Staunton anxious for a return to management

Dundalk-born former Liverpool and Aston Villa defender Steve Staunton is anxious for a return to management.

The former Republic of Ireland captain managed his country from January 2006 to October 2007, which was followed by a brief and unsuccessful stint in charge of Darlington.

However, the experience of those two roles hasn’t dampened his appetite for a job in management as he told BT Sport’s Life’s A Pitch last night that a managerial career still appeals to him.

“I would love to. I’m mad enough to do it,” he said.

Staunton also said it was good to see Roy Keane back involved with Ireland and said he hoped it worked out for him and Martin O’Neill.

Kearney try the third most memorable moment in the Irish sporting year

Rob Kearney’s try against the All Blacks has been voted the third most memorable sporting moment in Irish sport this year.

The first half try, which seen the Willville man break from his own 22 to score in the corner, received 9% of the vote in the Irish Sports Council poll, despite Ireland losing out to New Zealand in heartbreaking fashion at the end.

A thousands adults representing a cross section of the Irish public were interviewed for the Pembroke Communications Sports Sentiment Index, with Kearney’s try selected as one of the highlights of the year.

Just pipping him on 9% also was AP McCoy’s 4,000^th winner while the most memorable sporting moment of the year with 13% of the vote was the appointment of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane to the Irish management team.