McCarthy to fit Bolton bill after Coyle gets the boot
Published:Bolton’s poor start to the season has seen likeable manager Owen Coyle sacked as the club’s chances of securing an immediate return to the top-flight have been dwindling week after week.
Ladbrokes have installed Mick McCarthy as the massive favourite to replace Coyle. He can be backed as short as 11/4, with the next candidate – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – way back at 8/1.
Defeat to Millwall on their last outing was the final nail in Coyle’s coffin, with the Trotters languishing dismally in 18th place, just three points off the drop zone.
This has been a huge surprise for many, no more so than Ladbrokes who had Bolton marked down as pre-season favourites for the Championship title, with failure to secure automatic promotion almost unconsidered.
Their sluggish start has left Bolton with little other option than to despatch the Scot and McCarthy’s favouritism to come in is understandable; he is the most apt of all the candidates to take over at the Reebok.
Having secured multiple Premier League promotions with Wolves and Sunderland, he has the proven track record that club chairman Phil Gartside will be looking for, while the Bolton owner’s tendency to take a back seat and let the manager do his job is something that well suits the former Republic of Ireland boss.
It’s difficult to envisage Gartside taking a chance in his next managerial appointment so will be looking at someone with experience in England’s second tier, which means punters would be wasting their money backing Solskjaer, while caretaker Sammy Lee’s 10/1 price should also be forgotten given his disastrous and short-lived tenure with the north west club.
Sadly, it also pretty much dispels a romantic, if not slightly comedic, Bolton return for Ivan Campo, who is a 33/1 shot to take the reins at the Reebok, after enjoying six years there under Sam Allardyce.
Next Bolton Manager
11/4 Mick McCarthy
8/1 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
10/1 Sammy Lee
12/1 Alan Curbishley
14/1 Alex McLeish
14/1 Billy Davies
25/1 Steve Bruce
25/1 Alan Shearer
20/1 Dean Holdsworth
25/1 Paulo Di Canio
28/1 Paul Ince
10/1 Roy Keane
18/1 Phil Brown
10/1 Ian Holloway
28/1 Steve Keane
10/1 Karl Robinson
20/1 Gareth Southgate
25/1 Harry Redknapp
33/1 Ivan Campo
Relegation 28/1
Promotion 4/1
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
