Liverpool's chairman David Moores is ready to risk enraging the club's less tolerant supporters by extending his bold gamble in shared managerial responsibilities. It may, however, be only a brief stay of execution for the long-serving Roy Evans.
Although Moores is coming under increasing pressure to abandon a controversial system which has Evans working in tandem on first-team affairs with the Frenchman Gerard Houllier, he remains reluctant to dissolve the partnership. But with Liverpool already below half-way in the Premiership, elimination from the Worthington Cup at the hands of Tottenham at Anfield tonight would possibly leave him with little option.
Despite Moores's loyalty to Evans - a close friend and confidant for many years - it seems inevitable that Houllier will be invited to assume individual and full control before much longer.
It is believed that Evans's future, or lack of it, has been discussed informally by senior members of the Liverpool hierarchy and that his departure from a club he has served for more than three decades, or his move to another role, will be announced shortly. But, at least until tonight, the pair will both accept responsibility for lifting the morale and the performance of a collection of highly priced and highly paid players who continue to disappoint.
Houllier was installed as Liverpool's joint manager in the summer and was asked to forge an Anglo-French alliance with Evans, who has been in charge at Anfield since January 1994. Although the two men insist their partnership is a viable proposition, it remains little more than a marriage of convenience.
On Saturday, after Liverpool were defeated at home by a severely weakened Derby County, Evans's and Houllier's team were jeered loudly at the final whistle.
Although the couple have promoted a sense of unity during their many joined-at-the-hip public performances, it is believed there have been several differences of opinion lately, mostly relating to tactics and team selection.
Although Liverpool promised him employment for life when his managerial skills were first called into question last season, it now seems Evans would opt for a clean break if offered the chance to leave Anfield with his dignity intact.
Meanwhile Chelsea's £5.4 million Italian centre-forward Pierluigi Casiraghi will today undergo exploratory surgery on his right knee, injured in an accidental collision with West Ham's Rio Ferdinand at Upton Park on Sunday. Their record signing may now be out for six months.
And Juventus's Champions League prospects have been dealt a major blow with the news that Alessandro Del Piero will be out of action for five months after injuring his left knee.
