Wolves today admitted they are still interviewing people for the vacant manager’s job even though Walter Smith has been offered the position until the end of the season.

Former Rangers, Scotland and Everton boss Smith, 63, has been talking to the club for several days and is mulling over an offer to take the job to the end of the season after rejecting the chance to take it on a longer basis.

But both he and Steve Bruce have strong reservations about taking the role to the end of the campaign as they are concerned whether they can gain respect and authority of the players and turn things around with just 12 games left after Saturday’s trip to Newcastle.

Wolves contacted Bruce’s lawyer on Wednesday to say the former Birmingham, Wigan and Sunderland chief is very much in the frame and that he would be invited for a second interview.

But they have yet to make contact with the former Manchester United defender after he was spoken to last Friday.

Wolves have also held talks with former manager Dave Jones and interim boss Terry Connor about the possibility of taking the position to the end of the campaign.

Chief executive Jez Moxey told the Express & Star today: “We’re still talking to people and we are assessing things based on a whole range of criteria that changes from candidate to candidate.

“We still have some second interviews to carry out.”

Moxey refuted any idea that the job had been offered to multiple candidates on a short-term basis.But the club is considering offering the post as a short-term contract.

“We’re not offering it around like confetti,” he said.

The latest twist underlines the difficulty Wolves are having in filling the post since Mick McCarthy was sacked 10 days ago.

Wolves opted for Premier League experience only for Alan Curbishley to turn the job down twice because he didn’t share the vision of the club with chairman Steve Morgan. Bruce is  in the wings but it is understood his patience is wearing thin.

Then both Reading and Brighton revealed approaches had been made for their managers Brian McDermott and Gus Poyet.

But McDermott stayed put after agreeing a new contract and Poyet rejected the chance to talk.