MICK McCARTHY is expected to be named as the manager of the Republic of Ireland, in succession to Jack Charlton, at a press conference at Lansdowne Road this afternoon.

McCarthy, who arrived in Dublin yesterday afternoon and was whisked off by a friend to an unknown destination, is likely to be appointed for a four-year period for a fee significantly higher than the £120,000 Charlton earned in his last year in charge.

His appointment was put in place late on Friday evening when he was contacted on the phone by the FAI president, Louis Kilcoyne, and invited to take the job. His response is understood to have been quick and on Saturday evening he told the Millwall players that he was accepting the international post.

Ironically, he had just been upstaged by Ronnie Whelan, at one time mentioned as a possible contender for the Ireland post, who guided Southend United to a 2-0 win in what was seen as an important game for both clubs.

McCarthy, who turned down an opportunity of succeeding the former England manager, Graham Taylor, as manager of Wolverhampton in order not to complicate his Ireland ambitions, had an agreement with the London club whereby he would be released, if appointed, to succeed Charlton.

McCarthy will be 37 on Wednesday, the 10th anniversary of Charlton's appointment to succeed Eoin Hand in charge of the national team.

Initially, the FAI's powerbrokers had hopes of persuading either Alex Ferguson or Kenny Dalglish to follow Charlton, but the prospect of Ferguson turning his back on Manchester United was never considered to be a realistic one.

Dalglish fitted the Association's description of a high profile manager who was capable of building on Charlton's achievements, but this too turned out to be something of a damp squib.

If Dalglish was ever seriously interested in doing business with the authorities in Dublin, he was disillusioned, according to friends, by the manner in which the FAI went about the process of naming a new manager. He objected, in particular, to being subjected to an open competition with other candidates and in spite of the persistence of the FAI in the initial stages of the succession stakes, he was never subsequently mentioned as a serious contender.

Once those two had been removed from calculations, McCarthy was always the front runner for the post. Joe Kinnear, at one point, looked capable of mounting a serious challenge, but his candidature had diminished before he announced last Thursday that he was withdrawing from the contest.

McCarthy was born in Barnsley, where he started his football career with the local club. His father, from Waterford, was a hurling enthusiast and as a youngster Michael junior was active in the game in the Yorkshire area. He joined Manchester City in 1984, the year in which he won the first of his 57 Ireland caps against Poland. Later, he had spells with Celtic, Lyons and finally Millwall, where he served as a player before being" offered the manager's position.

A strong forthright defender, he surprised many with his priorities in his first season in charge at the New Den: Millwall acquired a reputation as an attractive technically accomplished team.

As yet, it is still not clear who will work with McCarthy in his new role, but the FAI is understood to have already decided that the number two appointment will work exclusively with the under-21 team, a role which could serve as a form of apprenticeship for the main post.

Several names, among them that of Kevin Moran, have been mentioned in connection with this position, but many in the FAI believe that it could go to Chris Hughton, who is assistant to Gerry Francis at Tottenham.

Among the strong contenders for the post of under-18 coach is Liam Tuohy, who achieved outstanding success with the national youth team before a clash of personalities saw him leave Jack Charlton's regime in 1987.