Venables the new favourite to follow Kerr

Ireland Manager's job: Terry Venables' agent declined to comment last night on growing speculation that his client is about to be named as the next manager of the Irish football team, and there was some surprise here at the suggestion that an appointment was imminent.

After a day on which the bookmakers slashed the odds on the former England, Barcelona and Tottenham boss being appointed as Brian Kerr's successor, Leon Angel said that to comment would "not be fair to any of the parties".

He did not, however, suggest there was any basis to the reports, and went on to express the belief that the rumours are "self generating".

With the members of the sub-committee appointed to find a replacement for Kerr believed still to be weighing up their options, after Martin O'Neill ruled himself out of the running, it was not clear last night whether some preliminary contacts had been made with Venables through his representatives.

But it was clear that no appointment will be made in the immediate future, and it appears highly unlikely that the field had been narrowed to the extent where the association is now pursuing just one man.

Venables does, however, have strong credentials for the job.

With more than 35 years of experience of management, the 62-year-old has, among other things, led Barcelona to the Spanish league title and England to the semi-finals of Euro 96.

His last significant achievement came at Middlesbrough, where he was appointed "assistant" to Bryan Robson at a time in 2000 when the club was threatened with relegation. He helped turn the team's season around and the club finished 14th in the table.

But Venables departed soon afterwards, citing the difficulty of meeting his media and business obligations from a base in the northeast of England.

He subsequently had a spell at Leeds but failed to halt the club's dramatic slide at a time when it was beset by financial problems, and he left Elland Road in March 2003.

More recently, he pulled out of a job in Australia which he had been due to take up earlier this year, again citing his business interests back in Britain.

The Englishman is not the first man to have his odds dramatically shortened by the bookmakers since betting opened on the next Ireland boss, and a spokesman for one of the major chains yesterday conceded that, given their fear of being caught out by somebody with inside knowledge, as usually happens in the end with subjects like this, quite small amounts of money can actually have a significant effect on the odds offered.

Former international Steve Staunton was widely linked with the job by a number of newspapers last week, and as a result he quickly became the bookmakers' favourite. But he subsequently said that he had received no approach from the association.

Both men remain possibilities for the job, but, as of last night at least, the FAI still appear to be some way off making a firm offer to anyone, never mind having it accepted.