Wednesday 31 December 2014 09:56, UK
With betting having been suspended on Alan Pardew taking the Crystal Palace job, we look at the candidates who could potentially replace him as manager of Newcastle.
Newcastle fans longing for a manager capable of leading them on a cup run might look to Steve Bruce as a good contender for the job, having seen him take Hull to the FA Cup final last season. However, the Tigers have endured a disappointing campaign to date, slipping to 17th in the Premier League with just one win in 12. Nonetheless, the Corbridge-born 53-year-old is the latest favourite for the potential vacancy.
Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood is out of work since having his short-term contract at White Hart Lane terminated early, despite boasting the club’s best ever Premier League win ratio. His failure to secure Champions League football was ultimately deemed a failure but he still left with an enhanced reputation. Having been linked with various jobs at Sky Bet Championship clubs, the seemingly imminent St James’ Park vacancy could be the ideal opportunity.
Tony Pulis is a natural candidate for any top-flight vacancy, having taken Crystal Palace from relegation favourites to an 11th-place finish last season. That turnaround earned him widespread praise and the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Year award, but his reign came to an inexplicable end just days before the start of the season. Suggestions followed that Pulis was unhappy with the lack of backing, which would raise questions as to whether Newcastle would be willing to match his ambitions. Add to that the fact that he's odds-on to be the next manager of West Brom, and the case for Pulis to Newcastle weakens.
Fabricio Coloccini had emerged as the surprise favourite to be the next Newcastle manager on Monday evening, having been backed in from 50/1 to 1/2 for the job. The 32-year-old attracted a surge of support amid press reports that owner Mike Ashley is set to turn to his long-serving club captain, but Sky sources understand the Argentine is not in the running to replace Pardew, should he leave for Crystal Palace. However, the bookmakers are wary of the situation, revising the odds to a fairly conservative 20/1 following the latest developments.
Former England boss McClaren has effectively restored his reputation with the work he’s produced since taking over at Derby in September 2013, narrowly missing out on promotion to the Premier League last season. The Rams are running well again this year and Sky Bet go odds-on (10/11) that they’ll go up, so McClaren may want to finish the job he’s started. However, the former Middlesbrough boss has not worked in the Premier League since 2006, so the lure of the top flight may be difficult to turn down if the opportunity arises.
Former Liverpool and Chelsea boss Benitez is often linked with a return to the Premier League and he’s been under pressure at Napoli since failing to progress from the Champions League qualifying stages at the beginning of the season. Beating Juventus to the Italian Super Cup before the winter break appears to have eased the pressure somewhat, but Napoli are 12 points off the pace in the Serie A title race. However, Napoli are one of the strongest sides in a pool of six teams battling it out to finish third in Serie A, which may be enough motivation for Benitez to remain in Italy. As such, he is a rank outsider to succeed Pardew.
The Dutchman is sure to be a popular choice with Newcastle fans given his success at Ajax. However, it looks unlikely that he would be willing to leave the Dutch giants at present, with the his representative Guido Albers insisting “Frank will never leave Ajax during this season.” Having been installed as one of the early favourites, De Boer has now drifted out significantly in the betting.
When Sky Bet first started taking bets on David Moyes’ next club following his sacking as manager of Manchester United, Newcastle headed the betting. Since then, Moyes has uprooted for Spain, where he has endured an indifferent start to life as manager of Real Sociedad. After four draws, two wins and one defeat in his first seven games in charge, Moyes is unlikely to abandon a promising project having stated his desire to succeed abroad. He’s one of the biggest outsiders in the market, with only Kevin Keegan (66/1) and Avram Grant (66/1) rated more unlikely to be Newcastle’s next manager.
Along with Steve Stone, John Carver is expected to be in charge of Newcastle’s next two games at least and the latter is in the running at 9/1. Mike Ashley’s involvement with Rangers remains somewhat clouded, but the relationship has prompted a few bets on Ally McCoist to take control of the Magpies at 12/1. Meanwhile, club legend Peter Beardsley has also seen a bit of money, moving in from 16/1 to 12/1. Other long shots which may excite the Newcastle faithful include Slaven Bilic (33/1) and Jurgen Klopp (40/1).
Odds are subject to change. New customers of Sky Bet can claim a free £20 bet with their first £5 stake.
