Two could go into one!

FOR at least one day later this month, the disappointment of failure to qualify for next summer’s World Cup finals will be put aside for Irish football fans as they train their attention instead on the qualifying campaign for the 2008 European Championships.

In football, as in life, hope has a way of springing eternal but, given that the Irish are mere fourth seeds, the draw in Montreaux, Switzerland on Friday, January 27, is set to bring as much pain as pleasure.

President David Blood and chief executive John Delaney will head the Irish delegation at the event but right now it seems highly unlikely that they will be accompanied by the manager whose job it will be to scale the Alpine heights of qualification.

The FAI's hunt for a successor to Brian Kerr has continued away from the spotlight and is expected to intensify over the coming weeks. However, barring a sudden and unexpected breakthrough, an appointment is still not expected to be made until mid-February at the earliest, giving the new man at least a couple of weeks to prepare for the March 1 friendly against Sweden.

Or could that be new men? All the speculation to date has concentrated on the notion that there is one person out there with all the necessary credentials and experience to fill the role of manager of the Republic of Ireland.

Clearly, Martin O'Neill is such a man, and there is little doubt that, in an ideal world, the FAI and Irish football generally would welcome his arrival with open arms. However, O'Neill's well-documented personal circumstances are such that he may not be in a position to even countenance taking the job and, if that is indeed the case, Merrion Square will have to look elsewhere.

Terry Venables, Philippe Troussier, Claudio Ranieri, John Aldridge and Steve Staunton continue to feature prominently in media speculation and the betting lists.

The FAI have thus far refused to rule any one individual in or out, but there are signs beginning to emerge now that they could be leaning in the direction of a combination appointment.

Again, no names have been officially identified, but if the idea was to pair managerial know-how with green passion, you can begin to understand why the likes of Steve Staunton continues to feature prominently in the guessing game, perhaps in an assistant manager role, if not the top job itself.

The ability to inspire the dressing room is seen as a key objective. The sense that the Irish team were badly deflated towards the end of the World Cup campaign was reinforced by comments Damien Duff made in this newspaper recently, when he spoke of how the side had played like "a pub team" in Cyprus, how he himself had had a "shit" campaign and how he feels strongly that the whole camp badly needs to be shaken up.

The Chelsea man mentioned John Aldridge as a personal preference and he is someone who combines managerial experience with a proven commitment to the Irish cause. On the other hand, it would be hard to think of anyone who has given more in the green shirt than the veteran Staunton, who is both fiercely patriotic and a natural motivator.

Could a combination then of, say, Terry Venables and Steve Staunton prove a dream team for Ireland?

Before anyone goes running to the bookies, it should be emphasised that we are still in the realms of speculation. Nor is the process straightforward. If the FAI do go down this road they will have to act like a dating agency pairing personalities, introducing prospective partners, establishing demarcation lines and so on.

Indeed, with that first international of 2006 barely seven weeks away, speed-dating may be the order of the day.

MEANWHILE, life goes on for former managers and former international players alike. While Brian Kerr will have to wait until after the African Nations' Cup to find out if he's bound for South Africa, Roy Keane has only 24 hours to go before, as is widely expected, he makes his Celtic debut.

Former Irish international and Celtic striker Tommy Coyne has suggested that Gordon Strachan should hold Keane in reserve for the home game against Kilmarnock this day week. According to Coyne, lowly Clyde, and there 7,000 capacity Broadwood ground, is hardly the ideal stage for a debut by one of the game's greatest players.

Ultimately it will be Strachan's decision, but after a such a prolonged spell cooling his heels, I suspect that, if called upon, Keane will be only too happy to tog out tomorrow. With all the hype which surrounds his every move, it can almost be overlooked that Roy Keane is, first and foremost, a professional footballer and footballers always want to play football.

It will be good to see him back where he belongs.