John Fallon: To-do list swells for chosen one waiting in the wings
Somebody, somewhere will be observing Ireland's game against Belgium later this month from afar with their mind busily contemplating changes they can't immediately enact.
The FAI have their man. We won't have long to wait to discover if it's the man they always wanted.
Lee Carsley continues to be the archetypal figure Marc Canham describes as his utopian figurehead; international experience, Irish connection, linkage to common philosophy through the squads and a track record of maximising output from young players.
Distilling what the director of football said on Tuesday indicated the chosen one for the early April commencement, currently bound by "external contractual obligations", is being headhunted from a country, not a club.
All that criteria might eventually apply in John O'Shea's case, but he's got a few years of ground to make up and, crucially, the experience of picking the team, framing the tactics and deciding on substitutes.
For all the goodwill towards his temporary tenancy, O'Shea's most glaring shortcoming so far in his coaching career is not calling the shots.
The newcomer must be decisive. An absence of qualification this year engenders a transitional feel but he's got less than 12 months before the World Cup campaign kicks off and hard calls may be necessary.
Here, we look at what's sitting in his in-tray once he takes up employment after O'Shea and his interim team navigate the double-header against the Belgians and Swiss on March 23 and 26.
Carefully choose his backroom team:
O'Shea has a supporter in Canham and seems a shoo-in to be kept on in some capacity. It was interesting to hear that the idea of Brian Kerr's return came from within the FAI. Canham confessed he'd met the
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