Randy Lerner's decision to not make a decision could well be disastrous for Aston Villa's season.
Of course, an owner should not rush the appointment of the most important person at a football club, but Lerner must also strike a balance between haste and deliberation on the issue of their new manager.
Villa's performance against Newcastle was pathetic, and highlighted that whoever the new man is, he'll have quite a job maintaining the standard of the last few seasons, never mind improving on it. Especially if the squad stays as it is.
In past campaigns, Villa have just about got away with relying on a core of 14 or 15 players, but they were fortunate that no serious injuries befell their key men. Last season Ashley Young, Brad Friedel, Richard Dunne, James Milner and Stiliyan Petrov all played 35 league games or more. One shudders to think of the consequences should an Achilles or ligament go in that group.
The problem is that no sensible club would make significant transfer plans without a permanent manager (the James Milner/Stephen Ireland deal had been in the pipeline for a while), so the pressure is surely on to install a new man as quickly as possible, so that they have at least a few days to work before August 31.
Of course, just as most sensible Villa fans didn't overreact to an admittedly impressive win over a limp West Ham on the opening day, the naysayers should not get too doomy about their schooling at the hands of Newcastle. However, it did expose some clear and obvious frailties in the Villa team, and indeed squad.
While everyone gets a warm feeling inside when youngsters are trusted in a Premier League first team and do well, the opening two games prove that they cannot be relied upon for an entire season. Ciaran Clark was made to look massively out of his depth by Andy Carroll, while Marc Albrighton followed his excellent first game with an anonymous second.
Indeed, Kevin MacDonald admitted as such after the game: "It might have been a bit too much playing a couple of young kids who had done very, very well... maybe I was a bit wrong with my team selection."
Of course, when he regains fitness James Collins will replace Clark, and Gaby Agbonlahor will most likely come in for Albrigton, but the inconsistency of their youth displays what a thin squad Villa have.
The really worrying thing for Villa is that there might not be money available for new players. As Lerner's splendidly named sidekick General Charles Krulak so robustly explain a couple of weeks ago, the not exactly free-flowing cash stream was one of the key factors in the departure of their former manager, so will the situation be any different for a new boss?
Most have agreed that Villa came out with the better deal in the Milner/Ireland swap, but that is based on the assumption that Villa invest the £16million or so elsewhere. And 'elsewhere' means another winger, a proper midfield spoiler, perhaps some more defensive cover and another striker.
It's up to Lerner to decide on two things. Firstly, who the new man should be, and perhaps more importantly how - if at all - he should be backed.
As things stand, it looks as if Villa will muddle through with what they have until January. And such a fudge could be bad news.
Without significant strengthening, Villa's season could disappear. The next week or so will give a good indication as to whether that will happen.
