[KN22]

This suggests to me that Appleton is very much in the frame.

How does this suggest Appleton? Just asking as I can’t see that it does

[BB74]

Chris Coleman
Michael Appleton
Brian McDermott
James Shan

[baggie steve]

Grant McCann from Donaster , very young and inexperienced but can see him becoming a top manager , plays great football  , I'd prefer to see us give someone like this an opportunity to build something good , rather than a merry go round has been .....

[Standaman]

Just in on twitter from Paul Suart (Birmingham Mail Albion correspondent) confirms that Appleton is NOT on the short list of 4.

Obviously will please some but I would much prefer Appleton who has always played decent football to some Pulis clone like Cowley but whatever order the Air Raid warning sound effect.

[MarkW]

Just in on twitter from Paul Suart (Birmingham Mail Albion correspondent) confirms that Appleton is NOT on the short list of 4.

Obviously will please some but I would much prefer Appleton who has always played decent football to some Pulis clone like Cowley but whatever order the Air Raid warning sound effect.

Blackburn fan who I know would disagree about the good football bit. Worst he's seen apparently

[Mo]

Just in on twitter from Paul Suart (Birmingham Mail Albion correspondent) confirms that Appleton is NOT on the short list of 4.

Obviously will please some but I would much prefer Appleton who has always played decent football to some Pulis clone like Cowley but whatever order the Air Raid warning sound effect.

I just don’t get what people see in Appleton

[Atomic]

Alan nixon has repeatedly said cowley is not interested. Hughton, vieria and one other are my guesswork.

Nixon actually replied to a tweet with the words "don't fancy it".

How you take that depends I suppose. It could mean Cowley doesn't fancy the job, Nixon doesn't fancy Cowley or Nixon doesn't fancy that deal to happen.

I'd be keeping an open mind.

[Standaman]

Blackburn fan who I know would disagree about the good football bit. Worst he's seen apparently

Basing it on the 3 seasons he had at Oxford rather than 15 games he had at Blackburn however it is a completely moot point as he won't be our next Head Coach.

Again my dislike of Cowley is based on a well established pattern of play and a style which after a while won't change even in a relatively young coach.

Alan Nixon as a journalist is just one step up from an "ITK" poster on Twitter. He takes a little bit of gossip and spins a story and woe betide anyone who challenges the bs. And yeah just so he never gets caught out uses deliberately vague language so his tweet could be read at a latter date as being right almost regardless of the outcome

[silver surfer]

We want attacking football, someone with a proven track record, ideally a manager who has had to rebuild a team and achieve promotion soon after.
I’d take Mowbray back, he’s got more appeal than some of the candidates mentioned.

[cads_ap_albion]

Anyone considered that we are looking at lower league managers because that is where we will be signing our players from, when we sell the crown jewels?

[baggiejohn]

How does this suggest Appleton? Just asking as I can’t see that it does

The whole tone of the statement suggests, to me, that we want to appoint someone who understands the DNA of West Bromwich.
Other than Appleton, I think Hughton might, but I'm not sure any of the others will.
IMO, the plan is to take an evolutionary course, I just don't see this mass clear out, I think we're trying to move on some of our higher paid players so that we can bring in some of the successful loanees we had this season. Wouldn't be at all surprised to see Gayle, Johansson, & Holgate signed permanently.

[Standaman]

Anyone considered that we are looking at lower league managers because that is where we will be signing our players from, when we sell the crown jewels?

I would dispute the description of past their prime Premier League squad fillers as the "Crown Jewels"

Where do you think players like Bradley Dack or Jamie Vardy or John Stones came from? I could go on the list is pretty much endless.

The only "lower league" manager we have been linked with is Cowley and that is a mistake but not for the reason he is managing at Lincoln.

[Nathan]

Grant McCann from Donaster , very young and inexperienced but can see him becoming a top manager , plays great football  , I'd prefer to see us give someone like this an opportunity to build something good , rather than a merry go round has been .....

What a great shout that is, he is a top man too. There is a cracking mural in Sandy Row where he grew up in Belfast of Grant McCann and Warren Feeney. He is a good, honest, working class bloke, who appreciates his fortune to have made a career in the game. He would give us plenty of passion and take a lot of pride in his work and keep the lads level headed with a sense of perspective. Could be just the type of man to help recreate the atmosphere and passion of Tuesday night as hinted at by Dowling that he is looking for in the next appointment.

[iwastherein68]

The Sun suggesting Michael O'Neill is on the shortlist, heaven forbid!

[Baggies]

It woupd be great if it turned out that atleast one of the managers in the shortlist was an obscure foreign choice. It would show the club are searching fsr and wide, rather than just at the obvious names.

I don't have any faith in Dowling to do that, but I can hope.

