Martin O'Neill has responded to Kenny Cunningham regarding comments made by the former Irish international in relation to O'Neill receiving a possible contract extension by the FAI.
Cunningham, the footballer turned pundit, made comments questioning whether O'Neill was getting the best out of the Irish players.
He believes the squad's performance at euro 2016, should Ireland make it, be the deciding factor as to whether O'Neill gets offered a new contract.
O'Neill, however, thinks that simply making the competition would ensure he was getting the best out of the players and fulfilling the terms of his initial contract signed back in November 2013.
"I think that's nonsense, particularly coming from Kenny, as a former player, it's even more nonsensical."
O'Neill continued, "Kenny actually made the point even if we qualify I shouldn't automatically get a contract until it was demonstrated that I was getting the best out of the players.
"Well, I thought if you qualify, there's a very decent chance you are getting the best out of the players. I might be wrong. I might be totally wrong.
"This game is a results business. I would totally disagree with Kenny. It doesn't necessarily mean that if you haven't qualified, there hasn't been an improvement. But there's a fairly decent chance you have with qualification.
O'Neill argues that by virtue of having Germany in the group there is one qualifying place gone. The final automatic qualifying place would fall to either Poland, Scotland or Ireland in theory and O'Neill believes that his Ireland squad were way down the pecking order when the groups were announced.
"You only have to look at the odds at the beginning, we were fourth favourites. I would say we would certainly be in the play-offs by now if we were in a few other groups."
Ireland play Germany on October 8th as they look to seal a playoff place in the Aviva Stadium.
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