Fulham forced to wait for new manager

Fulham could face problems in appointing a new manager quickly because Micky Adams and Paul Hart, two of their four-man short-list, will not be able to speak to them until the end of the season.

The club were hoping to know their final candidates by the end of the week, but the decision to reveal that Jean Tigana's contract will not be renewed has caused a difficulty – both Adams' Leicester City and Hart's Nottingham Forest are in the First Division promotion race.

Adams could be tempted to leave in the summer but will stay with Leicester until they are guaranteed promotion. Hart is likely to be involved in the play-offs, taking him until late May to know his club's and his own fate.

Gianluca Vialli is a definite non-runner. The former Chelsea manager was at Fulham's 4-0 home defeat by Blackburn on Monday but is not a contender.

Adams and Hart have also been linked with Aston Villa, but the Villa manager, Graham Taylor, says he will see out the remaining 14 months of his contract. "There's press talk all the time," Taylor said. "Howard Wilkinson has gone at Sunderland, Terry Venables has gone at Leeds and so I'm the next in line. If results are not going well then people look at the manager. I'm no different – but I've got a year left on my contract."