Options for the next manager

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We don't yet know if Ian Evatt's time as Bolton manager is up, but let's say it's definitely a possibility. Given that, who might we hire next? Someone suggested a different thread for that, and well, here it is.

Let me start off the conversation with a list of managers currently unemployed but with recent experience in the third or second tier - because let us be under no illusion, the new manager would be expected to get us up sooner rather than later, so some experience 'upstairs' might not be a bad thing. (But mainly because that list is quite easily compiled, compared to finding a 'new John Mousinho' or 'new Des Buckingham'....)

So, these unemployed managers all left a Champo club in 2024:
Michael Beale
Valérien Ismaël
Joe Edwards
Gary Rowett
André Breitenreiter
Ryan Lowe
Ian Foster
Tony Mowbray
David Wagner
Leam Richardson

These left a Champo club in 2023:
Alex Neil
Nigel Pearson
Gareth Ainsworth
Mick McCarthy
Paul Ince

These left a League One club in 2024:
Michael Appleton
Neil Critchley
Andy Crosby
Martin Paterson

These left a League One club in 2023:
Joey Barton
Lee Johnson
Dino Maamria
Wade Elliott

Plenty there nobody would want, but any names there that light your candle?

[BWFC_Insane]

Richardson, Neil, Pearson and Ainsworth stand out from that list.

Realistically Neil most qualified.

[GhostoftheBok]

Paul Ince all day.

The only way to replace Evatt's ego is to bring in an even bigger one and shit me if that isn't "The Guvna"...

Failing that some form of dead equine.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Question: Is Stephen Crainey separate and established enough to survive an Evatt sacking?

[nicholaldo]

Question: Is Stephen Crainey separate and established enough to survive an Evatt sacking?

I wouldn't have thought so. Bar a period in a caretaker coaching role, I think the only member of staff who'd remain would be Craddock.

[nicholaldo]

I wouldn't want us to go for any of the above unemployed managers.

[GhostoftheBok]

Question: Is Stephen Crainey separate and established enough to survive an Evatt sacking?

Can't be a coincidence that Big Stevie showed up and they had to hire a new chef. If we move him on what about the poor lad in the kitchen who landed his dream job?

[officer_dibble]

Haven’t heard of a lot of those but had forgot about Leam Richardson. I think he will figure in the betting. Not sure what he’s been up to since leaving Rotherham…

[Prufrock]

How many of our recent managers have been realistically talked about this far out? Maybe Dougie?

No issue with the chat, that's what a forum is for! But there is a good chance it's someone not on anyone's radar yet.

[GhostoftheBok]

How many of our recent managers have been realistically talked about this far out? Maybe Dougie?

No issue with the chat, that's what a forum is for! But there is a good chance it's someone not on anyone's radar yet.

We should also remember that FV gave us Keith Hill previously. So, in case Sharon is reading this, I should stress that I was joking about Paul Ince. Please do not hire Paul Ince.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

How many of our recent managers have been realistically talked about this far out? Maybe Dougie?

No issue with the chat, that's what a forum is for! But there is a good chance it's someone not on anyone's radar yet.

In some ways, I kinda hope so.

[Worthy4England]

Sean Dyche would get this lot scoring two a game....

[GhostoftheBok]

In some ways, I kinda hope so.

Realistically there are probably a hundred managers across Europe who we could get in and would, in theory, do a decent job.

The "football is weird" part is that only about half a dozen of them would be great appointments and the rest would be highly dependent on circumstances - as is almost always the way. There aren't loads in the game who can just get it done regardless.

At the minute we have a group of players who a good manager could take up and a fanbase that would probably be understanding so long as the new guy was around the play-offs in the New Year. So we just have to avoid the lads who have had a good run despite being secretly crap.

Even if you do all your due diligence getting one of the few genuinely excellent managers available at any one time is as much about luck as judgement.

Whilst I would pluck out my own eyes if we appointed Ainsworth, Insane isn't wrong that we need a strong character in the place. That's always the way with managers. They're generally arrogant, duplicitous, scabby little bastards who will tell people they can walk on water. The best ones can make the people around them believe it.

Evatt's probably lost that shine now, having promised lads the Premier League for years and still being stuck in League One. The lads in their late 20s can no longer see the promised land.

Time for a new prophet. False or otherwise.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Sean Dyche would get this lot scoring two a game....

Isn't it time he reverted to the dazzlingly-white shirt and club tie combo? His 'lucky' sportswear appears to have turned against him....

[nicholaldo]

How many of our recent managers have been realistically talked about this far out? Maybe Dougie?

No issue with the chat, that's what a forum is for! But there is a good chance it's someone not on anyone's radar yet.

We should also remember that FV gave us Keith Hill previously. So, in case Sharon is reading this, I should stress that I was joking about Paul Ince. Please do not hire Paul Ince.

Quoting this for added visibility.

[nicholaldo]

Like others, I'd like us to look into the possibility of hiring Selles or Skubala.

If we don't want to pay compensation, I could also see us going for someone like Brian Barry-Murphy.

[nicholaldo]

Or David Wagner.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Like others, I'd like us to look into the possibility of hiring Selles or Skubala.

If we don't want to pay compensation, I could also see us going for someone like Brian Barry-Murphy.

Interesting shout. Presumably you don't get to be in charge of City's best kids if you're no good.

As I said on another thread, Skubala is contracted to 2028 so Lincoln would ask a lot (even assuming he's interested - he's made a lot of noise about Lincoln's "stability" allowing him to grow). Selles 2026 I believe.

With any manager in work it might depend on the level of compensation. I mean Barrow didn't want to give up Evatt but we got him for what, £350k or something? How much do we think we'd "pay" for a manager now? As finances are finite, the more he costs, the less money he'd have to remodel this squad (which should be good enough to be up there, but every manager will have his own ideas).

[The_Gun]

I’ve mentioned his name a few times, and in terms of experience he’d very much fall into the Mousinho/Buckingham category, but I do wonder whether Nolan would be a serious candidate.

Maybe someone like Ghost is more clued up with regards to his coaching abilities, but the word out of West Ham was that he was highly rated as a man manager.

Perhaps his technical nous is not up to scratch and his lack of experience would render him an unsuitable hire, but I don’t think it would be an unpopular appointment amongst the fans.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I’ve mentioned his name a few times, and in terms of experience he’d very much fall into the Mousinho/Buckingham category, but I do wonder whether Nolan would be a serious candidate.

Maybe someone like Ghost is more clued up with regards to his coaching abilities, but the word out of West Ham was that he was highly rated as a man manager.

Perhaps his technical nous is not up to scratch and his lack of experience would render him an unsuitable hire, but I don’t think it would be an unpopular appointment amongst the fans.

I think it would be a popular appointment among many fans, who are entitled to their opinion...

Personally I would worry that, notwithstanding positive notes on his coaching, his greatest claim to the job might be that he played for us. The control test for that is - would he get the top job a similarly underachieving club he hadn't played for, say for recent example Huddersfield? or Derby/Pompey a couple of years ago?

The other thing is - wasn't he widely tipped to get the job when Keith Hill did? Can't remember if he was interviewed by FV but if they spurned him then when we were freefalling, (1) what makes him better now we're pointing upwards and (2) does he even like FV?