Perrin has been quoted as "one of the best young managers in France", best known for his work in taking Troyes from nowhere into the top half of Le Championnat. What's more, he was reponsible for bringing Didier Drogba to Marseille and apparently is known as a good dealer in the market - although obviously that's not too much help at the moment with the transfer window closed. His man-management skills are apparently open to question though; it was the alienation of staff at Marseille that lead to him getting the boot. Recently, he was linked with the job at both Southampton and Tottenham and spent time coaching in the UAE.
If final negotiations tomorrow morning are successful, he will sign a seven game contract with an option of an extra two years after, with Pleat signging for the remainder of the season to help him get used to life straight in the English Premiership. Some fans are not happy with the move (I imagine on the basis that they haven't heard of him, therefore he must be shite - just like Co Adriaanse, ignoring the fact he'd taken a relatively unknown team to second in the league) but hopefully it won't affect support of the team or the atmosphere at Fratton - we all need to pull in the same direction and give ANY new manager a chance, whether it be Perrin or Mr Moggins.