No definite ‘no’ from O’Neill

THAT’S that then. Martin O’Neill flew into Dublin and did everything he could to distance himself from the role of Republic of Ireland manager.

Three times he was asked about the possibility of his stepping into Brian Kerr’s shoes. Three times he patiently pointed out that he could not see the personal circumstances that saw him leave Parkhead “changing in the foreseeable future.”

“I have not been approached by the FAI about the job, either directly or indirectly,” he said. “I don’t know how my name came into the betting and I don’t know who they would be thinking of as candidates.”