Tipperary are set to appoint Nicky English as the county's new hurling manager. This will be the recommendation of a seven-man selection committee to next Friday night's county board meeting at which English, Ken Hogan and Jack Bergin will be proposed as selectors.

All three met with county officials on Sunday night and are expected to accept the nomination. English is new to management, although he coached DCU in the Fitzgibbon Cup, while Hogan was a county selector for two years and coaches the Garda College Fitzgibbon team. Bergin's experience is confined to club level.

News of the appointment has leaked out despite the intention that an announcement would be kept until Friday's meeting. English succeeds Len Gaynor who had served as manager for the last two years and who led Tipperary to last season's Munster and All-Ireland finals both of which they lost to Clare.

Gaynor's appointment was for two years, which expired with the disappointing defeat by Waterford in Pairc Ui Chaoimh in June, but he had let it be known that he was interested in having his term extended. His predecessor, Tom Fogarty, also served two years.

Recently, the Tipperary county board decided that the incoming management would be nominated as three selectors, including a manager, rather than as a manager who would then pick two selectors.

Despite the fact that English's accession has been variously described as "a done deal" which "the dogs in the street know", the county executive has decided to sit on the announcement until its scheduled release.

It is not clear when and how Gaynor was informed that his services would no longer be required. According to one version, English telephoned him last Friday night and that was the first that Gaynor knew. County board sources say that the outgoing manager had been informed weeks ago that "there was a mood for change" in the county.

County chairman Paul O'Neill spoke to Gaynor at a camogie match over the weekend and confirmed the decision taken by the committee, comprising the chairman, secretary and treasurer of the county board, plus the chairmen of the four divisional boards within the county.

Gaynor himself could not be contacted, but confirmation of the rather insensitive communications lapse came from one of his selectors, Michael Doyle.

"We're hearing about it like yourselves, but it's a done deal and word has been going around for the last 10 days. I'm disappointed for Len's sake because he put fierce work into it. If it had been straight up and they'd told him they were looking for a new face, I'd have no qualms then.

"Of course I'm disappointed. You would be when you've worked so much, but everything comes to an end and I won't lose sleep over it. My own gut feeling was that this would happen the day Waterford beat us. Since that game we had no contact from the county board."