It's in the wider media now too...
STAUNTON IN LINE FOR REPUBLIC JOB
By Ian Parkes, PA Sport Steve Staunton is poised to be appointed as the new manager of the Republic of
Ireland by the end of the week.
Staunton, currently assistant manager to Paul Merson at Walsall, is understood
to have held talks over the weekend with officials from the Football Association
of Ireland.
The FAI have been buoyed by the success of the talks, but they remain at a
delicate stage and have yet to be concluded.
The FAI are also looking for a guiding mentor, with former England manager Sir
Bobby Robson believed to be in the frame due to Staunton's lack of managerial
experience.
Robson has been out of work since being sacked as Newcastle boss in August
2004.
Should the duo be officially confirmed, their first game will be a Lansdowne
Road friendly against Sweden on Wednesday, March 1.
That will begin a six-month countdown ahead of the start of the qualification
programme for the 2008 European Championships.
Staunton is Ireland's most capped player, making 102 appearances including 16
as captain. He played in two World Cup finals, with his last game the
second-round penalty shoot-out to Spain in South Korea three-and-a-half years
ago.
His potential appointment will bring an end to a near three-month search for
the FAI in the wake of Brian Kerr's dismissal following his failure to guide the
Republic to this summer's World Cup finals in Germany.