Premier League winners still lead betting to make Blackburn return
Published:Blackburn will be eager to make a popular managerial appointment in the aftermath of Steve Kean’s controversial reign, with two club legends still heading the betting for the vacancy.
Alan Shearer, who hit 34 league goals as Rovers claimed the Premier League title in 1995, is 3/1 favourite to land his first permanent managerial role at Ewood Park.
Shearer has only previously been at the helm of Newcastle on a caretaker basis, when he failed to prevent the club’s relegation to the Championship in 2009.
But he has outlined a desire to embark upon a managerial career, and has declared his interest in the Ewood vacancy.
As such a high-profile name, the former England captain is thought to appeal to club owners Venky’s, who are keen to appease disgruntled supporters by appointing a well-respected club figure.
Therefore, the possibility of Tim Sherwood landing the Rovers position also appears plausible, and the club’s title-winning captain is only slightly longer than Shearer at 7/2.
Also inexperienced in a management capacity, Sherwood is in his fourth year coaching at Tottenham, and he too has expressed a desire to become a fully-fledged manager at some point.
His vast popularity amongst Rovers fans may see him offered that chance in the near future, though he could prefer continuing to learn his trade at Spurs for the time being.
Another relatively inexperienced candidate is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at 5/1, though he has enjoyed success in his budding managerial career, leading Molde to the Norwegian title in his first season in charge.
And after rejecting the advances of Aston Villa in the summer, Solskjaer could choose to stay put for some time yet.
Therefore, it could pay dividends to side with more experienced coaches, should you not fancy the aforementioned Shearer or Sherwood to land the Ewood Park post.
Ex-Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is 4/1 in the betting, though the Irishman is more favourable to fill the vacancy at Bolton, for which he is odds-on.
Other options come in the form of current caretaker boss Eric Black, who is 10/1 to land the role on a full-time basis, after a draw and defeat in temporary charge.
That record doesn’t bode well for the Scot, and a better choice may be Roy Keane at the same price, whose Championship credentials are evident via his previous promotion with Sunderland.
However, with past managerial experience seemingly not valued by Venky’s, as proven by Steve Kean’s tenure, Shearer and Sherwood appear worth siding with in this market.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
