Just a thought... I don't doubt these guys have a plan. They will not have done this on a whim and they will not have thought ahead about who would be on the shortlist and how the recruitment process will run. What if they consider a Rafa a credible candidate but were conscious that he had, in the past (pre-Kenny sacking and wrongly, IMHO), split the fanbase and that whoever succeeds Kenny needs the supporters backing from the off or they are fecked. By announcing the other candidates on the shortlist, they can provide fans with the options (Rafa or Martinez / Rogers / etc.) and gauge fans' opinions. If that's the plan, it may have worked. Look at TLW / Epic Swindle, for example. Since Martinez's candidacy was announced, ES would walk over broken glass to help Rafa walk over broken glass...