Such was the backing for Butcher that he was a clear favourite with the bookmakers. The relatively successful spell when he guided us from administration and his spell with Inverness could easily have persuaded the interviewing panel that he was the best candidate. No explanation for the surprise has yet surfaced. The inevitable speculation has even hinted that he received a call from Paisley!
Our general manager is quoted in the Mail, Burrows said: "Terry had come across very positively at interview – as did the other candidates. Terry spoke very well, very passionately and he made a very good impression on everyone involved in the process. But he got in touch on Wednesday afternoon to say he no longer wished to be considered. It was a surprise and it was disappointing but Terry went about things in the right way by letting us know first. We wish him all the best."
It would appear that a choice will be made from the restricted list. Black, Shiels, Baraclough, Maaskant and Van der Gaag.
The Dutch candidates have built up a range of managerial experience across numerous clubs but none have plied their craft in the UK. Shiels, lately of Kilmarnock and Morton, knows the Scottish game and has a reputation for doing as much talking off the park as on it.
The arrival of the relatively unknown Baraclough to the final six has prompted a few visits to Wikipedia. His playing career and spell as manager at Scunthorpe suggests that he'll have a sound knowledge of the footballing prospects in the north of England. That's been a favoured hunting ground for a couple of our recent managers. His success at Sligo Rovers will do his case no harm. He now figures at 11/4.
We are now in the sixth week of the post-McCall era and "Now we move on with the process of appointing a new manager and we hope to do that by the end of this week."
Let's hope the players are able to concentrate of their preparations for Saturday's crunch game against Ross County.