With Rafa Benitez looking more and more likely to leave Liverpool this summer - he's 4/11 NOT to be in charge - who are the names in the frame to replace him? Jose, M'ON, Kenny...oh and Oswaldo De Oliviera...
JOSE MOURINHO (5/4)
Currently: Manager of Inter Milan but obviously, very vocally, unhappy in Italian football.
Pedigree: Won a fair bit but the most impressive are the Champions League with Porto, two Premier League titles with Chelsea, one Serie A with Inter Milan.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: Only three managers have won the Premier League in the last 15 years and only one of them is available. That surely makes Mourinho the best man for any Premier League manager's job, especially one where he gets to pit his wits directly against the other two, along with his arch-nemesis Carlo Ancelotti. His ego would certainly be attracted to the challenge of returning Liverpool to the top of the tree and becoming an instant hero to boot.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: Lack of money for both manager wages and player acquisitions, the suspicion that patience will bring either the Manchester United job and its almost guaranteed success or the Manchester City job with its massive challenge (and massive money), a probable absence from the Champions League and his oft-repeated admission that he wants to win La Liga to add to his Premier League and Serie A Titles.
MARTIN O'NEILL (9/2)
Currently: Manager of Aston Villa but only on a rolling contract.
Pedigree: Three SPL titles with Celtic and cup finals with Leicester and Aston Villa.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: An impressive record on a relatively smaller budget would appeal, as would his ability to recruit and improve young players like James Milner and Ashley Young. A lack of a long-term contract at Villa makes him cheaply available, and he would probably relish the opportunity to sit at the big table. If Liverpool were looking for the best available, upwardly-mobile manager currently in the Premier League, then they would look towards O'Neill. Tactically he would also be a good fit - a counter-attacking manager for a counter-attacking club.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: Little experience of dealing with big-name, big-ego footballers and there would be question marks about his ability to recruit foreign stars. He certainly lacks the pull of a Benitez or a Mourinho to La Liga or Serie A players, and has almost exclusively bought players from British football. Liverpool's foreign owners may not see O'Neill as quite sexy enough to attract investors.
KENNY DALGLISH (8/1)>BR>Currently: Academy Ambassador.
Pedrigree: Four titles with Liverpool and Blackburn - the last in 1995.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: He loves the club, he knows the club, he's already at the club. He might not be a long-term option but his passion could be seen as the short-term solution until the Reds get back into the Champions League. The fans are already on his side and would give him the time they might not afford to an outsider, while if anyone can get the best out of the Academy graduates, it's Dalglish.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: His last managerial success was in 1995 and the Premier League has changed an awful lot in 15 years. At 59, would he have the energy needed to manage a big top-flight club? Would he have the contacts to bring in players from other leagues? Would he want to risk ruining his standing amongst Liverpool fans? It would be a curious step backwards and one that would hardly smack of ambition from Liverpool.
LAURENT BLANC (10/1)
Currently: Manager of Bordeaux.
Pedrigree: The French title in only his second season in management.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: He's young, presumably ambitious and is used to working within a budget at Bordeaux. His standing in world football would give Liverpool access to some of France's best young players and it would certainly be considered a coup to recruit a man some are earmarking for the United job.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: With less than three years of managerial experience, is he ready to manage one of the biggest clubs in world football and deal with all the hoop-la that surrounds it? He may choose - or Liverpool may choose - to give him longer to find his feet in French football, by which time United could decide to take a gamble on a man who is clearly respected at Old Trafford.
OSWALDO DE OLIVIERA (12/1)
Currently: Manager of Japanese side Kashimi Antlers.
Pedrigree: One Brazilian title and three successive J-League trophies.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: We're guessing he would be relatively cheap - jumping at the chance to manage in Europe for the first time in his career. We won't pretend we know anything about his personality or tactics, but we're assuming he can't be an absolute chump if he's won three J-League titles.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: A lack of standing in European football, the very real possibility of making yourselves a massive laughing stock by replacing a Champions League winner with an unknown. Looking towards Japan worked for Arsenal with Arsene Wenger, but what are the chances of that happening again? It's hardly like English football and Brazilians have ever been an easy fit.
ROY HODGSON (12/1)
Currently: Manager of a Fulham side punching above their weight.
Pedrigree: Titles in Sweden and Denmark, Inter in the UEFA Cup final and Fulham in the Europa last four.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: A master of organisation, Hodgson would certainly get the best possible out of Liverpool without spending a vast amount of money. He also has the likeability factor because nobody dislikes Woy except Blackburn fans with long memories. He's managed at Inter Milan so he certainly wouldn't be fazed by the pressure, and he's made it clear he doesn't see himself at Fulham forever. If Liverpool are looking for a safe pair of hands, they could do an awful lot worse.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: Appointing a 62-year-old manager does not emit a clear signal in terms of long-term planning, while - like O'Neill - he would lack the X Factor. He's likeable but hardly dynamic. Should one of the biggest clubs in the world be managed by a likeable grandad?
MARK HUGHES (12/1)
Currently: Out of work.
Pedrigree: Won bugger all as a manager.
Why He Will Be Liverpool Manager: He's the only one on this list currently available and he would need absolutely no persuasion to join a Big Four club after being ousted from Manchester City. He's got youth on his side and could probably persuade some of City's fringe players (Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Richards) to jump ship for the right price. He did have a pop at playing entertaining football at City, even if it didn't always work.
Why He Won't Be Liverpool Manager: Most remain unconvinced that he can manage at a big club under severe external and internal pressure. If he could not get City into the top four with unlimited funds, what chance has he got at Liverpool? And remember, this is a man who thinks Joleon Lescott is worth £20-odd million.
THE REST
Hiddink, Klinsmann, McLeish 16/1, Schuster 20/1.
