Ireland appoint Dutch legend Vera Pauw to coach women’s team

Among the 3,423 crowd at Tallaght Stadium, on Tuesday, was the woman that will lead Ireland through the EURO 2021 Qualifiers.

Vera Pauw watched on as Ireland, managed by Tom O'Connor, defeated Montenegro 2-0 to start their qualifying campaign in style. This morning, the FAI confirmed that Pauw would be taking over from interim boss O'Connor with immediate effect. The 56-year-old led her native Netherlands to the European Championship semi finals in 2009 and has also coached Russia, Scotland and South Africa. [caption id="attachment_205885" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Vera Pauw in attendance during the UEFA Women's 2021 European Championships Qualifiers at Tallaght Stadium. (Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)[/caption] As a player, she became the first Dutch professional when, back in 1988, she signed for Italian side Modena. She went on to earn 89 caps for the Dutch and represented her country in European championships and World Cups. In a statement released by the FAI, Pauw said she was excited by the prospect of managing Ireland and believes 'we can achieve very positive results together'. As for the qualifier itself, Ireland were comfortable 2-0 winners after captain Katie McCabe added to Tyler Toland's early strike. Next up for Pauw is a gentler opener against the Germans at Tallaght Stadium on September 22. Get a win or draw from that and Ireland should be in a decent position before an away spin against the Ukraine and Germany.