Houghton becomes the third man

Ray Houghton last night became the final member of the three-man panel tasked with selecting Steve Staunton's successor. The appointment reaffirmed John Delaney's commitment to the selection process for hiring the next Republic of Ireland manager as it was outlined on the night the Louthman lost his job.

The association's chief executive denied that his actions in recent weeks had been at odds with the way he suggested the search for the new man would be conducted that evening. He also said it made clear to the then two members of the panel last week that their recommendation for the job will be acted upon whenever it arrives.

"The four of us (Delaney, Eddie Murray, Michael Cody and David Blood) met with Don Howe and Don Givens last Friday and it was made very clear that if they come back and recommend one individual person for the job then that's a ratification process for the board of the FAI .

"I think now it's about them getting on with it, but I am pretty certain in my own mind that they will come back with one name. It's a matter then of the chairperson of the committee of three explaining the decision behind the person they are going to recommend and I couldn't see a circumstance where that couldn't be ratified."

Delaney, speaking at the official opening of the association's new headquarters at Abbotstown, insisted he has not in any way breached the terms he laid out last month for finding Staunton's successor. "We set out a process," he said. "That is in place and we never deviated from it. There was never an intention to meet anyone down in South Africa and there was never any intention to meet anyone in relation to the vacant manager's job. Terry Venables was never spoken to by the FAI or by myself and Andy Townsend was never talked to about being a number two to the Irish team. They were just all inaccuracies."

Delaney played down the significance of his phone call to Paul Jewell, insisting it was little more than a courtesy call after the former Wigan boss had ruled himself out of the job but, he insisted, the association had played its proper part in the search for a new manager by shaping the process and putting in place the recruitment panel.

"We've worked hard over the last month," he said. "I've met 20 to 25 people in terms of getting the terms of reference and the criteria and that took a lot of work.

"By meeting a lot of people who are respected in the game you get the right criteria for the type of manager that we want. We got the financial package organised and that's the second aspect of it and then we recruited three people to go and do the job, so that is quite a substantial involvement. I'm pleased today that Ray (Houghton) is announced and they can go on and do the job. I think we set out a month ago to do that."

Amongst the guests for yesterday's function were Minister for Arts, Tourism and Sport Séamus Brennan and Uefa president Michel Platini. The minister at one stage suggested that Platini take on the Ireland manager's job himself. "Thanks for the offer," joked the Frenchman, "but I am not mad."

Platini went on to offer to become involved in the recruitment panel himself. "I think it's very clever that the people who know very well the football have been handed the job of choosing the next coach," he said.

"If you want to put me working on this choice I can do it," he added with a laugh. "I have to find a coach for England, I can find one for Ireland too."

The former French skipper also met with Bertie Ahern and one of the items expected to feature on the agenda was the FAI's bid to host the 2011 Uefa Cup final at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road. Asked for his views on Ireland's prospects, Platini said the matter was for the team of assessors which visited Dublin last week rather than himself. Pressed for his impression of the Lansdowne Road site, which he was shown yesterday morning, he seemed a little exasperated. "There is no Lansdowne Road," he said. "There is nothing!"