Why? Because these 17 applicants were contracted to other clubs! Talking in The Sun Bonser said 'I find it completely unacceptable that of nearly 40 applicants for our manager’s job, 17 people are still contracted to other clubs...Morally, it is wrong, and those 17 people have been crossed off my list straight away. It shows you the sort of characters they are...They all either contacted me directly or through an agent and all said ‘don’t mention this’.
Its natural progression to want to better your situation, its ambition and why is a football managers career any different to mine or yours?
So presumably this means that if David Kelly, Nigel Clough and Richard O'Kelly applied then they were instantly discounted. People out of jobs are out of a job for a reason most of the time in football, having been sacked from their previous position more than likely.
Just for the record Ray Graydon was working for Port Vale as a youth team coach when he was appointed manager. Colin Lee was approached by Plymouth in the final weeks of his Walsall reign. Colin Lee asked for Bonsers permission to speak to them and he was sacked!