FAI appoint King caretaker as ‘headhunters’ eye new boss

The FAI have decided against rushing into the appointment of a successor to Giovanni Trapattoni, meaning Martin O’Neill can no longer be regarded as the certain replacement many had previously believed him to be.

The association’s board of management met yesterday and decided to appoint U21 coach Noel King as caretaker manager for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan.

The board also took the decision to appoint a duo of head-hunters to assess candidates for the permanent position, with Ray Houghton reprising the role he took in the process which led to the appointment of Giovanni Trapattoni.