With Stephen Kenny's departure from his role as Republic of Ireland manager confirmed yesterday, the FAI will already be looking at possible options to replace the 51-year old.
A number of potential candidates have been suggested in the media. Lee Carsley has been suggested as their first choice replacement, although it remains to be seen if he would be interested in the position due to his commitments with England.
Outside of that, the likes of Damien Duff, Roy Keane, Neil Lennon, and John O'Shea are seen as possible options.
That list is far from the most convincing one. Carsley seems like a good fit, although the other names mentioned above would come with plenty of questions marks. In other words, the FAI could be forced to look outside of conventional circles in their search for the next Ireland football manager.
A manager with close links to Ireland would be ideal, but if the right one is not available, they should not be afraid to bring an outside coach in if they feel that they would improve the fortunes of the team.
With that in mind, here are five names that could be considered.
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5 outside the box options to be next Ireland football manager
Gus Poyet
Let's start with someone who has already expressed an interest in the job.
Gus Poyet has had a successful first foray into international management with Greece, helping them achieve promotion in the UEFA Nations League and putting on an impressive showing in Euro 2024 qualifying.
They did not finish in the top two in the difficult group, but they have another chance of reaching the finals via the play-offs. They will play Kazakhstan and then potentially the winners of Georgia and Luxembourg for a place in the finals.
However, there is no guarantee that Poyet will be in charge for those games. His contract ends next month and he currently in a dispute with the Greek FA over a new deal.
The Uruguayan has displayed his tactical nous over recent months, twice out-coaching Stephen Kenny during their two meetings in 2023.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
He is still on the hunt for the right opportunity after leaving Manchester United.
Unlike the other names on this list, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no management experience in international football. However, the way he sets up his teams seems like it would be a good fit at that level.
Solskjaer would certainly be a big name to bring on board, something that could appeal to the FAI as they still search for a main sponsor for the men's team.
However, a much more likely move into international football would be with his native Norway, who could be on the search for a new manager after their poor Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Herve Renard
A hugely experienced manager at international level, Herve Renard has amassed quite the coaching CV over the last 15 years or so.
He is a proven winner on the international scene, leading both Zambia and Ivory Coast to African Cup of Nations glory in 2012 and 2015 respectively. He would also lead Morocco to a first World Cup in 20 years in 2018, then helping Saudi Arabia to the tournament in 2022 where they would beat eventual champions Argentina in the group stages.
Most recently, he would experience a FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-final exit with France, losing to hosts Australia on penalties. He is still with France, although he could be tempted by an offer from Ireland and the chance to challenge himself at men's international level in Europe for the first time.
Renard has consistently shown that he is capable of getting teams to perform on the international stage, something that would appeal to the FAI after the poor run of results over the last couple of years.
He would certainly be an interesting option.
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Chris Coleman
It's easy to forget just how well Chris Coleman did during his time in charge of Wales. He completely transformed their fortunes on the pitch, changing them from an underperforming side to one that would reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
He was certainly helped by the presence of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey in his team, but Coleman showed he is capable of setting a side up for success at international level.
His managerial CV since leaving Wales in 2017 has been pretty poor, failing at Sunderland before a short spell in China. He was most recently the manager of Greek club Atromitos, guiding them to an eighth-placed finish in the Super League Greece last season. However, he would leave his role last month after a poor start to the campaign.
You imagine that a return to international football would certainly appeal to Coleman, although his lack of success since leaving Wales is a red flag.
Sylvinho
Yes, that Sylvinho, the former Brazil international who you will remember from his time at Arsenal and Manchester City.
For those of you who are unaware, he is also doing one of the most impressive management jobs in European football at the moment.
His managerial CV is a relatively short one, taking in short stints at Lyon and Corinthians before making the move into international football. Since being appointed as Albania manager at the start of this year, he has certainly caught the eye.
He looks set to lead the nation to a Euro 2024, with Albania topping a qualification group that also contained Poland and Czech Republic.
Sylvinho's contract with Albania runs up until the end of the current campaign, meaning he is unlikely to be available before the end of the summer of 2024. However, with Ireland set to have no competitive games before September of next year, this would not be much of an issue.
The move to Dublin could appeal to the Brazilian, with Ireland ranked higher and having a deeper playing pool than his current employers. The finances on offer could also be more appealing in comparison to what he may get in Albania.
He would be a left field option, but could also be a shrewd one.
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