And you have to take your hat off to Lerner, it looks like he is learning and is thinking outside the box. Yes, Lambert, Martinez and Rodgers were easy choices and there is as much to say that they could be as successful as Solskjaer and at the same time fail just as quickly as each other, but there is a huge feeling of optimism right now and you know what, I like it.

Nothing to fall back on

I like it, I think, because we don't actually know much. We can't look back and see how he managed in Scotland or how his only attribute was to defend well. We can't look back and say, this is what he has always done.

It is a clean slate. I like that too. I also like that it appears, from the video below, that it is football first. I like everything I've read and heard and watched the last twenty four hours and I'm making myself believe.

But there is a risk

But there are risks and some will be quick to point them out and they are real, but I'll say this; with any manager, there are risks, but Solskjaer has a pedigree and he'll be respected. If he isn't, we all know what will happen because he has been taught by one of the best.

But that risk remains. But let me say this; there is a risk with Lambert, maybe a bigger one, maybe not as big. There are risks with every man that takes this job, but it can be eased.

If Solskjaer is appointed the manager, one thing we have to all accept is it is going to take time. Maybe not so long, but time will be needed. He'll need money and I suspect he'll get it and he will have, believe it or not, some pulling power in terms of players that would be willing to play for him.

And given the support, the funds and if he can get across how he wants the football to be played, it's all good. And if the talk is true, he has left Norway with his wife and is on his way to Birmingham, so I suspect we will see a photo in a couple of hours of him entering Villa Park or Bodymoor, so hold on to your hats.

But, and this is a massive but, if he does come, we have to embrace him. We have to have him fall in love with a football club all over again. I know I'm getting a little carried away, but from day one, he has to be embraced. But that is where I leave it now.

Question of the day

And, seeing as we have a firm name to talk about, there is a question of the day to the. Answer please.

Video of the day

I've also read something about no Director of Football and Randy Lerner taking full control of this one and not letting Faulkner have a say. One of those is good and the other isn't.

My point is, it doesn't matter. None of it does. A new manager will come in and that manager will come in based on what the real plan of the owner is.

But is there really a plan

If the plan is to, over a period of three or four years, challenge for a place in the top four, then that might interest the likes of Villas-Boas or Rijkaard and most certainly Lambert and Martinez, but the likes of Klinsmann and Benítez are going to be more interested in getting to that next season or the season after and they will require funds.

That was a short way of saying we will get the manager, or the type of manager, that the owner is capable of getting. Forget all the PR and spin that is going to come and what we've already read, the ambitions of the owner will be met by the appointment of a man that can achieve them.

Show me the money

But it all comes down to funds. Any manager worth his salt is going to want to know exactly how much money he can spend on transfers and salaries for the next few years and he is also going to want to see that increase year after year and be indirectly linked to where the club finish in the table, FA Cup and League Cup. All that before signing his contract.

It can not be "we'll give you so much this season and we will see where we finish next season before allocating funds". To get the right man, there has to be a clear plan. After all, it is about finding someone for the long term isn't it?

Moving on and waiting for the man

This is my way of saying I'm already fed up of people throwing names about that they've heard about and the local press feeding that frenzy and people buying into it. What will happen will happen and it will be a clear indication of what the owner wants for the club. Judge him when the decision is made.

Saying that, I will say this; the right man is out there, but the club need to employ someone that knows football and can advise Lerner and if you want to call him Director of Football or not, it's up to you, but right now, we are lacking someone with real insight and knowledge of the game and before I go, if it is Solskjaer, you do not get much better in terms of pedigree and he really does deserve a proper chance.

Added: Video of the day