Blues boss Mick McCarthy is increasingly viewed as the frontrunner to return to his old job as Ireland manager in reports in most of the Irish papers this morning. The FAI are understood to have stepped up their recruitment process and want their new boss in place prior to the friendlies with Hungary and Poland on November 15th and 19th.
McCarthy and Martin O’Neill are widely believed to be the only candidates currently in the FAI’s sights with the Irish Mirror claiming Town owner Marcus Evans has issued a "hands-off warning” to Ray Houghton and Ruud Dokter, the men charged with identifying Giovanni Trapattoni’s successor.
Yesterday, Town MD Ian Milne told TWTD that the Blues had received no contact from the FAI "that [he was] aware of”. Milne said that Town are keen to keep hold of the 54-year-old, who is contracted until the summer of 2015.
If the FAI were to firm up their interest then they would have to pay the Blues compensation, a clause allowing McCarthy to take the Ireland job without Town receiving recompense having ended at the start of the season.
While McCarthy, now the bookies’ favourite, is said to have his advocates at the FAI, O’Neill is also said to have his supporters, although it’s believed there are also those who have reservations about employing the Northern Irishman without John Robertson as his assistant.
The former Scotland winger - who is currently recovering from a heart attack - worked with his ex-Nottingham Forest team-mate at his more successful clubs, but not at his most recent side Sunderland.
There is also speculation that O’Neill, 61, may be holding out for a Premier League club, having been linked with Fulham and his old club Norwich in recent weeks.
When questioned about the vacancy last month McCarthy - who has stated he'd like to return to the job he held between 1996 and 2002 at some point in the future - said he expected O’Neill to be given the job, but admitted he didn’t know what his response would be if he were to be approached: "My understanding is that Martin’s got it. I’m not looking for it.
"I prefer to make my decisions when somebody [in charge] asks me the question, not a journalist. If somebody does ask me the question, what will I do? I haven’t got a bleeding clue.”