I think you've nailed it. The Euro's end and it will be announced. Place your bets!

Reading between the lines Frank is my tip

I'd be very surprised if the nature of Lampards employment by the BBC prevented him from taking a managers job before the euros is out.

I think most pundits are sort of self-employed, which is why they pop up here there and everywhere. Plus of the two jobs, he'd plainly much rather be a manager than a pundit, as he said himself on the telly the other day.

I think Lamps is the most likely candidate and will be offered the job...

...of Handyman, after all, he only lives just down the road.

Careful what you wish for though.

I would strongly disagree with that, yet it's a comment I hear repeated often.

Look at the facts. For a manager, the Premier League is the most attractive in the world. There are only 20 jobs to go around the thousands of qualified bosses around the globe, almost all of whom would love to work in the PL. Of those 20 jobs, three are with promoted clubs so there are only really 17 (or fewer) positions with "established" PL sides. Add to that the fact that we are in London (probably the most attractive geographical destination in the PL) and it's laughable to say our project isn't enticing. Taking the top 6 PL sides, Real, Barcelona, Juventus, PSG, etc. arguably the Palace job is around the 35th-50th most appealing in world football.

Furthermore, we have a fantastic pipeline coming through (Rak Sakyi, Ombilabu, Mitchell, etc.). Yes, we have a lot of players out of contract but that doesn't mean they're all leaving. It just means the new manager gets to hand-pick who stays and thus almost his entire squad which, we keep hearing, is really what all managers want to do. Our new boss won't be inheriting someone else's squad. He'll be building his own. Does this mean it's a big job with a hell of a lot of work to be done? Yes. But is that an unattractive proposition for an incoming manager? I doubt it. How many times in your career do you get a PL job with a chance to do it almost entirely your way.

Additionally, there are other pluses. Our chairman generally has a good reputation as a handler of bosses (four years supporting Roy isn't a bad look for a prospective employee). Our supporters are lauded by both those who've managed us and those who haven't (i.e. Mourninho). Generally, we're thought of as a tight, hard-working, well-run club. Even Nuno was said to be mightily impressed by our vision for the future.

Anyone who thinks our job isn't attractive is kidding themselves. There's a reason Parrish said yesterday there's no shortage of interest in it. What there isn't, presently, appears to be a standout candidate; a "must hire". Deeply frustrating as it is, SP is probably right to hold out for someone who checks all the bosses. That, I think, is the hold up.

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.