BURY chairman Stewart Day has hinted a new manager could be in place by the weekend but says they will not be rushed into making a knee-jerk appointment.

Caretaker boss Ryan Lowe’s hopes of getting the job permanently look to have been dashed by Tuesday’s embarrassing FA Cup exit against Woking, which prompted a public apology from the chairman to the fans.

Day confirmed to the Bury Times the board has held interviews for the vacancy and he did not rule out having a new man in place before the crucial home games against Blackburn on Saturday and league leaders Shrewsbury on Tuesday.

He said: “We’ve had a chance to speak to the managers that we wanted to speak to. The difficulty is it has got to be the right man for the club.

“Sometimes people might want too much money or they might not be the right option.

“We’ve got to make the right choice in terms of where we want to be because there are still 29 league games left.

“We haven’t set a time frame, it’s just about getting the right manager.

“Things are ongoing, but whether it happens in the next day or two or whenever, we’ve got to make sure we get the right people to come in and take the club forward.

“We’re trying to make the appointment as quickly as we reasonably can, but we’ve only played one league game under Ryan.”

Asked if Lowe would still be in charge at the weekend, Day replied: “It all depends on timing so it’s difficult.

“At the moment, Ryan’s in charge, but in football anything can happen in 24 hours.”

Day has refused to lay the blame at Lowe’s door for Tuesday’s 3-0 cup defeat, instead directing his anger at the players.

He added: “Whoever plays on Saturday has got a responsibility to put in a shift and fight for the team, whoever’s in charge. It’s not all about the manager.

“The things that we ask of the players – desire, fire, passion – just weren’t there. It didn’t represent anything about what we’re about.

“Even at 1-0 I thought they’d come out second half and have a real good go, and they didn’t do that.

“They’ve got fantastic training facilities and the pitch is in excellent condition for them to go out and play so the excuses are evaporating.

“You’ve got to do it for yourself, to show personal pride, and there was very little of that on Tuesday night from any player.”