Clock ticks on as fans make plans

TURNED DOWN ... Steve Evans decided against taking the job at Athletic leaving the club in a quandary.

WHILE Athletic fans scramble to get hold of cheap advance train tickets for Millwall and lay out plans for pubs to visit en route to The Den in six weeks' time, the club they love lies in limbo.

The usual run of events this week for a local reporter is to ring the manager for his thoughts on what the season will bring.

"Happy with those fixtures then?"

"Well, we play everyone twice so that's a positive."

It is not always particularly enlightening, but it helps whet the appetite.

This time, there is no manager to speak to in order to talk over a point of interest within the list of teams and dates.

But it's not for the club's lack of desire for a man at the helm, who can go on and install a coherent plan of action.

Three times Athletic told Notts County to think other thoughts than John Sheridan (pictured) becoming their next boss last month.

He wanted to go. That is football, in all its badge-patting, heel-turning glory.

Then, last week, into the picture came Steve Evans. A controversial figure, but clearly a manager of real repute. A successful deal got so close that players were contacted.

A deal said to be close inched further and further into a week-long saga. The brush-off followed, with another job coveted instead. Athletic heads were placed inside hands once again, for the umpteenth time in this rotten off-season.

As it stands, Athletic have no boss and few players. A day out in the capital on the first afternoon is approached by fans with thoughts of good weather and a decent pint, rather than formations and new signings and tactics.

So where does the club go from here?

It may now be too late to hire a candidate of similar standing to Evans. For one, there are precious few available out of work and secondly, the task at Athletic may not prove attractive enough for those with significant experience.

The key is to act quickly but to also get the right man for a tricky job. Easy, when you put it like that.

Frank Bunn has been mentioned and may be a good fit, if a risk given his lack of first-team experience. Neil Adams has slightly more knowledge of life in the hot-seat, albeit not at this level, while Neil Redfearn's attempts at crisis management at Leeds were only brief.

Whether it's one of that trio or a late outsider, a squad needs to be put in place very quickly. Virtually a whole new starting side has to be brought in and that implies a lot of trust in the manager to make suitable selections.

The next few days and weeks really could be make-or-break. Throats will be lubricated and songs will be belted out at The Den. But what sort of team will Athletic's loyal brethren be trying to encourage?

Athletic's board haven't always got it right on the manager front in recent times, by their own admission.

Last year, rookie Darren Kelly had a whole host of players already under contract but wasn't able to inspire them into a winning unit.

This year, there is much more to do. Athletic's under-pressure board really must pluck an ace from the pack.