Leicester City's increasingly desperate battle to hang on to their manager, Martin O'Neill, will likely reach its climax at some point today. O'Neill spent more than three hours discussing his future with senior club officials yesterday amid mounting speculation that he was poised to resign his post just two-and-a-half years after his arrival at Filbert Street.
As Leicester waited nervously both Everton and Sheffield Wednesday were closely monitoring what is a somewhat confusing situation. O'Neill held talks with Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of the PLC arm of Leicester City and Philip Smith, chairman-designate of the club's proposed new football committee.
It is believed that O'Neill made a series of demands - mostly pertaining to transfer market policy - and that he will decide to stand down unless he receives certain guarantees and assurances.
O'Neill is known to be unhappy at the way in which his club has been restructured in recent weeks and he is reluctant to be part of the five-man committee in which he could be out-voted by people with no background in the game. O'Neill has constantly refuted claims made by his club's hierarchy that he is, in fact, content to work with the new regime.
"This was the first chance I have had to speak to Sir Rodney since I first told him about by reservations three weeks ago," said O'Neill. "Clearly, the situation needs to be sorted out".
Yesterday's developments will have been monitored with great interest inside club boardrooms. At 46, O'Neill is regarded as one of the most gifted young coaches in the English game and news of his current disenchantment will have disrupted, in some cases ruined, the summer holidays of several other managers.
If O'Neill was to leave Leicester, the man with the most to lose would unquestionably be Everton's Howard Kendall. Although Kendall successfully preserved Everton's Premiership status on the final day of last season, his future remains uncertain and he will return to work early next week still seeking the traditional vote of confidence.
That may, or more likely may not, be forthcoming later today when the Everton board of directors assemble to discuss many topics, notably public disquiet at the Merseyside club's lack of progress, slow season ticket sales and an inability to convince players of genuine quality to move to Goodison Park.
The Everton chairman, Peter Johnson, can expect something of a rough ride from what is a divided boardroom and one which contains at least four directors who believe that Kendall's third spell in charge at the club should be ended.
But, as chairman and majority shareholder, the final decision will be taken by Johnson who now fully appreciates that if a change is to be made it must be made within the next few days.
