I accept these things take time, but our track record for speedy resolutions, in similar circumstances, isn't great to be fair.

And sooner is most definitely better than later.

After all, the sooner the new boss is installed the longer he will have to put his own staff in place and set about targeting the players he wants.

Still, chairman Niall Quinn has insisted the club will not rush into making an appointment, which means fans are likely to face a nervy couple of weeks waiting to hear who the new man is.

At one point this week it seemed like there was only one man for the job, with Steve Bruce way out in front in the list of targets.

However, there are suggestions now that interest in the former Manchester United defender, who claimed to bleed black and white, has cooled.

Whether that is down to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan making the Black Cats interest public, or that the Wearsiders are baulking at the amount of compensation being asked for, remains to be seen.

What is clear though is that many Sunderland supporters will be pleased that Bruce appears to have slipped down the pecking order (many may have preferred him to be out of the race altogether).

There is no doubt that Bruce has done wonders at the DW Stadium, leading the Latics to the verge of European football this term, but it's rarely ever that black and white, particularly for Sunderland fans.

The Wigan boss has made no secret of his Geordie links (although he did turn down the chance to manage Newcastle), and that is unlikely to sit well with the red and white faithful.

Other names thrown into the hat include Slavin Bilic and Roberto Mancini.

Croatia coach Bilic has done wonders in international football, but has never managed at club level.

Mancini has managed one of the biggest clubs in the world, but has never coached in the Premier League.

So do the Black Cats go for the tried and trusted in Bruce or cast their net wider afield for an international name, who may have no experience of English football?

It's a difficult one to answer, but should Quinn and co want to get back to the box office days of Roy Keane, it would seem the latter of the two options is their best bet.

The Black Cats are currently celebrating Ellis Short's buyout of the club.

However, people will do well to remember that Short is a top businessman, not a magician.

No matter how many millions he throws at the club (likely to be £60m and not the £200m that some were reporting) it's about how well the new man splashes the cash.