Cardiff City are on the hunt for a new permanent manager following the dismissal of Steve Morison on Sunday.
Morison was shown the door after his side slipped to what was admittedly a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Huddersfield Town on Saturday, a result which leaves the Bluebirds 18th and one point above the relegation zone.
But despite an inconsistent start to the season, the decision to part company with Morison sparked plenty of shock, and in some cases outright anger, among Cardiff fans, many of whom believe the outgoing head coach should have been afforded more time to make things click.
Anyway, the club is looking to move forward with a new boss. We take a look at what each candidate could bring:
Read more: Why Cardiff City sacked Steve Morison
Mark Hudson
Pros
He knows the club inside out and, having worked as his deputy, the former Cardiff skipper is arguably well placed to carry on the philosophy implemented by Morison.
The early noises coming out of the club suggest the current interim boss will likely be given a chance to impress over the coming weeks, which could potentially bring him in line with previous appointments.
Mick McCarthy and, indeed, Morison himself, were handed the job full-time after promising spells in the interim. If Hudson manages to get a tune out of these players, it's difficult not to see the board following a similar path.
At the moment, he would certainly be the easiest option.
Cons
Aside from two short stints as caretaker manager at Huddersfield Town, Hudson has never held a senior managerial role. In any case, he failed to gain a single point during his four games in the dugout at the John Smith's Stadium.
It is hardly a record which will convince fans he is a better option than his predecessor.
There has been an early suggestion he might be willing to be more aggressive in Cardiff's approach to games, with some onlookers critical of how the Bluebirds set themselves up at times under Morison.
However, in terms of his managerial ability, the jury is firmly still out.
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Sol Bamba
Pros
A huge fan favourite and a Cardiff legend, the Ivorian remains a hugely popular figure in the Welsh capital and was briefly considered as an interim boss before the appointment of Neil Harris. There is some enthusiasm for his skills as a coach in certain corners of the club.
He would certainly be an appointment who fans would have no trouble getting behind and would surely demand respect from the dressing room, too. He is a man with undeniable leadership skills, and his stints as a pundit suggest there is a competent footballing brain there. Again, he wouldn't carry a compensation fee, which would surely be a big plus for the Cardiff hierarchy.
Having worked under Neil Warnock, Bamba will know all too well what it takes to succeed and, as some have pointed out, he is one of the few potential candidates with experience abroad, which in turn could well give him an edge in terms of contacts.
Cons
As with Hudson, the big drawback is the lack of real experience.
Bamba has done some work with the under-23s, but has never once taken a role at senior level. To thrust him into the limelight here would undoubtedly be a huge gamble.
There is also the question of philosophy. It's not quite clear just what a Bamba team would look like and what sort of football they would want to play. Ultimately, some will feel there are probably too many unknowns.
Nathan Jones
Pros
The Welshman's love for his boyhood club is pretty well-documented, and his great work with Luton Town means he would undoubtedly be a popular appointment.
Jones favours a brand of football we saw glimpses of on several occasions under Morison. Under his watch, the Hatters don't tend to necessarily dominate possession, but do press teams in an effort to hit them on the counter, and do like to approach games on the front foot.
Jones is also meticulous in his preparations, as revealed when discussing the build-up to the recent clash with Blackburn Rovers. He said: “On Wednesday night we went from here and five of us went to the training ground and we worked. We were watching Blackburn at past 1am in the morning, to make sure that Thursday we could give them a good session and Friday we were tactically right at it to win a game. That’s the sacrifice that people don’t see."
Cons
Jones might well be interested in the opportunity to move to the Welsh capital, but it's probably safe to assume Luton wouldn't be too keen to see it happen. The big elephant in the room, of course, is the money needed to make it materialise.
Jones still has five years left on his current deal at Kenilworth Road, which points to a potentially substantial financial package, and one suspects Luton would likely look to play hardball when negotiating compensation.
History suggests this is a consideration which will likely dent Vincent Tan's enthusiasm.
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