SAMMY McIlroy has lost his job at Stockport County with the club rock-bottom of League One.
The only priority for the new manager will be survival - but who is up to the task?
Here ManchesterOnline considers three possible candidates for the Edgeley Park hot-seat.
Dave Jones
Jones proved himself a gifted manager during his time at County and he is held in high regard by the fans. Having taken over from Danny Bergara, Jones guided the Hatters to the dizzy heights of Division One - now the Championship - and the semi-finals of the League Cup. His success at County earned him a move to the Premiership with Southampton but off-field problems ended his tenure there. He returned to management with Wolves in January 2001 and gained promotion to the Premiership in 2003. They only lasted one season in the top-flight, and after a rocky start to the 2004/2005 season Jones parted company with the Black Country side.
Managerial record:
Wolves: Played 187, Won 75, Lost 60, Drawn 52
Southampton: Played 113, Won 37, Lost 54, Drawn 22
Stockport: Played 117, Won 57, Lost 28, Drawn:32
Steve McMahon
A promising manager who left Blackpool in bizarre circumstances earlier this year. He initially handed in his resignation, then took it back shortly after, before finally deciding he wanted to leave. He led the Seasiders to promotion into Division Two and won the LDV Vans Trophy twice in three years.
Managerial record:
Blackpool: Played 250, Won 102, Lost 93, Drawn 55
Swindon: Played 201, Won 74, Lost 79, Drawn, 48
Brian Horton
Vastly experienced manager who is used to fighting relegation. He did a sterling job in keeping Macclesfield up last season - could he do a similar job with County?
Managerial record:
Macclesfield: Played 30, Won 15, Lost 10, Drawn 5
Port Vale: Played 262, Won 84, Lost 111, Drawn 67
Brighton: Played 43, Won 14, Lost 19, Drawn 10
Huddersfield: Played 120, Won 39, Lost 46, Drawn 35
Man City: Played 96, Won 29, Lost 34, Drawn 33
Oxford: Played 243, Won 77, Lost 101, Drawn 65
Hull City: Played 195, Won 77, Lost 60, Drawn 58
And the other contenders:
Mark Lillis
Age: 43. Previous clubs managed: Halifax, Scunthorpe (caretaker), Derby County (caretaker)
FORMER Manchester City striker Lillis, who took over team affairs when Sammy McIlroy left last week, would be a popular choice with the current Stockport squad. A firm believer in giving young players their chance, Lillis nailed his colours to the mast by giving teenagers Damien Allen and Adam Le Fondre their full debuts in his first team in charge against Walsall.
Jim Gannon
Age: 35. Previous clubs managed: Dundalk
THOUGHTFUL Irishman who played 479 times for Stockport, the third in County's all-time appearances list. The popular defender-midfielder took over at unfancied Dundalk in the League of Ireland last season and took them to fourth place, beating the champions on the final day of the season to underline his managerial potential. Gannon, who is also a qualified accountant, has completed all his coaching qualifications and would love to try his hand in the English leagues.
Brett Angell
Age: 36. Previous clubs managed: None
QUALITY striker who enjoyed two spells with County, scoring freely in both, after being originally brought in by Danny Bergara from Derby County and then rescued from Sunderland by Dave Jones. One of the first players inducted in County's Hall of Fame. Keen to get into management, he has recently been doing scouting and radio work, and is currently working with Bolton academy sides and Welsh juniors.
Danny Wilson
Age: 44. Previous clubs managed: Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday, Bristol City.
WILSON'S record and experience throughout the four leagues suggest that he will not be out of management long after being sacked at the end of last season by Bristol City for not getting promotion. The former Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday boss took Bristol City to the Second Division play-offs two years running, as well as enjoying success in the LDV Vans Trophy.
Peter Ward
Age: 40. Previous clubs managed: None
A SURPRISE contender, but Ward has impressed with his work with the youngsters at Edgeley Park. As assistant director of County's Centre of Excellence and manager of Stockport's successful Under-16 side, whose players are attracting Premiership interest, Ward has overseen the development of Adam Le Fondre and Damien Allen, who both made their full debuts at the weekend. Ward enjoyed a successful playing career with Newcastle, Huddersfield, Rochdale, Stockport and Wrexham and could work in tandem with the likes of Dave Jones.
Stan Ternent
Age: 58. Previous clubs managed: Blackpool, Hull City, Bury, Burnley
HIS time as Burnley manager would not initially endear him to the Stockport fans, whose antipathy towards the Clarets has developed over the years. But Ternent could be the sort of character to inspire the sort of form necessary to save County from relegation this season, a very difficult task but not impossible with 27 games to go.
