Preview: One last dance before leaving the party

The end is nigh for the Republic of Ireland.

Their World Cup will be over after Monday's meeting with a vibrant Nigeria, who are chasing a place in the last 16. The Super Falcons blew Group B wide open with a fantastic 3-2 defeat of Australia last Thursday; beat the Girls in Green and the fourth seeds will likely march on as group winners.

We could be approaching the end of a managerial era too, with Vera Pauw's future very much up in the air. Her contract is about to expire, and yet the 60-year-old still doesn't know if the FAI will be offering her a fresh deal.

This situation has been brewing since the start of June when Pauw said she was hopeful of sorting out her future before the World Cup, with her representative Ciaran Medlar in talks with the FAI around that time. Those talks have stalled, and Pauw has not heard anything from the association with regards to where she stands.

Ireland are slated to have a homecoming party on O'Connell Street this Thursday; although it's likely the FAI will hold off making a big decision until afterwards, this is an awkward situation for Pauw and the players.

On Sunday, Megan Connolly was the latest squad member to be asked if she'd like Pauw to stay on.

"I can't really speak personally on that," she said. "It is not my decision. What we have achieved in the past two, three years under Vera has been amazing. She helped us get to this point and I can only speak on my own personal experience and Vera has been great for me. But that is not my decision."

That was as close to a public backing that Pauw has received from one of her players. Katie McCabe, Louise Quinn, Lucy Quinn, Lily Agg and Kyra Carusa have all been asked directly if they'd like the Dutchwoman to stay at the helm; none have