Top six favourites to become new Notts County manager

The top six favourites to become new Notts County manager has been revealed by bookmakers BetVictor after Ian Burchnall’s departure.

He left the club after their playoff eliminator defeat to Grimsby Town, going on to be appointed at Forest Green Rovers who will be in League One for the first time in their history next season.

Well now it seems that Nottingham Forest academy coach Andy Reid is one of the bookies’ favourites to come in and replace him at Meadow Lane.

He has been priced at 8/1 while BetVictor have offered Mike Williamson (4/1), Tommy Widdrington (5/2) and Kim Engstrom (2/1) as of Saturday night.

Reid, 39, hasn’t held a role in senior management but has plenty of experience in youth development after taking over Chris Cohen as head coach of Forest’s u23s in September 2020.

Forest’s youth side reached the Premier League 2 Division 2 playoffs – where they were beaten 2-0 by Stoke City.

Mike Williamson is an English professional football manager and player who played as a centre back and is the player-manager of National League North club Gateshead, who have just won promotion to the top tier of non league.

In August 2018, he signed a one-year contract with Gateshead and at the time, like the majority of Gateshead’s players and staff, he did not have his contract renewed at the end of the season due to financial issues.

He became a player-coach in January 2019 after Ben Clark was appointed manager permanently, then was appointed as player-manager of Gateshead on the 11th of June 2019 with Ian Watson as his assistant, after the club’s demotion to the National League North.

His side were in eighth, two points off the playoffs, when the season was abandoned in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

After picking up a maximum 12 points from four games in December 2021, his side were in the promotion picture, and Williamson was awarded the National League North Manager of the Month.

On the 2nd of May 2022, in the penultimate match of the 2021–22 season, a 2–2 draw with Chorley saw Gateshead crowned champions and promoted back to the National League, three years after their demotion. Williamson was later named National League North Manager of the Season.

Thomas Widdrington is an English former football player and manager who is currently manager of National League club King’s Lynn Town, who have just been relegated. He joined the Linnets in December 2021 and is already looking towards a summer re-build of his squad.

Kim Engström is Danish, holds a UEFA Pro Licence and has been managing in Scandinavia with Faroese side HB Tórshavn. Before that he managed the youth teams of Odense and Vejle. He left his job in the Faroe Islands just over a week ago.

BURCHNALL’S PARTING MESSAGE

“While I am grateful and excited for the new opportunity that has been presented to me, it is with a great deal of sadness that I say goodbye to a club that I will always hold close to my heart.

“I wish to give particular thanks to the board, who not only gave me the chance to work as a head coach in England for the first time but also provided me with magnificent resources, freedom and support. I can’t speak highly enough of them and can only see the club going from strength to strength under their leadership.

“To the staff in the offices, led by the brilliant Jason Turner, and my colleagues in the football department, I say a huge thank you for welcoming me so warmly from day one. There are so many talented, hard-working and passionate people behind the scenes at Meadow Lane who ensure the club operates far beyond the level it finds itself in the footballing pyramid. I will miss working with them day-to-day and sincerely hope they all get the success they deserve next season.

“I am also grateful to the players, who put their faith in our philosophy and delivered many exceptional and entertaining performances. I know they are hurting as much as me about how our season ended but, with the ability in the squad and no doubt several quality additions to come this summer, I am sure promotion will be a very realistic aim in 2022-23.

“Finally, our supporters. After a somewhat fractured start having been unable to meet you due to Covid, it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know you all and an honour to represent your club. Of course, leaving without the promotion we all crave is not how I wanted this to end, but I hope on reflection we can all look back on a period in Notts’ history where the team played some outstanding football and many individual players saw huge improvements in their game.

“Good luck next season – and thank you for everything.”

Fans reacted with the top six favourites to become new Notts County manager revealed and Ian Burchnall sending a message to the Magpies…

@skinio: First words in his FGR interview. “Once I heard about the interest and opportunity I was happy to get in” quite clearly mind was elsewhere in playoffs then.

@vilijamjebog: thats nice and all, thanks for the season and a half of passing football. shame the 4 year project finished a year in but oh well. money cant buy loyalty

@TLPepper92: Failed the seasons objectives and jumped ship. 👋🏻

@mattsimpson787: Ian had a great philosophy, at times I have seen the best football in 50 years of watching Notts, but, we were never strong enough, tough enough, thank you Ian , on we go COYP

@Lukebr0503: Can’t of been that big of an honour to jump ship that quick

@diamondgeeezer: I wish him and Doyle all the best but still not impressed with the repetitive of Ian saying he’s in for the long haul and the project of our club. You cant believe even the nicest of people these days.

@BillieLouise7: Thanks for nothing ian 😂 failed twice and then fucked off 1 year in

@jkofnottingham: A little disappointed in this. Understand the rationale & how fickle football can be but this was always sold by IB as a ‘long term’ project. Like to think the owners would have stuck by him in hard times as they believed in him, but feel this loyalty hasn’t been reciprocated

@georgeprokopa: Best of luck, good coach. Didn’t have the bottle in the end, far to many collapses through the season.

@ojames__: I’m not being funny but having one of the biggest budgets in the league and bottling two play offs doesn’t merit this move. His agent is unbelievable.

@SimplySuvo92: He’s clearly a great guy and many enjoyed his style of play (my parents included), so best of luck to him. I am a bit disappointed in him that he didn’t see out the project, especially as he could’ve joined a L1 club at the time of joining #Notts.