Hartson was a powerful striker in his day and has recently been battling cancer, a fight he appears to be winning. He retired from football a few years ago and has been doing media work since then, while making no secret of his desire to move into coaching. However, as yet he hasn't done so and the closest he's come was when he was linked with the East Stirling job a few years ago.
Hartson would certainly be a high profile appointment, but his lack of experience is a major concern. While other candidates, such as Kenny McDowall, have no managerial experience, they have spent years coaching as well as running youth sides at some big clubs.
The interesting part is the claim that it's not the board who approached Hartson, but a third party connected to the board. Is this a representative from a potential new owner of the club?
Meanwhile, former Saint Billy Stark has seemingly ruled himself out of the job. BBC Scotland's Chick Young said he was the favourite for the post, but Stark - who had unsuccessful spells in charge of Morton and St. Johnstone - has said he's happy working with the Scotland under-19 and under-21 sides.