Premier League basement outfit West Bromwich Albion have been surprisingly tipped to consider former Sunderland and Wolves manager Mick McCarthy.
It is not difficult to work out why Mick McCarthy divides opinion right down the middle, even among his own Ipswich Town fanbase.
On one hand, the 59-year-old is a loveable old-school rogue, just as comfortable speaking his mind as he is delivering oddly poetic, semi-sensible metaphors in that sleepy Yorkshire drawl.
On the other, McCarthy is seen as a coach from a bygone era with tactics carved into stone walls, a defensively-minded results man who cares little about the spectacle. The truth, as it often always does, is probably somewhere in the middle.
And, typically, it is difficult to work out whether McCarthy would be a solid appointment for West Bromwich Albion or a totally underwhelming one.
Alan Pardew could be sacked if West Brom, bottom of the Premier League and seven points from safety, fail to beat Watford this weekend, and The Mail claims that McCarthy, who is out of contract at the end of this season and faces an uncertain future at Ipswich, could come into consideration.
Now, if West Brom fans were sick of the pragmatic football played under Tony Pulis, McCarthy is unlikely to get supporters off their seats for the right reasons. He has also suffered top flight relegation with Sunderland and has not managed in the Premier League since being sacked by Wolves five years ago after a 5-1 thrashing by, guess who, local rivals West Brom.
But, if the Baggies instead view McCarthy as a manger to stabilise them in the second tier with relegation looking almost certain, he could be a good bet.
After all, Ipswich have been operating on one of the league’s smallest budgets for years and have finished in the top half three times in McCarthy’s five full seasons in charge. He has reached the play-offs in the Championship on a number of occasions and won the league with Sunderland and Wolves.
So maybe McCarthy would be a good appointment – if West Brom go down.
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