The Welsh FA met in Cardiff during the week to formulate a short list of candidates to succeed Bobby Gould as manager of the national side. Despite the position being something of a poisoned chalice, there seems to be quite a long list of former greats willing to guide the Principality.
One hopes that it is national pride that provoked Neville Southall, Mark Hughes, Ian Rush and Kevin Ratcliffe to offer their services but the sceptic within suggests the £250,000 on offer to anyone who guides Wales to the 2002 World Cup finals may be the real carrot for three of the aforementioned whose boots are beginning to gather cobwebs.
Hughes is still with Southampton in the not so much twilight as nightlight of his career and so the national job offers obvious attractions. The old boys though face stiff competition with former Everton manager Howard Kendall and Terry `Martini' (anytime, anyplace, anywhere) Venables linked to the position.
Anyone who has watched Wales recently in the European Championship qualifying campaign won't be spending the £250,000 cash bonus in advance. They would deserve that cheque and the rest if they managed to negotiate Wales' passage to the World Cup finals on the evidence of recent displays.
The post of Welsh assistant coach is also up for grabs following the sacking yesterday of Graham Williams, Gould's assistant for a year.
