Tanya Oxtoby: Was your spell as Northern Ireland manager successful?

Ultimately, on the pitch, Oxtoby’s reign will be remembered for moments of brilliance rather than sustained success, and she was unable to guide England to the next edition of the Euros.

This is a microcosm of performances too, as Northern Ireland often played well in fits and starts but struggled to put together a 90-minute show.

The highlight was Lauren Wade’s stunning late winner against Croatia in the first round of Euro 2025 qualifying in October 2024.

Magill stepped up and scored two memorable late goals to seal a late win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in February, but there is also an argument that the team should not have been in this position from the start after conceding two goals in four minutes after dominating the game.

The four-goal win in Albania was impressive, and the victories in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro were also solid matches.

Of the 11 defeats the team suffered under Oxtoby, all but one were to teams who had participated in the recent World Cup or European Championship finals.

The heavy defeats against Norway, Poland, Portugal, Iceland and the Republic of Ireland were a stark reality for the national team’s position in the European standings.

And here lies the biggest problem in Northern Ireland.

Regardless of Northern Ireland’s next coach, the biggest challenge is how to take the next step and challenge for a second major tournament.

Since the introduction of the Nations League format, in Oxtoby’s first campaign in 2023, NI have been in League B in every iteration of the competition.

In short, they are very good for League C, but any time they have faced an opponent from League A, they have fallen short.

There are no easy answers on how NI can close the gap with the top teams, especially with the team’s young lineup, who have potential but are far from a finished product.