Hallgrimsson should learn the lesson that Ireland job is better tackled at a distance
We have seen some in the job struggle with the profile and scrutiny that comes with the most high profile job in Irish sport
THERE are a couple of things that bind Jack Charlton, Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O'Neill together.
All of them managed Ireland, of course.
All of them took Ireland to major tournaments too.
And none of the three were taking their dream job when they got the nod from the FAI.
All three were looking for a gig, and Ireland ticked a couple of boxes for them.
The other Ireland boss to take Ireland to a tournament was Mick McCarthy.
Maybe he did dream of managing Ireland one day but, for most of the time up until his appointment in 1996, playing ambitions dominated his thoughts.
Indeed, go back to McCarthy's childhood. He's talked of falling in love with football when cheering on England at the 1966 World Cup.
Maybe there's a bit of a lesson with the Charlton, Trapattoni and O'Neill situations for Heimir Hallgrimsson.
He has talked of his desire to find a place to live in Dublin and, not surprisingly, the issues with the housing market that are making that a harder than expected process for him.
But there is a strong argument that he'd be better off living across the water - and not just because that's where most of his players are based.
With Charlton, Trapattoni and O'Neill, the bit of detachment from not living in Ireland might have been a bit of a strength.
The flip side is the experience of Eoin Hand, Brian Kerr, Steve Staunton and Stephen Kenny.
They craved a shot at the Ireland job. All fell short of expectations. Hand, Kerr and Staunton were left bruised and embittered, to varying degrees, by the experience.
Hand, Kerr and Kenny all lived in Ireland. They felt the pressure of the goldfish bowl that is the Ireland job to a huge extent. Halgrimsson has already talked of his surprise at the scrutiny and profile of the post - something he didn't expect
There are defeats that stay with you, seared deep into your skin like a scar.
The initial pain fades, but often an itch lingers. An irritation that is hard to shake off.
That became apparent to those on the Ireland beat in the early noughties.
On one away trip, the half daze of a late night wait at the luggage carousel in some far-flung airport was interrupted by an arresting sight.
It was an Ireland player, stepping forward to collect his gear bag - which had 4-2 scored on it in marker.
A reminder of the defeat to Russia in Moscow in 2002, which shattered the optimism that had brewed after that summer's World Cup.
On October 8, 2020, Kenny took charge of just his second game as Ireland manager - but one with huge stakes.
A European Championship play-off against Slovakia. Scoreless after 90 minutes, still scoreless after 120. Penalties.
That night, there was another 4-2 that hurt Irish soccer - a very different 4-2 to that of 2002.
A nation that held its breath and learned to mythologise penalty shoot-outs in Italia '90 woke up on a chilly October morning three years ago cursing them.
Ireland are generally either over-criticised or over-praised.
That has been the way for decades. It's a point Kerr has frequently made about Ireland managers.
Too many garlands thrown in their direction when things are going well, too many knives shoved in their back when they hit bumps in the road.
Beatlemania is all the vogue again and there's a story about John Lennon that chimes with that of the Ireland football team.
The Fab Four were a bit away from superstardom and money was tight so The Beatles had booked just one day of studio time.
It was February 11, 1963, and they had already been recording for 12 hours when they decided to get 'Twist and Shout' down on tape.
Lennon had been suffering from a cold and his voice was virtually gone.
He was sweating so much that he took off his shirt and sang bare-chested.
Before attempting 'Twist and Shout', he sucked on a couple of lozenges and gargled milk to try and get himself right.
The resulting recording is regarded as one of Lennon's greatest ever vocal performances. His voice is raw and raucous, primal and primed.
But it happened by accident. It happened because he had a cold and The Beatles couldn't afford to pay for another day of studio time.
Heimir Hallgrimsson is under pressure after losing his first two games PIC: Inpho
Happy accidents are everywhere. The history of Irish football is littered with them - from Gary Mackay to John Aldridge alerting Charlton to Ray Houghton's Irish father.
Modern managers are obsessed with the little details, as Trapattoni used to call them. They hate leaving anything to chance.
But sometimes dumb luck can make all the difference - and bad luck has just as big a part to play. Stephen Kenny doesn't need reminding.
Kenny was luckless on many occasions during his tenure, but not everything can be blamed on chance.
Pressure can come when you crave something so deeply it almost becomes a physical thing.
And, for most of his tenure, Kenny looked under serious pressure.
Starting off with back to back defeats ensured Hallgrimmson is under pressure from the start too.
He can help himself by doing a u-turn on his plans to live in Ireland, and by not leaving hostages to fortune - like announcing that he would be tracking players on Wyscout.