An exciting Sunderland timeline has been set, regarding the attempts to bring in a replacement for Lee Johnson.

What's the talk?

Black Cats journalist Phil Smith has revealed how he expects the club's managerial situation to play out throughout the rest of the week.

He told The Roar Podcast, via This Is Futbol: “My understanding of the situation was my expectation was that Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor would support the first-team coaching staff that were in place still, which of course is Phil Jevons and David Priest – the first-team coach and the goalkeeping coach.

“So my expectation was that as a pair, they would help out with training this week. And so I would expect them to be involved if it gets to the case where there isn’t a new manager in place by Saturday.

“But I have to say, I would be surprised and quite disappointed if there wasn’t a head coach in on Saturday.”

Excitement

This news will surely leave Sunderland fans feeling excited as Smith's comments suggest that he is expecting a new man to be in the dugout by the weekend.

Johnson has been sacked and the Black Cats are currently without a permanent manager in place, which could impact their promotion push unless they act quickly. Leaving the situation up in the air for too long could cause confusion inside and outside of the club, which could then lead to results turning on the pitch as the players do not know who their manager is going to be.

Sunderland are currently third in the League One table and are well within reach of the automatic promotion places and this means that every single game between now and the end of the campaign is crucial. They need points and they need them quickly, which is why this short deadline for the club's appointment will excite supporters who want to see results as soon as possible.

The Stadium of Light could be buzzing with excitement ahead of kick-off against Doncaster on Saturday if they are introduced to a new head coach for the first time. It could be a fun afternoon for the Black Cats faithful if they are able to return to winning ways with Johnson's replacement in the dugout, rather than having an interim in charge and the supporters remaining unsure about where the club is heading.

It is now down to Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman to ensure that they are able to get a deal over the line for their number one target in the next two to three days.

AND in other news,  Forget Defoe: Speakman endured deadline day SAFC howler over £3.6k-p/w "leader"...