FAI officials now hope to be in a position to announce the appointment of a new nat ional director of coaching before Christmas.

The post has been vacant since the resignation of Joe McGrath in the midst of last season's upheavals at Merrion Square. McGrath later went on to become New Zealand's team manager Although the post, thought to carry a salary of £70,000 plus, was first advertised in February, it is only now that the FAI believe that an appointment is imminent. The delay is thought to be attributable to the fact they were waiting for a specific individual to come on stream.

The effect has been to heighten the sense of expectation, with increasing speculation that the successful candidate will be recruited in England.

In all, there were some 25 applicants for the job, four of whom were called for interview. An FAI spokesman said yesterday that more talking remained to be done but indicated that an appointment was imminent.

With the filling of this job, the association will have completed its management and coaching structure. The appointments of Mick McCarthy and Ian Evans, as managers of the senior and under21 teams, respectively, were followed last Christmas by an announcement that Brian Kerr had resigned his post at St Patrick's Athletic to take charge of the national youth team.