Soccer: The Leeds United board will meet this week to discuss the appointment of a fourth manager in two years after Eddie Gray relinquished the post yesterday.

Gordon Strachan is the preferred candidate, but there is also interest in Wigan's Paul Jewell, Neil Warnock of Sheffield United and the Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie, who have all impressed in the Nationwide League, and the first-team coach Kevin Blackwell.

Gray's failure to retain Leeds's Premiership status culminated in his stepping down yesterday, with Blackwell taking charge of the side for their swansong against Chelsea on Saturday.

Gray, who has enjoyed a 40-year association with the club, is to be employed as a consultant initially on a one-year contract.

While the timing of the Scot's move may appear unfortunate, the chairman Gerald Krasner and his board made the decision to dispense with his services over the weekend to give the beleaguered club more time to find a replacement.

"Although we were relegated last week, we hadn't made any decision then," said Krasner. "We decided we weren't going to rush into anything, but we had a board meeting over the weekend and made up our minds then and told Eddie.

"It was a sad decision because Eddie Gray is as much Leeds United as Alan Smith, but the fact that we were relegated two weeks before the end of the season gave us those extra two weeks' dealing time. After we lost to Bolton, Eddie asked us as to our view and so we made up our minds at the weekend."

"I have said before that the club do not owe me anything and they don't," said Gray (56), who took over from Peter Reid, initially on a temporary basis, in November. "I have had a great life with the football club and it's just sad that it has come to this, but that's life.

"I would not agree that it was an impossible task to keep Leeds up. It was difficult, but I still enjoyed it and I am sad how it turned out in the end. I just wish the club all the best and hope they bounce back."

Strachan's availability, having departed Southampton in February, makes him an appealing choice as a successor with no compensation involved. Yet much will depend upon the future of the Leeds board.

The haulage magnate Steve Parkin, whose first choice is believed to be Dowie, is expected to declare an interest in taking over the troubled club by the end of the week. But no bid has been made as yet and Leeds are braced to sell players over the next month.

"Over the next two to three weeks there are a lot of decisions which will be taken," said the finance director Melvin Helme. "Nobody seriously interested in taking over would want another party making those decisions.

"If somebody wants to make those decisions themselves then they need to make a move as quickly as possible, otherwise we intend to make them."

Almost a year after being appointed head coach - initially to Reid - Blackwell now knows the inside track at Leeds and it is likely he would ask for certain conditions to be met should he be the man the board turn to to mount an immediate return to the top flight.

It is clear, though, the year has been an agonising one as he said: "I thought things would be kept the same until next week, but the decision has been made so I get on with it.

"All I will do is look after the team for this one game, and hopefully we can go down by restoring some pride, and then I will see what happens.

"But I've had four chairmen and two managers since I've been here. It's been a frustrating year for me."