MAURICE SETTERS'S place in the Irish management structure following Jack Charlton's departure, remains unclear after talks aimed at resolving the matter were adjourned last night.
After a meeting lasting more than 90 minutes FAI officials and Setters agreed to disagree in their interpretation of the current state of play. Talks are to resume later this month but already the signs are of still more difficult negotiations ahead.
The association's stance is that since both men were part of the same management team, Setters's position of assistant manager automatically lapsed with Charlton's decision to resign under pressure.
He claims that the two positions were quite different, that.he was employed by the association rather than the manager and that his position need not necessarily be effected by the change at the top.
At one point during yesterday's talks, he is believed to have been asked for his resignation. Not surprisingly, perhaps, he refused offering tee opinion that he still had a vested interest in the appointment of Charlton's successor.
At the centre of the controversy is the question of severance pay. Setters believes that he is the victim of a situation not of his making and as such, is entitled to compensation if he is not retained as assistant manager.
This is refuted by the association whose thinking is that their obligations to him ceased when Charlton submitted his resignation after last month's European Championship defeat by Holland at Anfield.
Setters returns to his home in Doncaster this morning but is determined that the matter will be raised at the earliest opportunity certainly before the appointment of a new manager which is now expected by the third week of February.
Meanwhile, members of the FAI's executive committee met yesterday afternoon, honing the terms of reference by which Charlton's replacement will be appointed. Later, these were listed as follows:
. Management of the senior national team and active involvement in the structures beneath that level.
. Planning and implementing policies to consolidate the current world status of the national team.
. Working with the FAI in (a) Developing the game at all levels with particular emphasis on developing talent for the national teams and ensuring the growth of the game locally (b) Maximising the potential of all the vested interests in football in Ireland (c) Co ordinating the various constituents in the game into one cohesive unit.
. Involvement as required by the FAI in commercial activities:
Earlier, it was announced that Finbarr Flood, chairman of Shelbourne, will join Louis Kilcoyne, Pat Quigley, Joe Delaney, Des Casey and Michael Hyland and the association's chief executive, Sean Connolly on the committee to seek a suitable candidate for national team manager.
An accompanying statement said that the committee will be required to furnish its recommendations to the executive committee at the earlier opportunity, a clause which appears to refute the idea that the they will be responsible for the final appointment.
The wording of the first paragraph of the specifications for the position implies that there will be at least one layer of management beneath the top post.
It had already been agreed that the appointment would be a full time one, in so far as the Ireland manager would not be involved in the day to day administration of a club team.
One of first duties awaiting the new manager will be to arrange a World Cup warm up programme over the next six months. Plans for a journey to the Czech Republic in the last week of April, an assignment which will return the visit of the Czechs to Lansdowne Road in June 1994, are already firmly in place.
To this, may be added a return meeting with Holland at a Dutch venue in April but as yet, the jury it seems, is still out on a proposal to take part in the US Cup tournament in June.
