged, with kick-off of the second half delayed by over an hour due to the abysmal conditions. Denise O'Sullivan would ultimately score a late winner to continue Ireland's winning streak in the WNL.
Gleeson joked that the persistent questions from the media on whether she had changed her mind were "100%" the reason behind her decision to take the job.
FAI Director of Football Marc Canham was also in attendance at Tuesday's press conference and explained that Gleeson had been appointed after an extensive recruitment process which saw the association weigh up 42 candidates from around the globe over the course of the post-World Cup period.
After a first-ever major tournament under their belt, and with at least a play-off guaranteed, expectations will be high that Ireland will kick on and reach the 2025 European Championships in Switzerland.
It's hard to think of a better candidate than Eileen Gleeson to lead them down that path.
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