John Yorkston Post Clyde

"We had expectations at the beginning of the season of being top of the league, it gets difficult as the weeks go on when you are not winning.

Following the draw against Clyde, Chairman John Yorkston spoke to the media and gave an update on the search for a new Manager:-

"We have had somewhere over thirty applicants. There's quite a number of very good ones and we are going to sit down on Tuesday lunchtime and some of us are going to draw up a short list and will then contact those people, let them know that they are on the short list and start interviews."

The Chairman did not know how long that shortlist might be but ideally he is looking for three:-

"It is difficult when you get agents saying that these folk are interested - you never know if they are or not. You will get agents phoning up with half a dozen we want to deal with but you have to check out they are interested. There are other factors as well - if there is a compensation, that comes into it and if so how much."

When would you expect the new manager to be in place?

"Ideally for the game at Partick next Saturday but we will take as long as it takes to get the right boy."

John Yorkston confirmed that Jim McIntyre is on the list and will be considered:- "I think he is interested in doing it maybe after today it has put him off."

How hard was the decision to remove Stephen Kenny?

"We felt that we had given him every opportunity to turn things around; we could have done it after the Hamilton game or the Stirling game - the 5-0, the 3-0 the 4-0. We felt that there were other factors including injuries and thought we'd give him that bit longer."

The Chairman at Stirling

The Chairman was asked how Stephen Kenny took the decision:-

"He was upset about it, I don't think anyone who gets sacked is happy. He stills maintains that if he was given longer he would have turned things around but we felt that we had given him as long as we could."

Questioned about whether or not he could remain friends with the Dubliner, John Yorkston revealed that he still had a friendship with previously sacked East End gaffer, Davie Hay.

"It does happen but maybe best not asked in the week after it has happened."

Are there any names on the list of applicants that excite given that the likes of Jackie McNamara and John Robertson have been linked with the vacancy?

"Some of the names on the list excite me, I'm not referring to those two" replied the Chairman who joked at the supplementary question about Jose Mourinho "that's why he is not deciding on the England job until he knows if he has got this one.

"There are good ones, I am sure if you started on the list of thirty I'm sure you could come up with 24 of them. It is the usual suspects and two or three other ones that are interesting."

What kind of manager are Dunfermline after?

"Davie Hay was an older hand to steady things after Jimmy Calderwood and Stephen (Kenny) was a young up and coming one, we sacked both of them. We do not have a preference, we just want to get one that will gets winning and get us back up the league."

How important will experience of the First Division be given what has been said about Dunfermline's season and what expectations do the Board still hold?

"Obviously if he has experience of the First Division and the Premierleague that would help but in the end we can only hope that we make the right choice. We had expectations at the beginning of the season of being top of the league, it gets difficult as the weeks go on when you are not winning. Until it is mathematically impossible then we will keep aiming for the number one spot."

Financially how big a problem will it be if Dunfermline do not go straight back up to the Premierleague?

"We are going to try until it is mathematically impossible, I wouldn't say it's inevitable. Obviously you lose a million to million and a half in turnover when you come down. This year the blow has been softened by one, the parachute payment and two, being at the Final last season. It is not as big a hit as it would be if it wasn't for those factors.

"If we do not go up then we won't have them but there are about 17 or 18 players out of contract at the end of the season. What we offer them, if anything, will depend upon what league that we are going to be in."