Chief executive Simon Clegg says Town already have a long list of potential successors to Paul Jewell 34 names long. Clegg was speaking at a press conference after Jewell’s time at Town was ended by mutual consent earlier today.
Clegg said: "There is a process under way at the moment. I’m not going to go into any details on that. We want to appoint a replacement as quickly as possible.
"In the short-term, particularly given where we are in the table at this moment in time, the most important thing is picking up three points on Saturday, which is why I have asked Chris Hutchings to take on the role of caretaker-manager for that game and beyond if necessary.
"Until such time as we appoint a permanent replacement manager, Chris Hutchings will be in charge."
Former Charlton and West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is widely believed to be the leading candidate to be Jewell’s replacement, but Clegg wouldn’t be drawn on specific candidates: "There are a lot of people out there who are in the frame.
"We have a long list of about 34 names. We’re in the process of whittling that down to a short list and are hoping to get to a position where we can make a formal announcement as soon as possible.
"When you find yourself in a situation like this, first of all we’ve pulled together a list of names ourselves, in terms of the owner, myself and the owner’s advisors, but a number of people have applied. The phone has been red hot since midday today.”
Ex-Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman, whose move to Bolton appears to have hit a stumbling block, is also another manager understood to have been approached by the Blues, but again Clegg wouldn’t be drawn: "There is wild speculation out there and a number of names have been mentioned, but you wouldn’t expect me to comment on any one individual.”
Other bosses likely to be linked are the likes of Alex McLeish, Owen Coyle, Billy Davies, Steve Kean and Mick McCarthy, while Clegg says there has been interest from interested parties both from the UK and abroad.