MY best friend loves to tell the same anecdote about a trip to India.

Having married a girl whose parents are both Indian, my Caucasian friend – who does have very dark hair - fondly recalls being asked time and again in India if theirs was a ‘love or arranged’ marriage?

With the contrasting goings on at the Football Associations of Wales and Ireland in the past seven days, his anecdote is resonating.

Because it seems like Ireland have gone for a love marriage, while Wales and especially Chris Coleman are ready to go for the arranged marriage. Or if we are really honest; a marriage of convenience.

It seems to be a case of ‘you’ll do for now’ rather than anything else, Coleman settling for a job he enjoys to a degree and the FAW re-appointing an employee they endorse to a degree.

If, as expected, Coleman’s new two-year deal is confirmed this week, it will end a topsy-turvy few months where Coleman’s future has been exceedingly unsettled.

The contract was on the table, then it was off the table, then Coleman performed the usual trick of finishing a campaign strongly when Wales had no pressure to perform.

That meant the contract was back on the table, but Coleman seemed to be reticent to sign it and keen instead to plot a return to the Premier League, even with crisis club Crystal Palace.

As an ex-Eagle the link certainly made sense, but the eminently sensible Coleman must know he has an image problem.

He’s failed to capture the imagination of the Welsh public and the same was true of the Selhurst Park faithful, notwithstanding his roots at the club. They haven’t been accepting of his name as a leading candidate and in the age of social media and daily radio phone-ins, they do have a voice.

So Coleman and the Football Association of Wales have reconvened and now it seems that Coleman will lead Wales towards Euro 2016 qualification.

And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

For one, and this is unquestionably the key as to why the FAW are re-appointing Coleman, the players do appear to support the ex-Fulham man.

This is not a John Toshack situation with the FAW offering a contract despite the fact the players don’t want that happen. Quite the contrary.

But the fact remains that Coleman hasn’t ignited the imagination of the Welsh public, they don’t appear to have faith in him as the man to take Wales forward.

That’s a situation that can only be resolved with positive results.

In the meantime, Coleman needs to muster his own PR exercise in convincing people he’s actually happy to be staying on.

The relaxed and happy Coleman we see infrequently in TV studios talking football is not the same guy as we talk to in press conferences, that guy is far more withdrawn and often seems like he’d rather be somewhere else.

Compare that to the scenes in Ireland with the excitement over their new dawn and managerial duo.

They’ve gone for an experienced and proven commodity in the Premier League in Martin O’Neil and the addition of an icon of Irish sport in Roy Keane as his number two.

It’s the equivalent of Wales appointing Tony Pulis with either Ryan Giggs or Craig Bellamy acting as his assistant.

To what degree that will galvanise the Republic of Ireland remains to be seen. But I’d argue that man for man Wales have greater quality at their disposal. I’m struggling to find the quality to compare with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, for example, in the Ireland squad.

But the Irish people are excited about their national team, they are optimistic things will be better in the future.

Wales don’t have that. This is the marriage where a father stays despite the love fading with his partner because it’s what is best for the children.

The players will be happy that Coleman is staying, the fans less so, but it’s a move that no-one could or should roundly criticise.

Chris Coleman stays. Just don’t expect him or anyone else to be particularly excited about it.