Hammam’s plans for a £3.1m takeover at Ninian Park has led to intense speculation that the Wimbledon “Crazy Gang” days will be re-created at Cardiff City.

Ayre signed a new two-year contract last month but it is a harsh fact of football life that contracts mean little when take-overs are completed.

Former Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear, currently out of work but fully recovered from the heart attack he suffered in March 1999, was immediately made 4-5 favourite to succeed Ayre by Welsh bookmakers Jack Brown.

The Crazy Gang connection also extends to Mick Harford (5-2) and Ray Harford (7-2) coming to Cardiff, while Bobby Gould, the former Wales manager who has been linked to a possible director of football role at Ninian Park, is priced 10-1.

But Hammam, the 52-year-old Lebanese businessman who steered unfashionable Wimbledon to the Premiership, has stressed that Ayre will stay at the helm for the time being.

“Everybody will be given the chance,” Hammam told a small gathering of City fans at a Cardiff hotel.

“I have no plans to change the manager. It would cost us 10 points if we changed the manager now and I don’t want to upset the apple cart.”

Gould led Wimbledon to their greatest triumph under Hammam when they won the FA Cup in 1988 to deny Liverpool the league and cup double.

But many Cardiff fans, delighted by Hammam’s willingness to take control, would be concerned at any possible Gould involvement after his controversial spell in charge of Wales from 1995-99.

There may also be raised eyebrows over radical proposals to introduce a Celtic identity and change the club’s traditional colours.

Hammam believes Cardiff could become the Manchester United of Wales with support throughout the country. A Celtic cross could replace the Bluebird and a Dragon motif may also find its way onto a new red, white and green strip if Hammam gets his way.

Despite these suggestions that some will see as eccentric, if not sacrilegious, Hammam’s arrival will be warmly welcomed by supporters desperate for success.

The deal will be held up for three to four weeks by legal technicalities but Hammam is expected to take charge by the end of August.

City chairman Steve Borley, who will recommend to the board a new share issue that will give Hammam an 81 per cent stake, said he was confident of a satisfactory conclusion to the latest take-over saga.

He said, “The deal Sam Hammam and I have shaken hands on is acceptable to me personally, and the other directors have indicated that we should continue.

“If the next few weeks go as we hope, and that seems likely, then I will have achieved my aim.”

Former chairman Samesh Kumar, who introduced Hammam to Cardiff City at the Worthington Cup final in February, said few men possessed his strong work ethic.

“When I first came into football at Birmingham 10 years ago I wanted to learn from someone,” said Kumar.

“I knew I wasn’t going to learn a great deal from Martin Edwards at Manchester United, although he was a good friend, because of the size of the club.

“I had to learn from people like Sam and Ron Noades, two men who have built lean and hungry clubs determined to succeed.

“They are not sugar-daddy figures but men who have earned a great deal of respect from supporters. They have put in structures that have enabled clubs to grow and become success-ful.”

Kumar said Hammam had been excited by the challenge to transform Cardiff from Third Division also-rans into a club at the heart of Welsh sport.

“Sam wants the club to be at the hub of Cardiff itself, and to raise the game in Wales. But that will only be done by sheer hard work. It will not be easy but he will get the support of fans because he is so dedicated.

“He will not promise this or that or spend millions of pounds, because that is not the way to do it.

“But he has got a proven track record and has the right ethos to achieve success.”

Hammam was renowned for a handson approach at Wimbledon, visiting the training ground every day and observing team-talks before, during and after matches.

As the lawyers spent yesterday working on the paperwork of Hammam’s proposed £3.1m take-over deal, Ayre was on the training ground and contemplating an unconventional relationship.

“I’ve never come across a chairman who does that (go into dressing rooms). It’s very novel,” said Ayre who has yet to meet the Lebanese millionaire.

“But it would be Sam Hammam’s club and he would be perfectly entitled to do that if he wanted to.

“I’m happy for him to come into the dressing room. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m a pretty open man myself. I’m willing to talk about football with anyone, anywhere, any time.

“I can understand why Sam Hammam wants to be involved. If I was in his situation, I’d probably do the same.

“I might even get him a pair of shorts likes the ones I wear and make sure he wears them, especially in winter!

“The modern-day chairman has changed. They are a lot more hands-on now and that’s got to be a bonus.

“Mr Hammam is a much respected man in the game. People who have worked with him all speak very highly of the man. When you hear things like that it’s got to be good news for City.”

Hammam has pledged to keep Ayre as manager, despite several former Wimbledon personnel being linked to Ninian Park.

But Ayre said he was never bothered by the speculation surrounding his job.

“I’m not that type of person. I’m very positive, very focused,” he said.

“All the speculation doesn’t affect me. I’ve got a two-year contract to be manager of Cardiff City and I intend to see it through. To worry about my position at the club would have been negative and defeatist.

“That’s not an attitude I had as a player and it’s certainly not an attitude I have in coaching and management.

“There may be one or two people who think I’ve got to prove myself to Sam Hammam but that’s not the case.

“Whether the chairman is Steve Borley or Sam Hammam, my aim is to take City back into the Second Division.

“There’s no more added pressure. You put pressure on yourself, there is no one who can put me under pressure.”

Ayre admitted he was relieved Hammam and the City board have finally reached an agreement following weeks of talks.

“As a club you want stability. The club needs to be taken forward. The present chairman and board have done everything they can.

“Takeovers are unsettling more than anything else. To go forward you’ve got to know what you’re working with and where you’re going.

“There is a buzz at the club at the moment but, until the deal is finalised, you can’t think about a new era.”

Ayre hopes to secure the signing of striker Paul Brayson from Reading this week while the fate of out-of-contract midfielder Jason Fowler will be decided today.

Fowler, who is training with the Bluebirds, has not accepted a new deal.

“I’ve asked Jason for a decision and we’ll bring it to a conclusion. If he doesn’t sign, then I’ll have to look for another midfielder,” said Ayre.

Ayre is also seeking a right-back to replace Winston Faerber, while German Jorn Schwinkendorf could soon be joining a club in Greece or Turkey.

Ayre said there had been no interest in the three strikers on the transfer list - Dai Thomas, Jamie Hughes and Christian Roberts.