Hearts are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Steven Naismith.
The 38-year-old's tenure was ended amid considerable fan pressure after a 2-1 defeat to St Mirren consigned the Jam Tarts to an eighth consecutive loss.
He leaves Hearts bottom of the Scottish Premiership with only one point from the opening six matches and with a record of just one win in 15 matches in all competitions.
However, the Tynecastle hotseat remains one of the most attractive jobs in Scottish football, particularly with the prospect of European group stage football on the horizon in the UEFA Conference League.
With a potential £10m investment also on the cards from Tony Bloom, the Brighton owner and chairman behind the vaunted Starlizard recruitment algorithm, then there will likely be no shortage of applications making their way to Gorgie.
Can Hearts attract a big name? Will they go for a tried and trusted manager with Scottish football experience? Will they look to England for an up and coming boss? Or could they go down the foreign route in the hope of landing a Jimmy Thelin, who has transformed Aberdeen into a winning machine following his arrival from Swedish football?
Here are 10 names we reckon should be among the leading candidates for the Hearts managerial vacancy.
1. Alex Neil
Still only 43, the Scotsman is an experienced head coach with a mostly successful CV including leading Hamilton and Norwich to the Scottish and English top flights, turning Preston North End into promotion challengers, and guiding Sunderland to the League One title. His most recent spell in charge of Stoke City, however, was a disappointment. Has been installed as the early bookies favourites. | Getty Images
2. Stephen Robinson
The St Mirren boss has been on Hearts' managerial radar previously, so will almost certainly come into the reckoning again this time around given his recent achievements with the Buddies. Guided the Paisley club to consecutive top-six finishes in the Premiership for the first time in 39 years and ended a 37-year wait for European football. Also had previous success at Motherwell, leading them into both domestic cup finals in 2017-18 for the first time since the 1950–51 season. | Getty Images
3. Derek McInnes
The Kilmarnock manager has been listed among the favourites for the job - and rightly so. His record over eight seasons at Aberdeen was impressive, winning the Scottish League Cup in 2014, finishing Scottish Premiership runners-up on four occasions and reaching three other cup finals during his spell in charge. He has also revived Kilmarnock, steering them back to the top flight and into Europe after a top six finish last season. Should be a serious candidate. | SNS Group
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4. Tony Docherty
Became a manager in his own right last summer when taking charge of Dundee after several years working as an assistant to Derek McInnes and proved himself in the dugout by leading the Dens Park side to an unexpected top six finish to earn a nomination for both the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year and the Scottish Football Writers' Association's Manager of the Year awards. Would tick several boxes but is he a name that will excite the Tynecastle fanbase? | Getty Images