SUNDERLAND'S Drumaville consortium will meet in Ireland later today to ratify Niall Quinn's appointment as the club's next manager.

The leading members of the eight-strong business team will gather at a secret location on the outskirts of Dublin to rubber-stamp Quinn's appointment ahead of this evening's pre-season friendly with Shelbourne.

A formal announcement is then expected to follow within the next 48 hours, meaning Quinn will be in charge of first-team affairs by the time Sunderland travel to Carlisle for their next pre-season fixture on Saturday.

Today's meeting will also address the finer details of Quinn's new role, with the former Republic of Ireland international expected to propose the recruitment of an experienced figure to work alongside him on the touchline.

Despite speculation to the contrary, that is unlikely to be former England boss Glenn Hoddle, regardless of his recent exit from Sunderland's Championship rivals, Wolves.

Instead, Quinn is expected to pursue current Bolton first-team coach Ricky Sbragia. The Scotsman, who has also worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, spent eight years on the Sunderland coaching staff after moving to Wearside from York in 1994.

Today's events will finally put an end to a managerial search that had appeared to be faltering in recent days.

It is now almost three weeks since Bob Murray agreed to sell his controlling stake in the Black Cats for around £5.75m and, while the Drumaville consortium's takeover will not be formally complete until the end of a statutory 21-day offer period, the group have spent the intervening time assessing their managerial options.

Both Martin O'Neill and Sam Allardyce were considered for the post but, with neither candidate showing any desire to move to Wearside, Quinn's backers switched their attention elsewhere.

Former Aston Villa boss David O'Leary and ex-Charlton manager Alan Curbishley were linked with the role but, above all else, Sunderland's new owners wanted to appoint a figurehead who could excite the club's fans and command their unwavering support throughout the new Championship campaign.

Quinn clearly fits the bill and, while there are bound to be concerns over how the affable Irishman can combine his role as chairman with his duties as manager, Sunderland supporters will be thrilled at the prospect of one of their own leading them into action this season.

The striker scored 63 goals in his 220 appearances for the Black Cats, etching his name into Wearside folklore thanks to a profitable partnership with Kevin Phillips, a player who is now sure to be linked with a playing return of his own.

Quinn's goalscoring heroics ensured he would always be guaranteed a warm welcome at the Stadium of Light, but it was his final act in a Sunderland shirt that elevated his popularity - donating more than £1m from his testimonial to childrens charities on Wearside and in Dublin.

Taking over as manager will present a range of new problems, however, with Quinn's lack of managerial or coaching experience meaning he is almost certain to place considerable trust in the club's existing backroom staff.

Both Kevin Richardson and Tim Carter - who shared managerial duties as the Black Cats beat Forest Green and Rotherham last week - are likely to be heavily involved on the training ground in the early weeks of Quinn's reign.

As well as confirming Quinn's appointment, today's meeting is expected to reaffirm the ambition of the Drumaville consortium, just days before the business grouping hope to reach the 90 per cent share ceiling needed for a compulsory purchase of the club.

Reports yesterday confirmed Allardyce's decision not to leave Bolton and suggested the Wanderers boss was concerned the £30m transfer fund mooted had been significantly inflated.

Sources close to Quinn suggest this is not the case, and confirmation of his appointment as manager is likely to be accompanied by a reiteration of the consortium's intent.