Right, stick your vote in for the first and very last time as to whom you'd like to see running us next season.

The braver ones of you will vote before next Wednesday.

I'm sticking JM into the mix just to see what the residual love factor is...

Let's take it as read that Clarkey will be available to continue as the no.2 in all options bar the one in which he's the gaffer.

Sparky for me Mike!

He deserves a big break in football management,he's one of us despite his time at Old Traf*ord.

You couldn't go wrong with Sparky!

But I still feel Grant will be in charge next season.

Same for me Rob.

I think a Sparky / Clarke combo could be the most solid partnership in management since Clough / Taylor, or - come to that - JM / Clarke.

My heart would love to see Ruud return but I really think he's been out of the league too long. Scolari could be a laugh but I couldn't face the two years he'd need to settle in

Sparky for me Mike!

He deserves a big break in football management,he's one of us despite his time at Old Traf*ord.

You couldn't go wrong with Sparky!

But I still feel Grant will be in charge next season.

Er...why did you vote for Hiddink then? Or have you yet to vote? Or is my vote for Sparky actually yours and I'm not allowed to vote on my own poll?

Cancel this poll...

....This poll is rigged!!!

My fault mate I forgot to vote!!

i voted for hiddink, simply because i fear the thought of any chelsea legend being manager. id love sparky, zola etc to be at the club as coaches, but hate the thought of zola or sparky coming in as manager, failing hideously and leaving as a pariah..... plus, im still not sure of sparkys credentials as a coach. he seems able to get the players up for bigger games but not for the bread and butter games.

I slapped on the Lippi

i voted for hiddink, simply because i fear the thought of any chelsea legend being manager. id love sparky, zola etc to be at the club as coaches, but hate the thought of zola or sparky coming in as manager, failing hideously and leaving as a pariah..... plus, im still not sure of sparkys credentials as a coach. he seems able to get the players up for bigger games but not for the bread and butter games.

Ah, but with Clarkey by his side.....

As I told G4 on the mini piss up it's got to be Sparky.

lippi, he's good at managing.

really what I don't want to see though is mancini. rijkaard also may be a poor fit and not my favourite, but his two league titles, the champions league trophy, his willingness to use youth players and some brilliant football gets overlooked a little to0 often...

p.s. increasingly the idea of sparky with eddie ned, hitchcock and more ex chelsea staff is appealing- there is a place for sentiment IMO.

as timotheeeeeeeeeeeeeee told me, lippi.

Stick yer x down then, bud

wow you were fast- edited it to make sense.

wow you were fast- edited it to make sense.

Man, I'm on fire today...

no posts for 3 months and then 17 in 3 minutes, in one thread....

I've backed myself into a corner here and must admit there is no punchline.

no posts for 3 months and then 17 in 3 minutes, in one thread....

I've backed myself into a corner here and must admit there is no punchline.

Are you saying you come like a bus? If so, I think there are other sorts of forums for that kind of filfth, my lad...

living in london, you should know buses don't come.

Its going to be Grant but id actually like it to be someone young(ish) and fresh with good ideas and some style - for me Laudrup fits the bill.

He isnt on the list so i voted Sven for a laugh

Sparky, because he would want it the most.

As I told G4 on the mini piss up it's got to be Sparky.

Mini p*ss-up ?? We filled the Mitre!!! Well, at least til about 4.30 pm.

Anyway. Agreed, Hughes should be our man. He knows the Premiership, he has played for us and our biggest opponent, he knows how to squeeze results out of a group that's not really on fire, which I thought was missing this season.

One unknown factor: how will he do managing a Big Club.... Well, I'd love to find out.

Guus is the man.

Of all of those in the list, three names stand out above all the others. I would only class Mourinho, Lippi and Hiddink as truely "world class" managers.

I'm not saying that the others don't have potential (particularly Sparky and Erickson), but those three are a class above, and if any one of them was in charge of the resources that we have at our disposal, I would have no doubt that we would be hugely successful over the next few seasons.

Now Mourinho isn't coming back - so he's out of the equation.

Between Lippi and Hiddink, I think they are both equally able to get results.

The difference is that Lippi is all about classic Italian domination football - results above all else. Make sure the the opposition can't score, then get a goal and you win. Same as Mourinho, the trophies would come, but I doubt our football would be any more entertaining to watch.

Now, if you believe anything you read about Roman, he doesn't just want trophies, he wants entertainment. And Hiddink is all about sexy football. Think back to the Gullit days, but with a truely world class squad and a truely world class manager. That is what we would be getting with Hiddink.

In my books, he is the only choice (if he is available, of course).

I think if we can't get him, we should go for Lippi (maybe with Zola as number 2), but I think if we are looking at anyone further down the list, I would rather we stick with Grant.

Hiddink please.

I agree with the last two voters. Hiddink coming in would provide some tangible proof that Abramovich's long term plans are taking shape. Roman might not say much, but appointing Hiddink would be akin to shouting from the rooftop that we are going to play a certain style of football.

I know it would be a gamble, but like bjd I like the idea of a young and hungry manager, thereforen Michael Laudrup for me.

Coco says Sparky would want it the most. I think he'd much rather wait for a vacancy at Manure..

Voted for GH coz I didnt see JM in the list

I've also gone for Hiddink - he's the right piece for the puzzle. Also he has some of the best contacts in world football and could persuade top players to come to us, something both Hughes and Laudrup lack.