Republic of Ireland Managerial Vacancy: Bryan Hamilton last night delivered his verdict on the various applicants for the post of Republic of Ireland manager to FAI officials at a meeting which was expected to conclude late with the four men agreeing on a shortlist of candidates to be formally interviewed. Emmet Malone reports.

Rather than present a shortlist himself, Hamilton opted instead to make a lengthy presentation on all of the meetings he has had so far, with the former Northern Ireland boss running through what he felt were the pros and cons of each of the interested parties.

The approach means that the FAI officers involved, Kevin Fahy, John Delaney and Milo Corcoran, will effectively select the names on the shortlist themselves rather than having to accept, reject or amend a list submitted to them by Hamilton.

None of those involved were available for comment last night but it is believed that if, as expected, Brian Kerr makes the cut then he will be interviewed before leaving for the United Arab Emirates with an Irish under-20 squad tomorrow. There was widespread speculation that such a meeting would in fact take place this morning.

Of the other candidates, the list is expected to more or less boil down to the widely floated names of Peter Reid, Bryan Robson, Kevin Moran, Philippe Troussier, and possibly Kenny Dalglish, George Burley or Frank Stapleton.

These will be interviewed within the next 10 days with the intention being that the association will be in a position to make an appointment some time the following week.

"I think the process has been handled well so far," said Hamilton before last night's meeting, "and my intention now is to go through with the FAI everything that I've done up until this point, so that they can make a considered appointment."

Hamilton said that he had talked to a considerable number but not all of the applicants. "The numbers are irrelevant but I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to stake their claim.

"There's a lot to go through but I like talking," he added jovially. "Time is not an issue, this is not something that should be rushed, so I'll make sure I go through everything and take as much time as I need to."

The former Ipswich and Norwich coach added that he was unsure about where the process would go after last night's meeting or whether he would be involved with it. "If they wish me to be a part of it, then I will be. But ultimately, it's their appointment, my role is simply to help."

No decision had been taken prior to last night's deliberations on where the interviews would take place and that is also likely to have been discussed at the meeting. It seems more likely, however, that the three or four-man panel will assemble in Britain in order to conduct the final interviews.

It remains clear that the final decision on who is to succeed Mick McCarthy will play a significant part in making Roy Keane's mind up regarding his international future. The Manchester United midfielder said on Monday that he would make a decision over the next two to three weeks on whether to play for his country again and that he would do so after talking with both Alex Ferguson and the new Ireland manager.

The fact that Hamilton has made it clear that bringing the Corkman back on board is one of the main priorities for the successful candidate has been taken as a strong indication that Kenny Dalglish, an early front-runner for the job, may miss out on the shortlist.

The former Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle manager fell out with the 31-year-old player after Keane initially agreed to join him at Ewood Park from Nottingham Forest but then changed his mind following an approach from Alex Ferguson and United. Any hopes that the incident might have been consigned to history and that the pair would be able to work together were severely dented when the player's autobiography last year included a scathing account of Dalglish's response to the incident.

It is not believed that Keane's return would prove a problem to any of the other candidates although whether they could persuade him to come back could be an issue. Moran and Robson are generally viewed as the best placed to deliver the former Irish skipper in a green shirt again.

All of those in contention, though, are likely to be required to give their views on the player's future by Friday of next week.