Wee Billy?

A letter arrived in my mailbox this morning confirming my worst fears: I'm not going to be Charlton's new boss. The letter from Peter Varney was short and to the point and made it very clear that my lack of appropriate UEFA licences required by the Premier League prevented them from taking my application further (not that it stopped Glenn Roeder).

Reading between the lines however, I got the very firm impression that if I did have the appropriate licence, then I would very likely have been warming Curbs' old seat quite literally as I write. Now I don't know how long it would take me to get the Pro Licence but in light of their procrastination, I have put eleven young Mexican lads on standby to be tactical guinea pigs, should the club decide to fast-track me for the qualification. Reassuringly I was rejected after Peter Taylor, the current England U21 coach, which suggests they took my application very seriously and are now exploring all possible legal loopholes.

Amongst those applicants who do hold the licence, Billy Davies has been catapulted to the hot favourite for the post. He has a fairly short but impressive managerial track record at Motherwell and Preston North End, and further would certainly appear to have the requisite passion and desire to be a success at Charlton. Last season Preston lost just 6 games and conceded a paltry 30 goals in 46 matches, accumulating an 80-point total which ordinarily might have seen them promoted - clearly their 20 draws led to their relative downfall. From my standpoint he is very much on the realistic 'wanted list' alongside Burley, Dowie, Boothroyd, and Parkinson.

Clearly my most desired candidates are all currently employed and hence require formal agreement from their club to proceed further. It would be totally inappropriate obviously to approach Boothroyd until Sunday's play-off final is complete, and hence I would be surprised if any appointment is confirmed until the end of next week. It appears meanwhile that Phil Parkinson has been prevented from speaking to Charlton for the timebeing, but it wouldn't be in Colchester's interest to be so steadfast if their manager becomes unsettled.

I've been surprised at the lack of rumours surrounding George Burley given his proven record at budget-constrained clubs and the board's alleged admiration for him. Initially I thought he would lack the hunger for the role given his unfortunate departures from Derby and Hearts, but I've been swayed by the glowing reports of his style from some Derby fans on our message boards. Moreover as a betting man, it is hard not to recommend nibbling at the seemingly highly generous 45-1 currently offered on Betfair, and frankly who would you rather work for, Rupert Lowe or Richard Murray?