It's being reported that Martin O'Neill maybe made Ireland manager as soon as next week following Giovanni Trapattoni's departure yesterday.

The former European cup winner as a player with Nottingham Forest hasn't managed since being sacked by Sunderland last season.

Previous to that he had successful spells at Celtic and Aston Villa.

Kevin Kilbane told Off the Ball on Newstalk last night that O’Neill would be a good appointment but it’s not just the senior management position that should be looked at.

Kilbane thinks how we create our footballers needs to be examined.

Former Ireland manager Brian Kerr, our only domestically produced manger since Eoin Hand says in his article today’s Irish Times the new boss should be “ a beacon of hope throughout Irish football”

He adds there is a lot of discontent among the grassroots and there’s disarray in schoolboy football.

Kerr points out that the manager doesn’t have to select players from the League of Ireland but he must be seen among them.

Niall Quinn expressed concern yesterday that not enough Irish players are getting into the top teams in England and it's a concern that Kevin Kilbane picked up on when speaking with Newstalk last night first though his thoughts on the possible appointment of O'Neill.