On Soccer/Emmet Malone: The extensive coverage devoted in this morning's British papers to the naming of England's squad will be just one of many reminders to Brian Kerr's squad over the coming weeks of what might have been had they managed a little more than one point from their closing games of the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign against Russia and Switzerland.On Soccer

And if they're gloomy now the hectic run of four friendly games that starts next Thursday with the visit of Romania will hardly do much to lift their spirits.

During a 10-day period in which the Irish will also face Nigeria, Jamaica and the Netherlands there will be, as Kerr pointed out last week, the chance to blood new players but with so many senior squad members already missing, unavailable for some of the games or, inevitably, still set to pull out, it is hard to see how much relevance the next couple of weeks will have to the upcoming World Cup campaign.

What may well have a much more significant impact on Kerr's qualifying fortunes is how the cross-channel club management merry-go-round shapes up over the coming weeks. Up to half the Republic's senior panel are at clubs where the manager's position is, to some degree, under pressure and the Ireland boss is likely to watch developments at several rather anxiously.

In fact, the game of musical chairs has already begun. With the news that David Pleat is to part company with Spurs - with PSV Eindhoven's Frank Arnesen expected to assume a role as general manager (with a coach working under him) - it remains to be seen what impact the reshuffle will have on the careers of Robbie Keane, Stephen Carr and Stephen Kelly.

Pleat made little secret earlier in the season of his desire to sell Keane but the boss's departure may mean that the striker is not only kept on at White Hart Lane, where he is a firm favourite with the fans, but that he falls under the influence of a new manager better able to help Keane achieve his potential.

Carr might also stay on but then the injection of capital that would prompt a change of heart on the part of the long unsettled right back could end up limiting Kelly's opportunities, while Gary Doherty's future might also be uncertain under a new manager.

There will also a new man in charge at Leeds where Ian Harte and Stephen McPhail are just two of the players whose futures are caught up in the financial turmoil there.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich may be anxious to see the back of Claudio Ranieri but a string of international managers may rue his departure, for the Italian, despite all the pressure he has been subjected to, has been consistently co-operative when it has come to making players available. A new man may seek to discourage Damien Duff from spending any more time on international duty than is unavoidable.

Duff's enthusiasm for international duty suggests he would resist any possible interference from Ranieri's successor but life could become difficult for him, particularly if he is again troubled by injury next season.

Andy O'Brien's performance against Brazil underlined his claim to what has been Gary Breen's place in the Irish team and at club level he has won consistent praise from the Newcastle management team, most recently for his performances alongside Jonathan Woodgate.

Since the England centre half got injured, however, there have been questions about the effectiveness of the O'Brien-Titus Bramble partnership and there may be pressure to buy in another central defender, which would threaten the position of the former Bradford City player.

Bobby Robson clearly rates O'Brien but it is not yet clear that the manager will see out the year that remains on his contract. Any change could be bad news for the 24-year-old although, new manager or not, the fifth-place Premiership finish may mean there is not the sort of money required to attract another top-quality centre half to St James's Park over the summer.

Then, of course, there is Alex Ferguson, whose latest display of devotion to the international game was to suggest that Sven Goran Eriksson should omit from his Euro 2004 even some of those United players who are both fit and free of suspension. Ferguson has previously proved a formidable foe for several national team managers and with Keane back and Liam Miller about to join United alongside John O'Shea, the importance of his relationship with Kerr will be more important than ever next year. To date, the Dubliner says, they have got on well.

Ferguson will be anxious to bounce back in both the Premiership and Champions League next year which could affect his attitude to players' availability. Where Keane is concerned, Ferguson's approach may have some upside for Kerr in that he appears to be right that, even when ostensibly fit, the 32-year-old cannot produce his best at the highest level on a weekly basis and that he needs to be rested periodically.

If either the Corkman or the Scot was to leave Old Trafford, another manager might not be so sparing in his use of Keane. The problem is that Ferguson would like Kerr to be even more restrained when it comes to the use of the former Irish skipper. Their good relations, you suspect, may not last too long.