Axed McCarthy could make immediate return at Leeds
Published:Relieved of his duties at Wolves on Monday, Yorkshireman Mick McCarthy has today been installed as 3/1 joint-second favourite to take the Leeds hotseat.
A 5-1 defeat at home to bitter rivals West Brom was the final nail in the coffin of the former Republic of Ireland boss, whose no-nonsense approach and vast experience of Championship football is believed to be attracting Leeds owner Ken Bates to the thought of acquiring his services.
Born in Barnsley, McCarthy would likely be a popular choice among a wide range of Leeds supporters, as well as the board, given the vast credentials he has demonstrated in achieving promotion by winning the Championship with both Sunderland and Wolves.
The thought that Simon Grayson was incapable of leading the current squad to a promotion push was cited as a key reason in his departure by Bates and the board, and so the appointment of someone with such obvious pedigree at Championship level would appear to fit the bill.
He falls behind 5/2 favourite Neil Redfearn for the job, whose odds have lengthened since he followed up a 3-0 victory away to Bristol City with a 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton in his second game in temporary charge.
Steve Bruce is also in the running at 3/1, and may be tempted by the chance to rebuild his reputation away from the intense media pressure surrounding the Premier League, though he is also a leading candidate to replace McCarthy at Molineux.
Bruce too has achieved promotion from the Championship on two separate occasions, steering Birmingham to a play-off victory in 2002 as well as a runners-up spot in 2007.
Neil Warnock comes next on a list of recently-sacked Premier League managers in the frame for the Leeds job, but his 9/2 odds could be too short considering he was immediately installed as towards the head of the betting to succeed McCarthy at Wolves and would prefer the prospect of a Premier League relegation scrap.
