Owner Mike Charlesworth was due to unveil a successor to Moss before the end of the current season - but the English candidate he had in mind is believed not to possess the correct level of coaching qualifications to operate in the A-League.
Charlesworth has also been impressed with both the style and performances of the Mariners in the four games under Walmsley's watch – that has resulted on a win, two losses and a draw.
Demanding that that club plays an expansive brand of football to win back the fans who have voted with their feet this season, Charlesworth has seen enough to convince him that Walmsley – originally hired as technical director – can be more than just a stop-gap coach.
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s duel against a desperate Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium, Walmsley declined to speculate on the future but said the feedback so far from his tenure had been “very positive”.
“The reality is I am the technical director and interim coach, beyond that It’s not something I can comment on or contemplate,” said the Englishman, who is in his second stint with the club.
“I am leaving things open on the future. I have been a coach all my life (most recently with the Mariners and Sheffield United youth set ups) until I went out of football 18 months ago and then this opportunity landed on my lap. It's a chance to bring value when needed in the short-term.
“My long term goals were all about stabilising the ship and moving the club forward as technical director.
“The environment is really positive and there’s been good buy-in from the players.
“Whatever happens in the future, the Mariners have to be expansive and forward thinking. We need to capture the crowds back.
“I've been in the job less than four weeks and the feedback both inside and outside the camp has been very positive. It’s probably a sign of how things need to be going forward for us.
“We’re approaching the games with a positive, adventurous, pro-active style and the results for me have been around how individual players can adapt and put themselves forward for next season.
“The results are being measured for me in how players are developing – not necessarily just the results on the park.
“But are going into games now believing that we can win – and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”
The Mariners earned plenty of plaudits after the narrow 2-1 loss at Melbourne Victory last weekend and Walmsey is looking for more of the same in Brisbane, then the final home game against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday week and road trips to Wellington Phoenix and Victory again to wrap up the season.
Walmsley leads a duel life as a business development consultant but said that would not stand in his way should he take the Mariners reins on a full-time basis.
His first order of business for now is to decide whether to offer new contracts to the likes of Hayden Morton, Isaka Cernak - who has been a key contributor since Phil Moss's sacking - and Travis Major, who are all doing their best to impress as part of the first team squad.
“They can’t do any more than that and they will be measured against potential recruits coming in," Walmsley said.
"We are also looking at several key positions to fill, albeit with limited resources."
Lying in eighth spot with 20 points from 23 games, the Mariners have won just four matches all season and are 13 points off the playoff places.
Walmsley is also looking forward to picking up at least two young recruits from Everton on loan from next season as part of the club’s newly forged relationship with the Premier League club.
“We’re looking for a natural leftie with pace and a striker or two to give us some additional firepower,” he added.
