Albion have admitted the manager's job is proving difficult to fill and they have still not found the right man.

A target of First Division survival, a tight budget and the club's insistence that the backroom staff stays have all contributed to the delay in finding Peter Taylor's successor.

Chairman Dick Knight has held detailed talks with four candidates but only one of those is still in contention. A top contender was ruled out because he wanted to bring in his own assistant.

Albion's consecutive title winners were reporting back for pre-season training today in the unprecedented position of not knowing who will be their boss.

Taylor quit more than nine weeks ago and fans, players and staff are bewildered that an appointment has not been made.

Chief executive Martin Perry said: "Nobody has been offered the job and therefore nobody has turned it down. I understand the frustration and concerns but there are sound reasons for it.

"It's not an easy post to fill. The task for a couple of seasons at least is going to be difficult. There is no real glory in it.

"It's a matter of holding on and maintaining our position in the First Division. That will be success.

"There is a limited income caused by the low capacity at Withdean. This is coupled with the fact that the overall income of First Division clubs next year has been cut by some £2.5 million because of the ITV crisis.

"We are fortunate in that regard, because we have not committed to player contracts which reflected that money.

"We have been careful in negotiating to make sure we stay in the budget and that budget is clearly less than managers thought they might have been getting.

"We have not made an appointment because we haven't as yet felt really confident that the people we have talked to can really fit into this structure.

"A number of people have been talked to in detail, including some of the obvious candidates put forward and speculated on by the press, but there is caution to make sure we get it right."

Chairman Dick Knight arrived back last night from a fortnight's holiday in Spain, during which the hunt for a new manager continued.

"The fact that Dick previously had a holiday booked has made life a bit more complicated but he has met with people while he has been abroad and he has also been negotiating a number of the player's contracts," Perry said. "He has not just been away for two weeks and done nothing.

"Serious discussions have taken place with about four people and one of those is still in the frame.

"There was one candidate who we liked, but he was absolutely insistent he brought his No. 2. We feel we have a very good coaching team and we don't want to lose it.

"I actually think we are not far away from making a decision, but there has been a real effort not to rush into it bearing in mind the task ahead."

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