Ireland made their first Women's World Cup ever this past summer, crashing out in the group stages. However, defender Diane Caldwell believed they qualified despite poor preparation from their ex-boss, Vera Pauw.

The 60-year-old Dutch manager has since been relieved of her duties after her contract expired at the end of August. The Football Association of Ireland also launched an investigation into how Pauw allegedly “failed to get the best out of the players” in Australia and New Zealand.

“I think the results and performances that we got were in spite of Vera being our coach,” Caldwell said Monday, via Reuters.

“I think preparation for the Women's World Cup games could have been better, physical preparation, opponent analysis, match tactics, in-game match tactics, changes, systems of play,” she said, adding that players had asked Pauw to “professionalise” various aspects of their preparations.

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Ireland tasted defeat to Australia and Canada before settling for a scoreless draw with Nigeria in their final match in the tournament. They scored a mere one goal in their three appearances.

Eileen Gleeson has since taken over as the new gaffer for the Irish while Pauw continues to be investigated. As for Caldwell, she made just one appearance in the Women's World Cup, coming on as a substitute against the Nigerians.

Whether the allegations are true remains to be seen, but Ireland was clearly not happy with how things played out in the competition. Per Reuters, Pauw also said the FAI completely changed their attitude following an article released in July that claimed she was abusive and inappropriate when she was the boss of the Houston Dash, although the 60-year-old denied those claims.

Pauw was the Ireland manager for four years.