ALBION are closing in on the appointment of a new manager - but caretaker Nathan Jones is poised to remain in charge at Fulham on Monday night.

Chief executive Paul Barber says the club have identified "a very small number of people" they are interested in to succeed Sami Hyypia and interviewing is under way.

The Argus website revealed on Christmas Day that former Norwich boss Chris Hughton and ex-Crystal Palace and Stoke manager Tony Pulis are now the frontrunners.

Albion have identified successful experience, both in management and the Championship, as the main criteria, although there is hierarchy admiration for former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood.

Assistant manager Jones launched his temporary reign with a battling 2-2 draw against Reading at the Amex yesterday as Albion recovered from two goals scored by their former marksman Glenn Murray to level through Jake Forster-Caskey and a late equaliser by Inigo Calderon.

Hyypia resigned on Monday. Although the club are putting no precise timescale on the appointment of his successor, a decision is likely either side of the FA Cup visit to Brentford on January 3.

Barber revealed to The Argus: "The process is under way. We've got our sights on a very small number of people and the process of talking to them has started.

"The most important thing is to get the right person. We are aware that time isn't on our side in terms of the January transfer window and where we are in the league (next-to-bottom).

"Nathan is giving it his best and working very hard and the players are clearly playing for him and committed, which is fantastic, so we've got no worries about Nathan taking charge of the team while the process is on. We've still got a bit of work to do.

"I would expect Nathan to be in charge for the Fulham game. That's just to allow us to make sure that, of the candidates we are considering, we see them and have plenty of time to talk and establish what they are about and make sure we do the process as properly as we can, given the time constraints.

"With Nathan there he knows the players, they know him. He has got good people around him like Antti Niemi (goalkeeping coach) who is very experienced. He is using Simon Rusk (under-18s coach), who is also very familiar with the players, so he has got all the support the club can possibly give him."

Albion will take their time assessing whether a replacement is needed for head of football operations David Burke, whose sacking was reported on The Argus website on Christmas Eve.

Burke's responsibilities were wide-ranging, including helping to achieve category one academy status for the new academy at Lancing. Player identification manager Paul Winstanley has taken over Burke's player recruitment head duties.

Barber said: "It's an opportunity for us to step back and look at the structure. David's job had many facets to it, not just recruitment, so it's not easy just to say 'David's not there any more, that job doesn't exist any more'.

"There are many people that report to David, it's not just about recruitment. We need to think about all those different components, decide what is the best structure going forward."

Barber has also hinted that under-21s coach Simon Ireland will not be tied to his contract, which expires at the end of the season. The Argus website revealed on Christmas Eve that Ireland, who was at the Amex for yesterday's match, is joining QPR in a similar role.

Barber said: "Simon's contract would keep him here until the summer if need be. With all situations like this you need to work out what's best for everybody and sometimes holding somebody to their contract isn't always in the best interests of the club."