Steve Parkin
Age: 39. Previous clubs managed: Mansfield, Rochdale, Barnsley, Rochdale
PARKIN'S is a name that always crops up when a vacancy appears at a club like County and it's easy to see why. He became the league's youngest manager when he took over at Mansfield. After joining Rochdale he lifted the Spotland side to a position where they were challenging for the play-offs despite the financial restriction imposed upon him. Such experience would stand him in good stead at County, where he would be expected to deal in loans rather than permanent signings.
Andy Preece
Age: 37. Previous clubs managed: Bury
FOUR years as a boss at Bury gave Preece an invaluable insight into the workings of the lower divisions. He steadied the ship at the Shakers as they struggled with money problems at Gigg Lane. Preece was only removed as a cost-cutting measure to free up the wages of the club's highest-earner. He is still famous at Stockport for the winning goal in their famous FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers when he played alongside Kevin Francis. Currently on a player's contract at Carlisle United in the Conference, he is anxious to return to league management in the near future.
Andy Mutch
Age: 40. Previous clubs managed: None
ANOTHER former County player from their golden period, Mutch has been learning his managerial trade in the lower leagues. Currently the assistant manager at Morecambe, Mutch has also worked at Telford and Doncaster Rovers. Like several of the other former Stockport players on this list, he could be taken on alongside a more experienced manager to help him bed in before taking over on a permanent basis.
Who do you think should become the next boss at County? Have your say.
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The only person who can give us a chance of avoiding relegation is Dave Jones.
David Jones, fans will luv 2 have him bak at county.... David Jones Blue n White Army!
I think the majority of fans would love to see Dave Jones back at Edgeley Park, but whoever does take the job on, will need to put some fight & passion into the team, as they seem to have resigned themselves to relegation after recent performances.
If not Dave Jones, then my other choice would be Stan Ternent, who has experience of the lower divisions & with little or no money, has always built teams that are difficult to beat.
We need to stop the slide asoon as possible.
Whoever takes over at County will inherit the daunting task of needing to win at least half of this seasons remaining fixtures in order to have any chance of avoiding relegation!!
The situation is now very different from when Dave Jones took over from Danny Bergara. DJ inherited a stronger squad (he then strengthened it further), the team had previously finished in play-off positions for several years and had made a number of appearances at Wembley finals.
I am not sure if DJ could work with (or indeed would want to work with!!) the present owners or whether he could save them from their current predicament.
It really is a very sad situation and shows the demise of a club that only 6 or 7 years ago were challenging for a place in the first division play-offs.
jim gannon 4 manager its not the the managers fault its the moral of the plauyers
Jim Gannon would be welcomed by the fans as a legend at Stockport. Quite and thoughtful similar to Mark Hughes approach, a risk with so little experience but a firm favorite who commands respect
Of all the managers who have been listed it is amazing to see so many old players who were there during the glory years (Preece, Angell, Gannon, Ward, Mutch) who have little or no experience of a dog fight. Other names such as Jones would not consider the position with such a limited budget and maybe seen as a backward move. That leaves Mark Lillis, Danny Wilson and Brian Horton! Of those I would love Danny Wilson who did so well with Bristol City and took over in a similar situation to where we are now.
Pete Ward should be the manager, alongside Dave Jones, they would both do a class job, and Pete Ward knows the talent coming through the club.
What about John Aldridge or Micky Adams?
Who on earth made up the list for the County Manager Poll???
Let me guess, was it a traitor? A faded traitor? A traitor who goes on about coming from Manchester and supporting his local club???
Yeah thanks! Very funny!
If only you understood the irony of the situation! The Wilderness Years, eh?;-)
Jim Gannon must be the next manager of County. He has all the skills needed to succeed and could build a prosperous future for us County fans! Most importantly he would re ignite County`s passion which is sadly lacking at the moment.
Carlton Palmer for manager? is that poll having a laff?
Everyone seems to be missing the James McCracken possibility here.
I had head the McCraken rumours too - good news indeed if it's true. A local lad with the fortunes of the Club true to his heart!
i would love, dave jones to become our manager, becasue he has helped county to survive before and he can do it again. my second choice would be steve macmahon, becasue her could help us as well.
no ex players they have no experiance and are no use for us they have had there time and i bet they dont want to spoil it bye taking us too league 2