A VERY important process is going on behind closed doors at the Macron Stadium, the success of which will determine the path Wanderers take over the next season, and beyond.

How chairman Phil Gartside goes about appointing the club’s new manager is almost as crucial as whom he appoints.

The sensible approach – the way most jobs are filled these days – is to draw up a list of key criteria and pick the candidate who ticks the most boxes.

But finding the right man for the right club is not a wholly scientific process.

There are those managers, like Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, who will make a success of almost any position.

Yet often a face can fit at one club, but not at another.

To be successful in football you have to connect with the club, its fans and even the town.

You have to understand what makes it tick, what style of football supporters are after and what kind of players they connect with.

Results are important, but sometimes how you win is often just as key.

The truly successful managers are somehow able to tap into the very essence of the club and channel it into everything they do.

There are plenty of examples .

Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Bill Nicholson are the stand-out ones for me. These three men created a footballing philosophy at their clubs that provided a blueprint that still exists today.

All managers that have followed them at Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs, respectively, have been measured against them.

Ferguson revived Busby’s faith in young homegrown talent to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford, while Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish just picked up where Shankly left off.

Spurs fans are still waiting for someone to match up to Nicholson.

There are other examples, like Brian Clough, who have clicked at some clubs, but not at others.

Fans of Brighton and Leeds must have wondered what all the fuss was about, while Derby and Norttingham Forrest supporters will never tire of recounting the old stories of this maverick manager.

To highlight the man most suitable to take over at Bolton, I believe you have to learn lessons from the past.

If Gartside can get to the bottom of how Sam Allardyce and Bruce Rioch created a bond with the fans that still exists today, then he will have taken an important step towards making the right decision.

In that sense, the whole process is as much a test of his understanding of the club as it is about his footballing judgement.

If he is confident of that, then my advice would be to forget about ticking boxes and go with his gut.