SOCIAL media erupted into meltdown when the news broke of City's takeover on Sunday.

It had hardly been the world's best-kept secret – some quarters didn't seem to appreciate the confidentiality part of the talks – but when the beans spilled out publicly, the reaction was instant and enormous.

Bradford City without Julian Rhodes, in particular, and Mark Lawn will never be the same again.

The next chapter starts today when Edin Rahic gets his feet under the Valley Parade table. Stefan Rupp, the other investor, is expected to remain in Germany.

There are currently far more questions than answers about the new regime. Right now, precious little is known about the owners-to-be or their plans.

That vision will unfold over the following days, weeks and months – but some issues seem more pressing than others.

Rahic is due to sit down with Phil Parkinson this afternoon. It will be the first time the manager has met either of his two new bosses face-to-face.

Parkinson has already made his stance for the summer crystal clear. In the immediate aftermath of Friday's play-off disappointment at Millwall, he spoke of the need to strengthen specific areas to engineer his team's jump from top six to top two next season.

What City fans will be nervously waiting for is a cast-iron guarantee from above that he will be given the opportunity.

New men in charge traditionally like to have their "own" man at the helm.

It seems ridiculous to be even discussing the future prospects of the manager who has dragged City back from the doldrums and made them a proud club once more.

There is no way the Bradford City that Parkinson inherited at the wrong end of the bottom division would have been worth anywhere near the £6million price tag that Rahic and Stefan Rupp are believed to have splashed out.

Parkinson, the fifth-longest serving current boss in the English game, is only a third into the last three-year deal he penned with the club.

When he signed that contract in September, it tied him to Valley Parade until the end of the 2018 campaign but Rhodes was already looking beyond that.

Rhodes said at the time: "Will he be here for ten years? Why not?

"The only problem would be if he attracts attention from a bigger club and gets an offer that he can't refuse. Other than that, I can see Phil being here for a very long time."

But goal posts can move. Whether the new eyes at Valley Parade view the manager in the same way, we are yet to find out.

Already the close friendship between Rahic and Uwe Rosler has been seen as an indicator of a possible succession.

Rosler has been out of work since becoming yet another victim of the constant turmoil of Leeds United.

The German has been spotted at several City games, not just at Valley Parade but away from home.

While Bury's Gigg Lane was understandable, given the proximity to his north-west base, his presence at the Den on Friday night – just behind James Hanson, Chris Routis and the surplus travelling players – will have set tongues wagging.

Parkinson is thought to be open-minded on developments for now. Until he hears exactly what the new owners have in store, he remains relaxed about the unfolding situation.

He will want to know the necessary investment will be put at his disposal to improve the team enough for a genuine challenge at automatic promotion.

They were five points short in the season just finished but there are significant holes to fill left by the players he borrowed from other clubs.

This summer promises to be a more competitive market than ever because of the abolition of the emergency loan system. Championship clubs may be tempted to hang on to some of those on the fringes as cover just in case, rather than risk being caught short with injuries.

Parkinson is ready to get his teeth into that. But he will want reassurances.

He met the squad yesterday for an end-of-term briefing but the message can only have been: Wait and see.

Ben Williams, Jamie Proctor and Steve Davies are among the first-teamers coming out of contract at the end of next month.

Whatever Parkinson's thoughts on who should be offered new deals or not, he is probably not in position to say anything until he has tested the water with Rahic.

But the manager will walk into the room in a position of relative strength personally.

He will be acutely aware of the public backlash that a sudden switch in the hot-seat would stir up. It would hardly seem the wisest launch-pad for the new season-ticket campaign.

Parkinson's stock within the game is high and he would not be short of job offers elsewhere, should he decide the new era is not for him.

Other clubs with current vacancies are already thought to be closely monitoring what is going on. His five-year CV at Valley Parade stands up with the best of them in the Football League.

Of course, he will be well aware of the Rosler links without needing to read the throwaway tittle-tattle in the national tabloids. The pair get on and Parkinson has sorted him out match tickets in the past.

And unlike some managers, Parkinson is not averse to the director of football route – a title that has also been mooted for the German – to help him in dealing with contracts, particularly a former player and boss with a deep-rooted knowledge of the game.

The T&A understands that there has been no suggestion from the new owners during the takeover talks about Rosler coming in as anything more.

But whether someone itching to get back behind the gaffer's desk after recent blips at Leeds and Wigan would be happy to settle for a more administrative role is another question.

For now it is all conjecture because nobody knows. But for a club where stability has become the watchword, these are going to be interesting times.