No deadline set as Fulham continue hunt for new boss

The Cottagers' attempts to replace Hodgson with Ajax's Martin Jol ended in failure last week when the Dutch club refused to allow their manager to join the Barclays Premier League side.

Cardiff manager Dave Jones is now the bookmakers' favourite for the job, while
Sven-Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and former Bayern Munich manager Jurgen Klinsmann have also been mentioned as possible candidates.

Temporary manager Ray Lewington will remain in charge for the club's final game of their pre-season tour of Sweden tonight before the team return to the UK, where they will take on Portsmouth and Werder Bremen before their Barclays Premier League curtain-raiser at Bolton on August 14

A spokesperson insisted the club will not be rushed into appointed a successor to Hodgson, who left last year's Europa League finalists for Liverpool on July 1.

"The chairman is obviously confident that we will have someone in place but we won't be rushed into making a decision," she said.

"There is no deadline. The chairman wants to make sure that he has the right man for the job and will make that decision as and when he sees necessary.

"We have our second friendly of the pre-season tour of Sweden tomorrow and the
chairman is very happy with the way that preparations are going under Ray Lewington so we are not panicking here.

"It's business as usual. Ray Lewington is doing a great job with the pre-season campaign and the managerial situation will be resolved as and when we have the right man for the job."

Bluebirds boss Jones has seen his stock rise after guiding the Welsh side to the Championship play-off final last season, but he insists he is going nowhere.

"I'm fully committed here. I'm fully behind this football club," Jones said.

"I can assure our fans that I am - as always - 100% working at this football club to try and get things right, as I have done every season and during the season.

"It's nice to have that written about you of course, I'm not going to lie and say that it isn't.

"But this football club for the last five years has got everything I've got, my family and me.
"You never say never in football because you don't know what's round the corner.

"People might think that you haven't done well so they get rid of you or somebody comes in, but there's nothing to talk about, it's all speculation and I'm just getting on with my job as I always have done."