I remember when the Brazilians last came to town in February 2004. It was one of the most exciting times as Republic of Ireland manager.

There wasn't a spare ticket to be had and those with access to some were never as popular among the ticketless legions.

What a contrast this week has been as speculation and frustration surrounding a new manager completely overshadow what should be a highlight on the Irish sporting calendar.

We spent weeks planning to deal with the technical and tactical conundrums of magicians like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu, Roberto Carlos and Kaka, but interim manager Don Givens has so many commitments at present he would be forgiven for barely reviewing tonight's opposition.

When Don accepted the role as chief kingmaker, after John Delaney abdicated responsibility, he hardly envisaged still being in place this week.

I'm sure Don, along with Don Howe and Ray Houghton, approached this extremely flawed process with reasonable vigour but surely the preparation and management of the team have been hindered by his continued involvement in the recruitment of a new manager.

Attending the fixtures meeting in Sofia and an intensive pro-licence course all in January are surely distractions from his two primary duties at present.

And then there is his permanent brief, the under-21 squad, currently under the remit of Seán McCaffrey, who also oversees the under-17s, under-18s and under-19s.

This merely highlights the farcical nature of the FAI's long-term planning. We are also seeing short-term damage with the retirements of Steve Finnan and Andy O'Brien.

The question I'm continually asked is who'll get the job?

Understandably, many decent candidates have fallen by the wayside as Paul Jewell, Graeme Souness, David O'Leary and Gerard Houllier were always unlikely to risk rejection by the three wise men.

As it comes down to a call as to the availability of Giovanni Trapattoni or Terry Venables, the consistent name throughout the speculation, one has to wonder what the last few months have been all about.

Why has Trapattoni's candidacy only recently come to light? His availability could surely have been checked out discreetly by a competent CEO months ago.

Despite his failure as Italy manager and Richard Dunne's scepticism, he has tremendous credentials, although I foresee problems for the tight-fisted folk out in Abbotstown if, like Fabio Capello, he seeks an Italian entourage in his backroom.

Our now trademark ability to steal draws from the jaws of victory late in games needs to be addressed and maybe this is a job for an Italian steeped in the history of defensive principles.

As for Venables, while he ticks many boxes, one wonders about his enthusiasm for the job.

Regardless, a brilliant opportunity has been lost for a new manager to assess what he is inheriting and even reveal some of his philosophy to the squad.

The failure to make an appointment also damages preparations for the qualification campaign that kicks off in Georgia on September 6th followed by Montenegro four days later. The May friendly against Serbia is a notoriously difficult date to pull a full-strength squad together but at least the new man will presumably have time to assess players over the remaining months of the season.

On the game itself, the inheritance of a jersey previously worn by the likes of Garrincha, Gérson, Pele, Tostão, Socrates and Cafu hardly looks threatening in the absence of the world player of the year Kaka and the new wonder boy Pato.

Still, it was always said that Brazil don't do friendlies. Basically, they try to win every game. In that case it's vital we have a high work-rate, particularly in midfield, where they are inclined to overload and break forward in waves.

Given the lack of preparation and uncertainty around the manager, some players will be under pressure not to return to their clubs injured. While Brazil can be suspect to the old "up and at them" approach, I feel we'll spend most of tonight chasing the ball with only the occasional breakout. The return of Damien Duff and Dunne will be crucial.

At least our supporters can stomach being outplayed by Brazil rather than, say, Cyprus.

Either way, morale among the staff of Irish teams at all levels is at an all-time low. Managers and coaches in our Eircom League are hugely frustrated at the lack of opportunity and the lack of respect shown to them when appointments are considered.

Even the players, usually so indifferent to such goings on, are expressing disgust through senior figures like Shay Given and Dunne.

Most importantly, the public are fed up and frustrated, so for God's sake appoint someone and let's get the show back on the road quickly.