THE identity of the next Scotland head coach will be known sooner rather than later. There’s no other interpretation to take from the low-key advertisement posted on the Scottish FA website late on Wednesday.

Applications close on February 24. Allow a month for sifting through the candidates and lining up interviews, and Anna Signeul’s replacement could be identified as early as the end of March.

There will be no shortage of applicants. The Football Association of Ireland have just appointed Colin Bell to replace Sue Ronan as women’s head coach. Although English and sharing a name with one of Manchester City’s greatest players, Bell has spent most of his adult life playing and coaching in Germany.

He will leave a job with SC Sand in the Frauen Bundesliga, but his big moment was leading FFC Frankfurt to a Women’s Champions League triumph in 2015. If Ireland, who are well below Scotland in the Fifa rankings, can attract a coach with that achievement on his CV, the SFA can anticipate high calibre applicants.

That being the case it is perhaps surprising that the governing body haven’t insisted on candidates holding the Uefa Pro Licence. Instead it is merely “desirable”.

An A Licence is required, which opens the field up considerably. Some eight Scottish women, for example, hold that qualification, including Signeul’s former assistant Angie Hind, who has returned to the United States to work, and Under-17 coach Pauline Hamill, who, as highlighted last week, has embarked on her Pro Licence.

All things being equal, my belief is the SFA would prefer another woman. The organisation is not over-burdened with females in senior footballing positions – and doesn’t even have one on the main board.

The coach who ticks almost every box, and has the added bonus of holding a Pro Licence, is former Scotland captain Shelley Kerr, pictured. She has to be the early front-runner.

IN what promises to be the most auspicious year for the sport in Scotland, it is disturbing to hear reports of serious rifts within the board of Scottish Women’s Football.

One director has already resigned, while a key employee will leave at the end of the month. Another has already departed.

It is incumbent on the board members to settle their differences. They are chair Viv MacLaren, finance director Gavin Michie, commercial director Justine Mitchell, legal director Anne Mckeown, media and communications director Karen Birch, perform and win director Karen McGowan and quality growth director Fiona Cardwell.

While recognising all are volunteers, giving freely of their time, they need to provide strong and united leadership.