The week's concentration on international football has led to renewed speculation regarding the Republic of Ireland manager's job with Blues boss Mick McCarthy continuing to receive the backing of big names in the Irish game.

Some bookies now have the Town manager as a slight favourite to return to his old role ahead of Martin O’Neill, the man initially tipped for the vacancy, with ex-Blues boss Roy Keane also said to be in the running.

Ireland skipper Robbie Keane believes the new boss should be an Irishman and outlined the attributes he feels the new man ought to possess: "The names who have been mentioned, if any of them took over I think everybody would be happy.

"We need someone who is an honest manager, who doesn't mess around, someone who understands how important it is to be involved at international level, someone who is proud of what we are trying to achieve in Ireland. Someone who is honest."

The LA Galaxy striker sees no reason why McCarthy shouldn’t return to the position he previously occupied between 1996 and 2002: "Why not with Mick, it happens a lot."

"Holland have done that a few times. Mick is a great guy, a fantastic guy, everything we have referenced. But if it was Mick, Martin O'Neill or Roy Keane, I don't think you can go wrong."

Former international Liam Brady, now a pundit for Irish TV channel RTÉ, has McCarthy top of his list of potential successors to Giovanni Trapattoni: “I don’t know what Mick’s contractual situation is at Ipswich. What I do know is that he has demonstrated before his capability to do the job.

"He has broad shoulders and had to put up with an awful lot of messing when Saipan happened. People turned against him; public opinion turned against him and most of the media turned against him on the back of how popular Roy Keane was.

"However, Mick got on with it and he demonstrated since then that he is a very capable manager. I don’t whether it would be possible to get him, but he would be number one on my list.”

When asked about the vacancy last month McCarthy 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.”

FAI chief executive John Delaney recently said that his organisation was in no hurry to make the appointment.

Ireland, who currently have caretaker-manager Noel King in charge, face Kazakhstan in the final World Cup qualifier of their unsuccessful campaign in Dublin this evening.

Photo: Action Images

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