Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand has warned his teammates they are all fighting for their futures as the search for Roy Keane's successor goes on.
Chairman Niall Quinn and his fellow directors will get together later this week for a scheduled board meeting at which the topic of finding a replacement for the Irishman is sure to be high on the agenda.
However, much of the business under discussion at the meeting - which, contrary to some claims, is not taking place today - will be routine with each of the club's key decision-makers considering a list of prospective candidates drawn from the deluge of applications which have come their way in the last week.
PA Sport understands it is unlikely that a new manager will be in place by the time the Black Cats run out to face West Brom in a crucial Barclays Premier League game at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and that there is a chance caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia could still be in charge for the trip to Hull seven days later.
Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley continue to lead the way in the betting stakes, but with American investor Ellis Short's influence growing, a wide perspective is being taken on the process.
But whatever happens over the weeks and months ahead, Ferdinand, an £8million Keane signing during the summer, knows every player in a bloated squad ultimately faces the task of persuading the successful candidate he is worth his place.
The 23-year-old said: "As fast as you have come in the door, you can leave just as quickly.
"But the boys have got a lot of pride in themselves, which we showed at the weekend.
"None of the boys want to give up that shirt, none of the boys want to leave the club - if they wanted to, their attitude wouldn't have been spot on at the weekend."
That attitude very nearly earned the Black Cats an unexpected draw at Manchester United on Saturday evening, when only Nemanja Vidic's stoppage-time strike denied them a point.
The defeat was their seventh in eight games, six of them in the league, and left them inside the relegation zone.
With West Brom languishing at the foot of the table despite the point they collected against Portsmouth the following day, the clash between the two sides this weekend could prove pivotal for both clubs.
The Wearsiders are still coming to terms with Keane's departure last Thursday after 100 games at the helm, and until his replacement arrives, the atmosphere will remain one of uncertainty.
However, Ferdinand knows it is the players who will have to dig themselves out of the hole into which they have slipped, and is confident they can do that.
He said: "It is not always down to the manager, it is down to the players. We have got to stick together now more than ever.
"As a group of players, we have to stick together whether there is a manager here or not.
"But now when we are here and there isn't one, we have got to stick together and show that grit and determination."
Sbragia's initial task was to re-focus the players after a dramatic few days, and the respect he has within the dressing room was evident in the response he got at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand said: "As you saw on Saturday, the boys have got a lot of respect for Ricky, and that's why we went out and played the way we did.
"We are full of big characters in the dressing room and we are coping very well."
The defender also received a pat on the back from older brother Rio in the wake of Saturday's game, although he admits his United counterpart might not have been so complimentary had the visitors managed to hang on for just a few minutes more.
Ferdinand Jnr said: "He thought we played well as a team and said we showed great character despite what had happened.
"But they got the three points, so he was still happy. If they hadn't got the three points, he probably wouldn't have been saying that to me!"
