Eileen Gleeson may not want the Ireland job for good but she will ...

Unless, of course, she decides she wants the job herself. It has become a familiar dance of late; after the 5-1 spanking handed out to Albania, she decided upon a different course of action.

“Next question!”

Her tenure as the most successful caretaker manager in either men’s or women’s Irish international history will continue with an expected victory against Albania in Shkoder this evening (5.0).

And, though colleagues like Sue Ronan have intimated their surprise that Gleeson does not want the post, she is determined to continue her role as head of women’s and girls’ football with the FAI.

It still seems unclear what role she has in anointing a permanent successor to Vera Pauw – it would appear inimical to her broad ambitions for the sport here not to have an integral influence.

For a caretaker boss, nothing is permanent, although they are charged with the responsibility for laying down the conditions for what follows, which will hopefully become an enduring legacy.

​There is also a lack of clarity about the caretaker staff she has assembled, each as important as Gleeson in restoring a sense of calm after the summer storms.

What is certain is that she will pass the torch with a flame burning brightly, as another victory in the second tier of the Nations League may, with a helpful result in Seaview Park between Northern Ireland and Hungary, bank a European Championship 2025 play-off.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t expect any problems,” she says when asked about embarking upon a transition whose notable calm has contrasted starkly with the unseemly discord that came at the end of the previous regime.

“The girls are professional. I wouldn’t expect any less from them to come in and be completely professional within the environment and to behave as such.”

She hasn’t been afraid either to make tough decisions or respond to events.

Sinead Farrelly’s withdrawal from the first pair of Nations League games could have re-ignited the controversy about her withdrawal from the final World Cup game against Nigeria and the toxic fallout that followed. But her absence and her return last week barely caused a ripple.

Far from simply fitting in with the comfortable cliché of a familiar face who would smother a damaged squad with proverbial arms around shoulders, there is also steel amidst the style, as Amber Barrett’s notable omission last Friday demonstrated.

“I think I said football decisions, so it’s not issues,” she clarified as she contemplates whether to switch to a back four this evening, confirming Katie McCabe’s prominence in the team as an outstanding attacking force.

“We have a squad here, so these decisions have to be made. We speak to the players regularly, communication is open, and we’ve got young players coming in.

“The challenge is all the time, you know, evolving, so it’s not necessarily that you’ve been in the squad so long so you’re entitled to be in here or that you know the squad won’t be changed. That’s football. We make decisions based on a number of factors and that’s what we have to do. I think players understand that can happen.

“There is competition and I mean it’s difficult for players to not be in the squad. It’s the most difficult conversation, but on the other side, it’s super positive.

“We focus on the players that we have here with us for this campaign, but moving forward, we know we have a lot of players that could potentially come back in for consideration. That’s a really strong problem for a manager to have, that we’ll have that depth and the problem of selection.

"This campaign is really useful in getting those players in and getting them experience before we get to the next stage of the qualifiers, so it’s huge, and obviously, I’d be aware of all the young players coming through.

“I’d have a good knowledge of the landscape, so to be able to transition them through and give them experience is a really positive experience for me, too.”

Her public presence has been at once bright and breezy, but when pressed, Gleeson can also be brusque and brief.

And when the time comes to hand over the reins to the unidentified successor, what she will have done for her country will prove to be of much more significance than what her country has done for her. Fundamentally, she has remained true to her sense of self, it would appear.

Not that she is enthusiastic about reviving an interest in the person behind the professional. “Self-reflection is a huge part of everything, so you learn something all the time and you reflect on how you do things,” she explains when asked about how much she has learned.

“So I actively try to do that anyway. You always learn about yourself or things you might be better at, or you change, so I guess the answer is yes.”

But when prodded to reveal whether anything has changed, perhaps understandably, she refracts the potential glare of the spotlight. “No, I’m not going to tell you about my own self-reflection.”

Once more, her team of players will provide all the expression she requires.