IAN Atkins, Lou Macari, Chris Kamara and Neil Warnock head the list of men Bury want as manager.

Northampton boss Atkins has emerged as the surprise new frontrunner for the job Bury plan to fill by the middle of next week.

Atkins possesses all the qualities Shakers owner Hugh Eaves today said the club were looking for. But they would have to pay heavily for a man who still has two years left on his contract and last week turned down the vacant Norwich City job.

If they fail with Atkins, Bury look set to turn to Macari who is currently out of work and flies home from holiday in America on Monday - just days before Bury aim to name their man.

Eaves said: "Lou Macari is in the style that we are looking for. I know he is out of the game at the moment and he is certainly one who has had significant success on a limited budget."

Eaves says the club are homing in on their target and outlined the criteria he and chairman Terry Robinson are looking for to carry on where Stan Ternent left off.

It adds up to Bury looking for 'New Stan' with the ideal replacement possessing virtually identical qualities to Ternent.

Eaves declared: "We want someone who likes the players we have and can work with them because we don't have the resources for a major clearout and then bringing in a whole new set of players.

"We don't want one of these ex-top players to come in as player-manager because they have had so much money stuffed down their throats during their careers that they don't have any comprehension of what it's like to run a club like Bury with limited resources.

"The new man must be young and hungry because I don't feel there is any point working with somebody unless he really wants to be here.

"He must have good drive and enthusiasm and be a good motivator. One of the things that Stan Ternent was great at was being able to constantly motivate the players against the odds and that is important."

Bury are determined to take their time and are continuing with interviews.

Atkins has impressed with the job he has done at Northampton where he came so close to emulating Ternent's achievement of two successive promotions from Third to First Divisions, losing out to Grimsby Town in the Division Two play-off final last month.

He has experience of the lower divisions where Bury do their shopping for players and could be tempted by a move up a division which would also allow him to keep his family in Birmingham.

Warnock, Macari and Kamara are all currently out of work.

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