Graham is early favourite to take over at Maine Road

MANCHESTER CITY found themselves treading familiar territory yesterday when they began scouring the country for a manager capable of rousing one of English football's slumbering giants.

On Monday evening, the last man charged with responsibility for overseeing a renaissance in the club's fortunes, Alan Ball, resigned his post just three games into the new season.

If Ball's fraught relationship with the First Division club's long suffering support made his departure inevitable, the question of who will succeed him at Maine Road is not quite so clear cut.

The early, perhaps clear, favourite is the erudite former Arsenal manager George Graham if only because he officially registered his interest and volunteered his services within hours of learning that Ball's problematical 13-month reign had come to an end.

Eighteen months after his ignominious departure from Highbury in the wake of the transfer "hung" allegations which saw him collect a one-year suspension from all footballing activities Graham is clearly ready to step back onto the managerial merry-go-round.

"Of course I am interested I would have to be," he said. "This is a big job at what is a very big club. But, I have not yet spoken to anyone," he added.

Certainly, the 51-year-old Scot's name will figure prominently on a shortlist of candidates which will be drawn up this evening when the City board meets in emergency session to plot safe passage through this latest crisis.

"If George Graham or whoever else made it known to us they were interested in the job we would, of course, interview them," said City chairman Francis Lee.

Graham was considered by City in July last year in between the sacking of Brian Horton and the appointment of Ball.

At that point he was believed to be City's third choice, ahead of Ball but behind Manchester United's assistant manager Brian Kidd and Bruce Rioch, who was dismissed by Arsenal a fortnight ago.

The man City would like to instal as their 15th manager in 24 turbulent years is Kenny Dalglish, who last week severed his ties with Blackburn Rovers after five highly successful years.

Although Dalglish is now available and has insisted he is in no way contemplating early retirement, it is thought unlikely he would agree to join a club in City's parlous financial position.

Despite having the millionaire businessman Lee at the helm, City's debts are conservatively estimated to be around £14 million.

As Ball discovered to his cost during his brief spell in charge of team affairs the club's transfer fund is virtually non-existent and City's next manager will be scraping the bottom of an almost empty barrel.

Dalglish likes a challenge but he also likes an open cheque book to fund the countless forays into the transfer market which have so characterised his style of management.

Rioch will again come into consideration but his long-standing friendship with Lee may actually count against him.

After the disastrous appointment of his bosom pal Ball. several influential members of the City hierarchy would prefer the relationship between chairman and new manager to be less cosy.

Predictably, Lee was generous in his praise of Ball's character and courage under fire yesterday - if not his managerial skills and sense of business acumen. "He has had a torrid time in the press and the fans have started to have a go also," said Lee.

Alan Ball has done a lot of good things for this club but the result on the pitch are what matters most.

Lee also revealed that Ball had been required to quell something of a player mutiny last season, one which surprisingly cent red around the club's most valuable asset, the Georgian international mid-fielder Georgi Kinkladze.

"There were one or two players in the dressing room who were causing problems," said Lee. "Senior players who are not now with the club did not want him in the team and that was the sort of situation Alan had to sort out."

Ball's assistant, Asa Harford, has been placed in charge of first-team affairs.