Carlisle United have today said they are seeking a new "head coach" - and will not make an appointment before their next game.
In their first comment on the process of replacing Steven Pressley, the club said they had received more than 100 applicants.
Director of football David Holdsworth described the vacancy as one for a head coach, not using the word "manager".
The club were this morning not available to elaborate on whether that could mean a different remit to that of the sacked Pressley, who was always referred to as United's manager.
United have also confirmed that caretaker Gavin Skelton will remain at the temporary helm for the visit of Cambridge next Saturday.
Holdsworth insisted the search for a new boss would be a "thorough" process.
In a statement on the club's website, he said: "I’d like to thank everybody who has taken the time to get in touch with us about this role.
"We can assure the fans that we are pushing on with the process of finding and appointing the new head coach.
“Discussions will begin today and will continue over the course of the coming week.
"We know how important this appointment is to the fans and to the club, and we will take our time to ensure that we get the right person to push this club forward.
“I've spoken to Gavin Skelton, he’s aware of the process and the situation, and in him we know we have a reliable and knowledgeable person at the helm who the players respect and trust.
"I’ve told him that he will take charge of training this week and that he will be in the dug out at Brunton Park on Saturday afternoon.
“This will be a thorough process and we are willing to be patient as we look to narrow the numbers of applicants down before then making the appointment and announcing it to our fans.”
The "discussions" starting today are understood to mean talks about the process at club level, with United not yet believed to be at the interview stage.
Former fans’ favourite Michael Bridges remains the bookies’ favourite at 2/1. The ex-striker, currently working in the Australian media, is known to have applied when the job was available in summer 2018.
Others in the running according to bookmakers include Skelton, Owen Coyle, Paul Heckingbottom, Rory Delap, Neil Redfearn and Peter Murphy.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here