New England Revolution assistant coach Paul Mariner is among the applicants vying to become Bermuda Football Association's (BFA) next technical director, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

Former Liverpool and England star John Barnes, whose interest in the post was first reported in this newspaper, has also applied.

And Rene Rodrigues Simoes, the Brazilian who coached the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica to the 1998 World Cup finals, has also put his hat into the ring.

According to reliable sources Mariner, the 54-year-old former Ipswich and England striker, has applied for the post that will yield an annual income of $125,000.

News of Mariner's intentions may come as a surprise as he has seemingly enjoyed good relations with Revs head coach Steve Nicol, a partnership that bore fruit earlier this month as the Major Soccer League (MSL) outfit, featuring Bermudian Khano Smith in the side, lifted the Open Cup with victory over FC Dallas in the final.

Mariner's career in England began at non-league side Chorley before he progressed to Plymouth Argyle in 1973.

Three years later the former striker joined Bobby Robson's Ipswich where he netted 97 goals in eight seasons and won FA Cup (1978) and UEFA Cup Winners Cup (1981) titles before moving on to Arsenal and eventually ending his playing career at American Professional Soccer League (APSL) outfit San Francisco Bay Blackhawks in 1992.

"Football is in my blood and I always look to be involved no matter what level it is," Mariner told The Royal Gazette during a March, 2005 interview.

Mariner made his England debut in March 1977 and went on to earn 35 caps and score the winner against Hungary that qualified his country for the 1982 World Cup finals after a 20-year absence from the tournament.

Along with former Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham and AC Milan striker Jimmy Greaves, Mariner is the only other striker to score in six consecutive matches wearing an England jersey.

Mariner was an assistant coach at Harvard University before he joined Nicol at the Revs. Past Canada senior national team coach Stephen Hart, of Trinidad, and Fifa instructor and British Virgin Island (BVI) technical director Ben Davies are also among the 25 to 30 applicants. Richard Todd and Keith Tucker are the only two Bermudians that applied for the post last held by former West Ham striker Clyde Best, the Jackie Robinson of English football.

Todd has served as a football academy director in Alabama while Tucker is former head coach at Howard University who he coached all the way to the 1988 NCAA championship.

In order to meet the criteria all candidates must possess an English FA full coaching licence, Uefa 'A' or the equivalant and/or have had a minimum of five years' coaching experience at the national or professional levels.

Earlier this week local football's governing body announced that a short-list of six or seven applicants will be contacted in the near future.

"Once we have contacted those on our short-list we hope to start the interviewing process as soon as possible," BFA technical committee chairman Mark Trott said.