Gambling on novice and master

If intelligence and strength of character were the only ingredients required to cook up a successful football manager then the impending combination of Steve Staunton and Bobby Robson at the helm of the Irish international set up might have the heavenly whiff of a dream team.

The pair have both qualities in abundance and could well forge a formidable partnership. There remains, however, more than an element of risk in the appointments with those inside Merrion Square gambling, shorter priced options having eluded them, that they are not backing one man whose best years in management are still some way off and another whose prime is quickly fading.

Staunton's playing career was little short of outstanding. Signed by Liverpool from Dundalk as a teenager he went to make more than 100 appearances for the Anfield outfit during two spells at the club while he played more than twice that number of games for Aston Villa, showing considerable versatility and determination.

With Liverpool he won both the league and FA Cup while Villa won the League Cup twice during his time there. He made his international debut against Tunisia in October 1988 and went on to earn 103 caps, 16 of them as skipper, retiring from international football at the end of his third World Cup finals in 2002 . . . where he ended up playing 315 minutes of football after an impressive show of form immediately before and during the competition.

Off the pitch he proved strong willed and astute in the management of his career, benefiting to a considerable extent from the fact only one significant fee, the £1.1 million Villa paid for him in 1991 ever changed hands for his services. Like Roy Keane he has been advised during his career by the London-based solicitor, Michael Kennedy who also represented Robson in his dismissal dispute with Newcastle United, an altercation that led to the club paying more than £2 million to its former manager.

While there is still a playing side to Staunton's duties at the Bescot stadium, his position at Walsall, where he has been assistant to Paul Merson since August, brings with it his first proper coaching role, something he presumably felt would with time lead to greater things in management. He does not yet possess the coaching badges that would entitle him to manage in the Premiership so it seems fair to suggest that that time has come more quickly than he had expected. The intention is the national team will benefit from the inspirational side of his character with Robson bringing the other qualities that tend to be amassed with experience and success to the table.

Still, it's hard to imagine that John Delaney had in mind, when he expressed confidence on the night the decision had been taken to dispense with Brian Kerr that a "top class" replacement would be found, someone quite so unproven for the job.

Assuming there are no snags over the coming days and he is appointed in the run up to his 37th birthday on Thursday week he will have to learn a great deal about his new job while doing it.

Not much has changed since he departed the scene three and a half years ago and some of his former team-mates will still be key figures during his first campaign but he will have to adapt to his dramatically different role rather swiftly.

On the plus side he will have a little over six months to further his management studies before taking charge of the team in a competitive game.

With Ireland's stock on the world ranking list sinking, however, and a tough qualification group for the 2008 European Championships in prospect he will have to prove himself a fast learner.