Mark Hudson says he fully expects to oversee Cardiff City's plans for the upcoming World Cup break - and hopes to have a new coach in place by the end of the week.
Hudson has been in the City hotseat since the departure of Steve Morison earlier in the season, and has overseen a run of three wins, three defeats and one draw.
There's been precious little indication either way on whether Hudson will be handed the job on a permanent basis, with the club seemingly in no rush to make a definitive announcement. It's a situation that has left some fans and onlookers frustrated.
However, Hudson has offered arguably the strongest indication yet that he will be in charge for the long term after revealing he expects to oversee plans for the upcoming World Cup break. For now, though, he's focused on a tough upcoming run of games, which starts with Wednesday night's clash with Watford.
"Four games in 10 days is obviously tough," said. "That's what the Championship gives you, with the World Cup coming up. We try to prepare for that. We've been prepared for that for a while. We know it's coming. We've got a plan in place on what will be.
"We've got a whole month. We work on a six-week cycle and we plan ahead. So we've got plans after Sheffield when we break up, in terms of who's going to be going where, what time off they'll have, when they're supposed to be coming back in.
"There's a few international friendlies arranged straight after Sheffield, so we're aware of that. There's going to be a few moving parts within that. A few that will be here a little bit longer because they need the time on the grass.
"So we've got a plan both individually and as a team."
When pressed on whether he expected to be in place to oversee those plans, Hudson added: "100 per cent. I'm here doing the job I want to be doing and long may it continue."
In another potentially significant development, the interim boss says the club are close to appointing a new first-team coach, after holding further talks with the club's hierarchy.
"I'm getting closer to being able to sort the coach situation out, which will hopefully happen this week, which is positive for us and positive for the group," he added.
"But with the games coming thick and fast, my job is to prepare the team as well as we can, and they're showing that they're together and heading in the right direction.
"I know fans will want clarity, but all I can say is that we're all working really hard to take the club forward.
"People do want clarity. I understand that, of course. We're hoping to be able to give out some clearer messages soon. Like I said, we've worked hard to try and get the coach available and hopefully that happens this week, which is a good sign."
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