Coventry City's chief executive Tim Fisher and development director Steve Waggott are drawing up a shortlist of candidates they wish to interview for the vacant post of manager.
The club have received 55 serious applications plus submissions from agents and other third parties on behalf of their clients some of whom are currently employed as managers with other clubs. There have also been the usual applications from players of Championship Manager computer game and other prank applications.
The current caretaker manager of the club Richard Shaw will be one of those interviewed. Interviews are expected to take place next week.
Steve Waggott is the man charged with leading the hunt for the next manager, but he has said that Coventry City have not approached or enquired about speaking to any manager that is currently employed although he hasn't ruled out the possibility that the club may go down that road if they believe they have identified the right man for the job.
Waggott told the CT's Andy Turner: “We have got a list of criteria for the type of manager and skill set we expect from the manager. We have drawn that up and we are now going through this very long list to come up with a shortlist and to move on to the interview process as quickly as possible.
“Whoever comes up with the criteria, we will meet and have a discussion with them and it may mean we have a second round of interviews if there are more than one who are close to what we deem fit to take the club to the next level.
“We are very open minded about it all and we aim to start interviewing next week when there are no midweek games and we can concentrate our focus on this.”
Waggott confirmed that Richard Shaw is in the running for the job saying, “Richard’s CV is in there and we have just got to look at the criteria and match it up. He’s in the hat and he’s said in all his interviews to date that he would be honoured and sees it as the next stepping stone in his career, but he also knows that the managerial job at Coventry is a big opportunity for others who have either been out of employment for a while or just come out of employment, or some who are currently in employment and looking for the next step in terms of their career pathway. So he knows it’s going to be a really competitive field.
“I know Richard well, I’ve known him for years both as a player and first team coach at Millwall but the process has got to be followed so that everyone on the shortlist will be interviewed.”
Waggott clarified the situation regarding the possibility of recruiting a manager already in employment at another club reiterating that the club has not made any approaches to anyone already in work.
He said, “What usually happens is we have third party representatives or agents who put a call in to say that this person would see Coventry as a step up from their current position, but we have made no formal approaches at all and I can categorically state that to any clubs regarding a manager who is currently employed.
“It would be a register of intent but it’s not an official application as such and if, as we went through the process, we thought there was a stand-out candidate at another club then we would make an approach to that club to say we are interested in their manager and go through the proper procedure, but that usually involves some sort of compensation clause subject to the contractual position of the manager.”
Given the parlous financial state of the Coventry City they would rather not pay compensation to another club, but if the manager they really wanted was one already employed, compensation would have to be paid.
Waggott didn't rule out that possibility and when asked about it he replied, “It’s a good question and the answer is that if it was deemed to be that the person who was the absolute stand-out candidate and it involved some sort of money, but it couldn’t be what I would call a huge or significant compensation because that’s not where we’re at and there would have to be careful consideration given to that, it may be that a bit of a short-term hit in terms of finance could mean a long-term goal achieved by the club.
“You have to keep it on context. This season is a big one for us. We’re trundling through cups and everything else but the league is what we are really focused on and we all know the figures which could mean an uplift of £4-5million on promotion in terms of income.
"So we would have to consider that if there was to be an approach to someone involving compensation.”
He concluded by saying, “This is a big opportunity and whoever is going to take it on has got to know that we have an infrastructure in terms of squad and backroom in place here.
“They definitely need to know what it takes to gain promotion and galvanise a team to get a winning mentality and someone who has got knowledge of the lower leagues but could also, looking ahead, handle bringing together a Championship squad from the basis of this squad.”
More on this: http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-city-fc/coventry-city-fc-news/2012/09/06/92746-31778330/?