Kyle Lightbourne and his Stoke City team-mates are facing an uncertain future following the takeover of the club by an Icelandic consortium.

The deal, which has been in the works for some months, was confirmed on Monday and the first casualty at the promotion-chasing Second Division club was manager Gary Megson...just five months after taking over from Brian Little in the summer.

Megson has been replaced by former Iceland national team coach, Gudjon Thordarson, and now speculation over which players will be leaving is starting to mount.

Megson was in charge for the final time on Sunday in the 1-1 draw against Bristol City and yesterday Thordarson held his first training session.

"All the players are really disappointed at what has happened,'' said Lightbourne yesterday. "It was nothing to do with the ability of the manager.

"The guy who is now manager is part owner of the club and if it wasn't for him they would not have made an offer (to buy the club).'' A report on the Stoke City website noted that Thordarson first went to Stoke's ground in February to look at an Icelandic player. His interest in the club, one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888, developed from there and he set about forming a consortium of interested businessmen to back his takeover plan. Now those involved with the club are waiting to see what changes the new manager will make.

Thordarson has refused to say which players he wants to bring in, but he's admitted negotiations are underway with several.

"Today in training was a bit dull -- it was the first training session with the new manager -- but as professionals we just have to get on with it,'' said Lightbourne, who is under his ninth manager since embarking on a professional career in England.

"I'm sure he has been watching us play for quite some time and will have an idea of who he wants and doesn't want.

"All we have to do is train hard and when you get picked for the match try to perform. That's all you can do with a new manager.

"Results are everything, really. If you're winning then everyone is happy, but when you're losing everyone thinks you need a change.'' Things had been looking up for Lightbourne lately. He started the season on the transfer list and faced an uncertain future when Megson became boss. But a regular run in the first team resulted in the striker being taken off the transfer list.

"Gary Megson was a good manager, he did well for me,'' the Bermudian acknowledged.

"He got me up and going again and playing well and I have a lot of respect for him in that sense. I got on really well with him. It seemed to be changing around for me this year and now he's gone.'' Stoke have lost just once in their last 13 outings and are in the thick of the promotion race. But Megson's exit has apparantly long been on the cards. He turned down the offer to coach under Thordarson.

"We played on Sunday and knew the situation before the match,'' Lightbourne added.

"He thanked the players for the efforts they had put in for him and said he felt the club was going in the right direction under his management. Their decision to get rid of him has nothing to do with his ability. "This is probably the strangest decision I've been involved in in football. Managers get the sack through bad results but we've lost one league game in the last 13 and the manager finds himself out of a job. He was a bit edgy in the week leading up to it, he wasn't himself.

"Everybody was on a high at the club but now everybody will be speculating about what players are going. This has taken the gloss off what we've done this season.'' Lightbourne said the feeling within the team was geared towards a successful promotion push.

"When I was at Walsall in the year we got promoted, I got the feeling everyone was fighting for one another and that's the feeling we had at the club under Megson,'' he said.

"He's the type of manager who loses his top. He's not afraid to shout and scream at people and he gets a good response from the players.'' Stoke don't have a game this weekend, with their next match being away to Wycombe next Tuesday.

Shawn Goater has resumed training and is in line for a recall to the Manchester City first team for their top-of-the-table clash against second-placed Charlton on Saturday.

Goater has been sidelined with a hamstring pull but the manager welcomed his presence in training along with another injured player Gerard Wiekens.

"The injuries are easing with Shawn and Gerard today rejoining the squad,'' said manager Joe Royle yesterday.

"The rest of the lads have been asking who the two trialists are. Joking apart, they both trained hard today and they will be in a with a great chance for Saturday.'' Kyle Lightbourne: disappointed by the firing of Stoke manager Gary Megson.