Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Jim Crawford is confident that his one-time assistant John O'Shea has the temperament and knowledge to make a success of management.
Crawford's team are in Serravelle ahead of their European Championship qualifier away to San Marino on Friday (5pm, live on RTÉ News channel and RTÉ Player).
Speaking to the media on Thursday, he was inevitably asked about interim senior boss O'Shea, who was part of Crawford's coaching team in their tumultuous qualifying campaign for the 2023 European Under-21 Championship, which ended in a penalty shootout playoff defeat to Israel.
O'Shea was drafted into the senior management set-up early in 2023 and has been installed as interim manager for the March international window, as the football public await the announcement of a new permanent manager.
After working at close quarters with O'Shea, Crawford praised his temperament and football knowledge and acknowledged his shrewd choices of assistants, with Brian Kerr and Glenn Whelan being drafted into the set-up.
"John will bring an air of calmness. His knowledge of the game is second to none," Crawford told RTÉ Sport.
"He was extremely influential to us in the last campaign that took us to our first ever play-offs. I've nothing but admiration for him. He had a lot of input.
"He has a fantastic knowledge of the game. As a head coach, you need to be able to control your emotions too. And he can certainly do that.
"He sees the game in a very clear way. He's got the communication skills to transfer his ideas to the players, no problem. He's extremely likable.
"What underpins all that is the career he had as a player. When you go in as a head coach, it's totally different to being a player, it's a different skillset.
"But it will help John in that role, being someone who was hugely successful with Ireland and Manchester United and the other clubs he's represented and captained.
"What's he got with him - and he was very clever in doing it - he's got a very skilled staff with him. Some experience, very knowledgeable people.
"When I first spoke to him and he told me who he was bringing in, I was certainly impressed with his first move as a head coach."
It's only a one-game window for Crawford's side, who will seek to avoid any horror shows against group whipping boys San Marino.
Ireland currently sit in second spot in the table, two points ahead of chief rivals Norway, following an agonising 2-2 home draw with Italy at Turner's Cross in November - the top seeds equalising in the sixth minute of injury time.
Ahead of the San Marino encounter, the Ireland boss invoked the spectre of the Wales Under-21s, who shockingly lost 1-0 at the venue in September 2013.
Following the Republic of Ireland's infamous last-gasp 2-1 win in San Marino in 2007, manager Steve Staunton was mocked for labelling the game a 'banana skin', though Crawford said it can be depending on the team's attitude.
"It can be a banana skin if you don't prepare right, if you approach the game in the wrong manner. It can happen," Crawford insisted.
"Wales came here, in 2013, and got beat 1-0. We showed the clip of the goal San Marino scored against them. And what it meant for San Marino.
"It's sort of saying to the players, put yourself in the position of Wales when that final whistle went. You can't make that happen.
"The one thing that's in common is you’re still playing for three points. It’s the same three points as if you’re playing against Italy and the players have got to understand that.
"They’ve also got to understand and respect San Marino, that they’re playing tomorrow to do a job on us.
"For me, if they get a point against us or three points against us, that’s like them qualifying for the European finals or winning the European finals, it would mean so much to them. We have to understand that."
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