SOCCER: Mick McCarthy fallout: Emmet Malone on the implications for the Republic of Ireland manager and former Irish international Niall Quinn.

So after all the speculation, Sunderland got their man and the FAI kept theirs. Happy faces all round, or so you would think.

After a frantic couple of days, though, during which Mick McCarthy's friend and ghost-writer, Cathal Dervan, had widely talked about the Ireland manager's willingness to move on, the 43- year-old now faces the task of persuading his players, employers and the Irish public that he is not simply biding his time until the next vacancy comes along.

Dervan did not claim to be representing McCarthy when he talked about his friend's desire to take on the Sunderland job. But, if the former Millwall manager was unhappy with what was being done on Wednesday, then there remains a question over why, once Dervan had made his comments to BBC Radio 5 and to a number of newspaper journalists here, McCarthy did not re-enter the public arena to distance himself from what was going on.

"Mick would probably feel that Cathal didn't do him any favours over the past couple of days," said McCarthy's adviser Liam Gaskin, who, like the FAI, continued to insist there was never any contact by or with Sunderland.

"But there hasn't been any blazing row or falling-out. Mick may address the situation in time and I suspect that when he does it it will be in a small room somewhere."

Asked if he felt McCarthy had been damaged by the events of this week, Gaskin said: "I don't think he could have suffered any more damage than some people were attempting to inflict on him before all of this."

Gaskin also said there was the prospect of a legal action against one British paper that suggested McCarthy had been in talks with Sunderland chairman Bob Murray even before Reid had been sacked.

Gaskin maintained McCarthy wanted, as he has repeatedly said himself, to stay in his current job at least until the end of Ireland's involvement in the current European Championship campaign, ideally after taking them to Portugal in two years' time.

"What his fear was this week, though, was that it could all spill over into the preparation of the players. He saw that when he was at Millwall and in the running for the Ireland job, the uncertainty it created, and he was very concerned over the last few days that the same sort of thing might affect the players ahead of such a big game, so I think he's relieved that the whole thing has been resolved."

The implications of yesterday's appointments at the Stadium of Light for Niall Quinn, meanwhile, were still unclear last night with the Dubliner having apparently hinted that he would now retire - as he had originally intended to at the end of last season. Wilkinson, however, said he hoped to persuade Quinn to keep playing.

"We see him as a coach but also as a player," said for the former Leeds United boss at yesterday morning's press conference. "We need all the help from the coaches that we have at the club because we are short-handed right now, we haven't had time to go out and recruit people."

Wilkinson, Cotterill and Quinn met yesterday and are due to speak again about the situation over the coming days.

Howard Wilkinson became manager of Sunderland yesterday and promised an approach "as modern and forward-thinking as anywhere in the world".

Wilkinson, who left his job as FA technical director, and his number two, Steve Cotterill - formerly manager of Sligo Rovers, Cheltenham and Stoke - are among only 12 coaches in Britain to hold the UEFA Pro Licence, the highest qualification in Europe.

Sunderland's under-performing players can expect a no-nonsense approach as Wilkinson aims to put them in a frame of mind to fight their way out of the lower reaches of the Premiership.

Sunderland chairman Bob Murray has told 58-year-old Wilkinson there is no money to spend on new players this season - "we've spent £22 million bringing in 10 players in the last nine months, we failed to sell any in the summer, and Howard and Steve know there is no money available".

Wilkinson said he accepted the job fully aware there was no cash to spend, but he thought the squad was big enough and good enough to work with.

"I do think the players we have got have underachieved up to now, which was unfortunate for Peter Reid latterly," he said. "Football can be a great friend but it can also be a vicious, vicious enemy. The players in my opinion are better than the results they have had and some of the performances I have seen on tape.

"We will prepare the players in a way that's as modern and forward-thinking as anywhere in the world, I can guarantee that, but that alone is not the answer. I know that both of us are well up with the times - in some cases ahead of the times - but fundamentally here we have got to get down to shifting away from where we are, and at the start that's going to be a lot of ABC stuff, we have to get some of those basics right.

"Steve will know his responsibilities, I know mine and hopefully, we will put together with the rest of the staff here - and staff we may bring in in the future - a team off the pitch that's capable of producing a very, very good team on the pitch."

The announcement of Wilkinson's appointment was generally unforeseen, although his odds did go in to 5 to 1 late on Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, Mick McCarthy had been so hot a favourite that the bookies had stopped taking bets on the Republic of Ireland manager.

Whether any were approached and subsequently put off by the lack of funds available is not known - Sunderland chairman Murray insisted Wilkinson was his first choice.

The FA agreed to release Wilkinson from his contract, which was due to run until 2004, but will look for a six-figure compensation sum. Cotterill (38), resigned as manager of Stoke late on Wednesday night.

Wilkinson has been more than five years away from club management and is best-known for his time with Leeds United, where he won the old First Division title in 1991-92. He was sacked by Leeds in 1996 after the club suffered a 4-0 defeat by Manchester United at Elland Road. He had previous management spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Notts County.

The Sunderland public were sceptical about the appointment, with radio shows and websites bombarded by doubting fans.