FAI Chief Executive Officer: It's difficult to imagine that even the more self-confident of the short-listed candidates for the job of chief executive of the FAI were particularly surprised when it emerged yesterday that John Delaney had been given the top job at 80 Merrion Square.

Since it became vacant due to Fran Rooney's departure in early November it was clear that Delaney would be in pole position to take over a post he had long coveted.

There were reports that at least one highly credible alternative was interviewed for the job on Wednesday along with the seven other candidates. The received wisdom, however, was that only a clear determination on the part of the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, that Delaney should not be appointed was likely to prevent him winning the support of a majority of the five-man interview panel, two of whom were viewed as being firmly in his camp before the process started.

Delaney certainly would have had a number of achievements to point to as he talked to the interview board members: Dublin City manager John Fitzgerald, the Department of Sport's Con Haugh, Ronnie McBrien of the Irish Sports Council, and FAI officers Milo Corcoran and Michael Cody - the latter two close allies.

Since moving into the chief executive's office four months ago he has wrapped up a couple of important deals that had dragged on for much of last year. In addition to boosting revenue generally his recent announcement of dramatically improved television coverage, along with significantly increased funding for the National League, would have done him no harm.

The manner in which that agreement was unveiled, however, says much about the way he has sought to promote himself.

Paddy McCaul, the league's chairman, reportedly only heard about the deal hours before it was revealed to the press and neither he nor any of the league's new "media partners" were invited to share the top table with Delaney while the cameras were rolling.

He first came to prominence within the association when, in 2000 and 2001, he joined forces with John Byrne and Brendan Menton to oppose Bernard O'Byrne's proposal for the construction of a stadium at Citywest in defiance of the Government's then plan for a national stadium at Abbotstown. The three worked hard to defeat the scheme and, having succeeded, won considerable influence within the FAI, with Menton becoming chief executive. Delaney was then instrumental in removing his former ally from the association's top job in the wake of the Saipan affair.

Menton, it seemed, did not share the honorary treasurer's ruthless drive when it came to the cut and thrust of football politics, although Delaney was himself fortunate to survive when it emerged he had suggested to Liam Gaskin that Mick McCarthy seek a €150,000 bonus before signing a new contract as Ireland manager.

Delaney then supported Rooney during his early days as Menton's successor and caused some surprise when, despite objections from Brendan Dillon and Kevin Fahy, he backed what were seen as extravagant wage and benefit demands from the former Baltimore boss.

Dillon and Fahy were both edged out of their positions before Delaney turned against Rooney and was, once again, a key figure in the chief executive's departure. With his internal rivals for the post now departed and, having disposed of his various business interests, Delaney made no secret of his desire to take the job.

An attempt to give himself a year or more to make it his own before any vacancy would be advertised backfired when O'Donoghue took an unexpectedly tough stance and forced him into an embarrassing climbdown.

Nevertheless, he packed a lot into just four months. Aside from the various deals he nailed down he brought back Byrne and restored a good deal of the staff morale lost during Rooney's spell in charge.

He was rewarded yesterday and will sit down with the association's board and remuneration committee over the coming weeks to hammer out details of what he expects to be between a three- and five-year deal.

The money, he said, is likely to be in line with what he has been on since taking the position on late last year and, though he wouldn't elaborate, is unlikely to be less than the €350,000 or so in salary and perks Rooney enjoyed at the time of his departure.