John O'Shea is not looking beyond the Switzerland game on Tuesday night, and the interim manager says it's a case of wait and see regarding his future with the national team.
The Waterford man was tasked with leading the team for the two March friendly encounters with Belgium and the Swiss, with the FAI set to appoint a permanent replacement in April.
However, things have gone pretty perfectly for O’Shea thus far, building a strong rapport with the team, appearing open, honest and insightful in his many media briefings, and there has been a groundswell of support to see him offered the full-time position.
But nothing has changed in terms of what O’Shea has been asked to do in relation to his dealings with the FAI, as far as the former Manchester United man is concerned,
"My remit was to focus on these two games," said O’Shea, speaking at the pre-match press conference.
"If my remit beforehand was, 'John you're the full-time new manager', it might have been a different situation. The focus for me was, 'these two games John, look after these games and see what happens then'."
"Not from my point of view," added O’Shea, when asked about whether anything had changed in relation to his dealings with Marc Canham and the FAI.
"As I said, the main focus has been on these two games to really get that experience in terms of leading the team, organising staff, organising training, players, the whole surrounding around it, getting that experience under my belt and I’ve really enjoyed it."
So looking beyond Tuesday night's encounter at the Aviva Stadium, what's next for John O'Shea?
"To see my family, see my wife and kids," said the manager.
And in football?
"In football, ha, let's wait and see," he added.
"Hopefully there will be a few things happening, but hopefully I will be going back for Easter holidays with my kids, so we'll do something with them, and then get back into the swing of things with them and hopefully go to watch games and have a few conversations here and there."
And whatever future conversations there may be, it appears certain that O’Shea now has full belief in his ability to take the reins of a football team as a number one having only worked in assistant roles up to this point.
"That’s why I went about it this way in terms of getting that experience under my belt with different managers and different ideas, and then ultimately take the chance to do it myself.
"As I’ve always said, every scenario presents a different picture, presents a different opportunity and whatever happens next will happen."
O’Shea has been handed a clean bill of health for his squad on the eve of the Swiss game with just a few bumps and bruises to report, while Joe Hodge and Andy Moran have come in and trained with the squad, so they will also be in contention for action at Lansdowne Road tomorrow night.
"It's pretty much a clean bill of health for everyone," said O’Shea.
"A few lads are a little bit leggy, a few bumps, and tight muscle areas and will need a little bit extra attention in training today.
"Andy Moran and Joe Hodge joined in a little bit of training yesterday and were very good, so all in a good spot really.
"Like all the lads training today, they’ll have a very good opportunity of making their debuts but we’ll be assessing that after training.
"And making sure all the bodies, those with a bit of tightness, comes through the training and we’ll see what happens with the selection after that."
And as for O’Shea’s thoughts on the job thus far, he does not feel that anything out of the ordinary presented itself, as he has been working in close contact with managers over the last five years ahead of getting the Ireland position.
"I wouldn't say surprised me as such," he said. "Working in football since I finished playing in terms of planning and hoping that I get the chance to manage some day.
"My idea from the start was to learn the ropes, in terms of being an assistant to different coaches and hopefully then eventually getting the chance to lead a team myself.
"It's just a different challenge, obviously you're the one to make the decision on the XI, and on the squad to pick, and what way we are going to go about it, with the advice of a very good support network around you.
"That's the key bit. You have a team around you, and that's what we have stressed in terms of the team that's picked, the players supporting them and the backup they have the team-mates the other night was amazing, too.
"Put that combination together and you hope you have enough to get over the line in games."
O’Shea, however, re-emphasised that he was not looking beyond the Switzerland game, and that included any hypothetical conversations should a permanent replacement actually be named next month.
"I am focusing on the last game against Switzerland, my focus has been on that right from the start when this process started," said O’Shea, when asked what he might say to any future manager.
"Two games, I am focused on that, get the best from the boys, and bring this group together with the staff, getting the lads to know my staff as quickly as possible, and getting the bond together quickly going into two games where you know you'll face challenges but two games where you know you can get good results too."
Follow a live blog on Republic of Ireland v Switzerland this Tuesday from 7.30pm on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on 2fm's Game On
