MICK McCARTHY, chastened but unbowed, returned to London yesterday to contemplate a difficult year in the making following Sunday's scoreless draw with Iceland at Lansdowne Road.

Stretching ahead are treacherous assignments in Macedonia and Romania in April and, not least, the prospect of a trip to Reykjavik which has suddenly assumed a new element of risk.

The evidence of Sunday's game is that there is some urgent repair work to be done, but there is still no definitive word on the preparatory fixture planned for February 12th.

Morocco and Egypt are already in discussion with the FAI to play hosts to a visit by the Irish team, and a new name was added to the speculation yesterday when Bernard O'Byrne, the FAI's chief executive, confirmed that Saudi Arabia have now entered the equation.

"The Saudi authorities are keen to arrange a fixture with us and we are awaiting further details before responding to the invitation," he said.

"Egypt, who were involved in a World Cup qualifying game at the weekend, have indicated that they will also be in contact within the next few days and the hope is that we will be a position to fill the date shortly."

Norway and Yugoslavia expressed an interest in coming to Dublin in February, but Lansdowne Road is not normally available to the FAI at that time of year.

Before taking his leave of Dublin, McCarthy said he remained committed to a game early in the New Year. "As things stand at the moment, there is a break of almost five months to our next match and that's far too long.

"As a last resort, I am prepared to get the players together in England for a training session. But obviously there is no substitute for an actual game.

"The lads are naturally disappointed about Sunday's game and that makes it more important that we get together at the earliest available opportunity and pick it up before going to Macedonia."

Irrespective of who provides the opposition, it is a date now vested with some importance after one of the poorest home performances in years against an Icelandic team which, ostensibly was merely making up the numbers.

A corner kick count of 3-2 in Ireland's favour testified to the banality of it all on a day when the frenzy of the battle for midfield control condensed into precious few chances in either penalty area.

Identifying the weaknesses in a team which revealed little or no cutting edge is easy enough: addressing them threatens to be a much more complex exercise in the sombre knowledge that Niall Quinn is unlikely to play again this season.

Tony Cascarino did not do at all badly, but in a role in which the physical demands are considerable, a replacement target man, to be deployed in the last half hour, has long been regarded as an important asset. To that extent, the loss of Quinn, who enters hospital this week for a second serious knee operation in two years, is significant.

Equally critical is the challenge of finding the most suitable runner to complement the big man. Judged on his team selections since replacing Jack Charlton, McCarthy would appear to have discounted John Aldridge from his calculations, and, after a bright start, David Kelly failed to deliver in the Iceland game.

That focuses attention on David Connolly and Keith O'Neill, both of whom were ruled out of contention because of injury. Connolly, as a specialist striker, has obvious claims, but the transition of O'Neill from left sided midfield player to centre forward has gone sufficiently well to suggest that, in the final reckoning, he may be the better bet.

Once he has absorbed the lesson that Roy Keane is most usefully deployed in an Ireland team in the middle line, McCarthy cannot expect to improve much on the midfield formation he sent into action at the weekend.

Gareth Farrelly, Alan Moore and Dave Savage are all long term prospects with much to offer in this area, but the more immediate challenge for the manager is to assist in the rehabilitation of Mark Kennedy.

The talent which established Kennedy as Britain's most expensive teenager has, sadly, lain dormant in the last year, a product of Achilles tendon trouble which took a long time to respond to treatment.

It cost him his place in Liverpool's team and, ultimately, his new Ireland status after Jack Charlton had introduced him in the game against Austria in Vienna 14 months ago. Yet, a fully fit Kennedy has much to offer McCarthy in the New Year, and his progress over the next few months will be monitored carefully.

Phil Babb, his clubmate, looked distinctly uncomfortable on his return to international football, but with Steve Staunton back, Denis Irwin restored to the right flank and Paul McGrath waiting just off stage for a last hurrah, the manager will not worry unduly about his defence.