[cads_ap_albion]

What a great shout that is, he is a top man too. There is a cracking mural in Sandy Row where he grew up in Belfast of Grant McCann and Warren Feeney. He is a good, honest, working class bloke, who appreciates his fortune to have made a career in the game. He would give us plenty of passion and take a lot of pride in his work and keep the lads level headed with a sense of perspective. Could be just the type of man to help recreate the atmosphere and passion of Tuesday night as hinted at by Dowling that he is looking for in the next appointment.

Would like this. Thought Dinny played decent football in the play off game I saw

[Dan]

I'd be extremely suprised if its not Hughton, if he wants it you'd think its his. His style of football is something the players are all very much accustomed too, got a couple of promotions in this league, known quantity.

Danny Cowley could be interesting, certainly success everywhere he's gone but its a huge step up from where he's done. It's hard to find much about his actual playing style - I'm not  sure to what extent people saying its bad would probably say that about any league 2, conference level teams.

[slate]

I'd be extremely suprised if its not Hughton, if he wants it you'd think its his. His style of football is something the players are all very much accustomed too, got a couple of promotions in this league, known quantity.

Danny Cowley could be interesting, certainly success everywhere he's gone but its a huge step up from where he's done. It's hard to find much about his actual playing style - I'm not  sure to what extent people saying its bad would probably say that about any league 2, conference level teams.

I agree... I just can't see them seriously considering anybody other than Hughton.

He's known, steady, managed at this level and won't cost them anything in compensation. Seems nailed on to me.

After speaking with a norwich season ticket holder, his style is towards that of Pulis.

For that reason I'd much rather us take a chance on a younger more exciting manager and would certainly consider non-UK applicants. The squad will have to be revamped and so this is the time for a full reboot.

[cads_ap_albion]

The advantage of Hughton is he will know players in the leagues and have an idea of who to sign.
Need to pull our finger out or Boro will sign the best choice up ..

[Atomic]

Danny Cowley is an interesting one if he is on the list. He would bring his brother for a start, those two work together.

Their record as a managerial team is excellent, it is really impressive at three clubs so they clearly know what they are doing.

The Championship, of course, is a step up and such an appointment would be a risk but Ron Atkinson came here from Cambridge and Daniel Farke came from way out of the blue at Norwich. Chris Wilder came from Northampton to manage Sheffield United so it proves you can bring in coaches with no experience of the Championship and still succeed.

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about Lincoln City or how they play etc but I do know they lost 7 games from 46 last season, won the league by six points and scored more goals than anyone in League 2 with the exception of Bury.

Interesting.

[AlbionFan]

Latest Odds from SkyBet

The full list of names in the frame (SkyBet)
Danny Cowley 10/11
Chris Hughton 2/1
Lee Bowyer 10/1
Garry Monk 12/1
Neil Lennon 12/1
Carlos Carvalhal 14/1
David Moyes 14/1
James Shan 14/1
Chris Coleman 16/1
Gary Rowett 16/1
Slavisa Jokanovic 16/1
Nigel Pearson 18/1
Alan Pardew 20/1
Jon Whitney 20/1
Lee Johnson 20/1
Patrick Vieira 20/1
Gareth Ainsworth 22/1
Steve Clarke 22/1
Claude Puel 25/1
Harry Redknapp 25/1
Sam Allardyce 25/1
Frank Lampard 28/1
Grant McCann 33/1
Steve Gerrard 33/1
Jose Mourinho 66/1

So, Jose is not all that after all!

[Atomic]

Lee Bowyer is another interesting one. 57% win rate at Charlton as permanent manager.

You have the experience of Hughton vs the young / hungry types of Bowyer / Cowley.

That could be three of the four on the list then?

[frazzle]

I desperately want someone who will deliver attacking football.

[Windmill Baggy]

I agree... I just can't see them seriously considering anybody other than Hughton.

He's known, steady, managed at this level and won't cost them anything in compensation. Seems nailed on to me.

After speaking with a norwich season ticket holder, his style is towards that of Pulis.

For that reason I'd much rather us take a chance on a younger more exciting manager and would certainly consider non-UK applicants. The squad will have to be revamped and so this is the time for a full reboot.

When Hughton was sacked by Newcastle it seems it was an unpopular decision with their fans. I don't recall their brand of football under his management being much like 'Pulisball'. Similarly with Brighton, it may only be recently that his style of football has become more 'pragmatic' but I never had the opinion that his teams were noticeably negative before that. His stint at Norwich came when he took over with them in a relegation dogfight so this may account for the style of play at that time and it was effective as he guided them to 11th that year.

I'm not aware of him failing at anywhere he has managed (in fact he has been consistently successful) and think any anti-football style tactics may have been used only depending on the situation, unlike Pulis, who would probably play 'anti-football' if he had Man City's budget.

I would be very happy with Hughton but would just about prefer Jokanovic.

[OldburyWBA]

Michael O'Neill being linked now in the Birmingham Mail, no experience of English football or any top flight football other than the League Of Ireland.