Nothing’s official yet — it can’t be until after the season. But Mike Singletary is on his way to having the interim removed from his title and becoming the 49ers head coach for 2009.

San Francisco could make the announcement as early as the days after the season, according to league sources.

At this point, it will take something drastic for the 49ers not to name Singletary the head coach, and even then it is difficult to envision what that could be. Singletary already has survived some well-documented incidents that caused some to question whether he were the right man to lead the team in the future.

But through his audition, he has proven he is the right choice. The 49ers have been won at Buffalo, beaten the New York Jets, and been more competitive than they were early in the season. Singletary has ignited a spark in the players that rarely was seen before.

In fact, Singletary has been so convincing that it has gotten to the point where if he were not brought back, there would be disappointment among the masses.