Former Socceroos coach Frank Farina is understood to be one of three candidates shortlisted as Miron Bleiberg's successor at A-League club Queensland Roar.

The Roar board met on Monday night and pruned 25 applicants down to three with two believed to be Australia-based and one based overseas.

The board intends making its appointment within the next 48 hours after intense discussions and negotiation with the candidates.

Roar chief executive Lawrence Oudendyk earlier confirmed Farina had filed an application for the job, surprisingly vacated on the weekend by Bleiberg.

But Oudendyk dismissed mounting rumours that Bleiberg had been pushed to make way for Farina, dismissing the media's fixation with the ex-Australian national coach as "Farinoia".

"Yes, we have spoken to Frank Farina in the past 24 hours," Oudendyk said.

"But I don't know what turned this into Farinoia.

"He'll be one of the applicants that we look at. Frank's obviously a Queenslander which I think is a plus coaching a Queensland team.

"But it's not the only criteria. At the end of the day it has to go on the quality of the applicant and how we think that coach's attributes and abilities will mix with our existing squad of players.

"There are two ways we can go. We can appoint an interim coach for the remaining nine matches and then look at a new appointment for next season, or we can appoint next year's coach this year."

An announcement by Wednesday would give the new mentor only two days with the side before its next clash, at home against frontrunner Melbourne on Friday.

Oudendyk was still reeling from good friend Bleiberg's shock weekend departure, saying the foundation Roar coach would be a "hard act to follow".

Bleiberg pulled the pin after Queensland lost 1-0 to Adelaide at Suncorp Stadium last Saturday night - its third loss in four games, ensuring the Roar had only one win in its last eight matches.

But the colourful Bleiberg's departure was still a surprise considering Queensland was sitting in the top four with nine regular season games left.

"He's more than a coach. He's a public relations machine and a coach rolled into one," Oudendyk said.

"He's an extremely difficult person to replace. It's an extremely sad day for me personally and an extremely sad day for the club."

Even Bleiberg acknowledged Farina should top the Roar's candidate list.

"I think Farina is one of the top candidates for the job - every (A-League) coach is a bit shaky (with Farina around)," he said.

But Oudendyk denied that Bleiberg had been "pushed".

"Miron believed the decision he was making was in the club's benefit," he said.

"The speed of which it has happened has shocked me.

"He just felt that he needed to leave now. It's just the way Miron is.

"He's an unusual sort of guy. He's been feeling that way now for three or four weeks - there's nothing you can say or do to change Miron's mind.

"I never in a million years thought it would come to this ... (when) we're sitting fourth on the table.

"There are some clubs that would die to be sitting fourth on the table with nine games to go."

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