Caretaker plan to calm Sven fears

The Football Association are confident that their swift appointment of a caretaker chief executive to replace Adam Crozier will persuade Sven Goran Eriksson that his long-term future still lies with England.

David Davies, currently the FA's director of international strategy, stood in last time the FA were in a similar quandary (he held the title of executive director) just under four years ago, when Graham Kelly resigned following a row over a £3.2m loan to the Welsh FA.

Tomorrow the FA board are likely to ask him to carry out a similar function again, aided by Nic Coward, the director of corporate and legal affairs, and Paul Barber, the director of marketing and communications. Michael Cunnah, another key FA figure, will also be involved, although his principal responsibility is the Wembley project.

It is a necessary move to quell the feeding frenzy among some commentators determined to seize on any factor which could indicate that Eriksson's reign will be concluded prematurely. He has been linked with both Barcelona and the Italian national team, and on Friday bookmakers reduced their odds on the Swede resigning by the end of the year, based on reports – erroneous – that Eriksson was due to meet the FA chairman, Geoff Thompson, that day.

However, as Eriksson prepares to name his squad tomorrow for an England get-together beginning on 18 November, the tone emanating from Soho Square suggests that such speculation is wide of the mark. Thompson was quoted as saying there was "full commitment" on both sides, and an FA source told me last night: "If you look at Sven this weekend, at Arsenal [yesterday] and West Ham [today], you won't see him acting like a coach who's about to walk out. Sven has made it clear he wants to stay, but he wants to know what the leadership of the FA is going to be, certainly in the immediate future – and he will know that on Monday."

There is also a belief within the FA that the fractured communication with the Premier League can be repaired. The problem has been "a breakdown in key relationships," I was told, "but they are resolvable because there is a will to move on from this period by like-minded people at Soho Square [FA headquarters] and Connaught Place [Premier League HQ], and indeed the Football League."

Apart from the much-needed stability that will bring at a time when the FA's chief executive (Crozier), its vice-chairman (Frank Pattison), its technical director (Howard Wilkinson) and one of Eriksson's chief assistant coaches (Steve McClaren) have all departed for different reasons, Davies's involvement is believed to be crucial.

Of all the FA personnel, apart from Crozier, he has been one of the closest to Eriksson, not merely from a professional perspective, but also a personal one. He and his wife frequently socialise with the Swede and his partner, Nancy Dell'Olio.

Although the former BBC political reporter and Grandstand presenter was not a candidate for the job three years ago, when he believed the FA should hire an outsider, it is inevitable that this time he will be a prime candidate for the full-time responsibility. He has strong links with the Government and, in his FA role as director of international strategy, he has been successful in developing relations with other associations, and improving the significance of the FA's voice within Uefa.

Meanwhile, Bryan Robson has declared an interest in succeeding Mick McCarthy as the Republic of Ireland manager. "If it is true they would like to talk to me, I'd be very interested," he said. "That is the type of job I am looking for."