Who are the top six favourites to become the next Bolton Wanderers manager? We take a look at the odds according to Sky Bet.
On the 12th of June 2020, the Trotters announced that Keith Hill will leave Bolton Wanderers when his contract expires at the end of June following the club’s relegation from League One.
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He and his assistant David Flitcroft have both parted ways after more than nine months and 29 league games in charge.
Chairman Sharon Brittan said the club believed it “to be in the best interests that we have a fresh approach to our management and coaching structure for next season and beyond”.
It was back in August 2019 that Hill replaced Phil Parkinson, in which he said it was “his dream job”, before bolstering the squad previously reliant on youth players, signing nine players before the transfer deadline closed in September 2019 and then brought in another 10 in January 2020.
Despite the deduction of 12 points, Bolton ended the league season with five wins, eleven draws and eighteen defeats from 34 games played.
So who will be the replacement? Take a look at the top six favourites below…
6) Michael Beale
He’s currently the first-team coach at Rangers, having being brought in by Steven Gerrard, after previously working together in Liverpool’s academy between 2012 and 2016 as well as 2017 to 2018.
As well as Liverpool, he has also a youth coach at Chelsea between 2002 and 2012 and an assistant manager at Sao Paulo in 2017.
Current odds on Sky Bet: 12/1
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5) Kevin Nolan
Nolan has previously been linked with the managers job at Bolton Wanderers and Yeovil Town, but didn’t get the job at either club.
He was sacked by Notts County in August 2018, and he was reportedly keen to re-join them around 10 months ago. However the club opted for Neal Ardley instead.
The former Trotters player who made 296 appearances for them between 1999 and 2009, but also an ex-Newcastle, West Ham player took Notts to the League Two playoffs in the 2017/18 season. However, the manager was shown the door after they picked up one point in five league matches, many called the decision to sack him ‘harsh’.
Nolan was also player-manager for Leyton Orient in 2016. His team won three of the four league games in his first full month of management. He was nominated for February’s manager of the month award. On 12 April 2016, with the team two points off the playoffs, Nolan was relieved of his duties as manager, the role given to Andy Hessenthaler.
He was tipped by Plymouth Argyle and promotion winning Bury boss Ryan Lowe to become the new manager, saying he’d be a perfect fit, that he knows the club inside and out but also has a lot of love for them.
He was also linked with the Leyton Orient job nine months ago.
Current odds on Sky Bet: 6/1
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4) Ian Evatt
37 year old Evatt is a former Blackpool and Chesterfield defender who took over at Holker Street back in June 2018 and guided them to 10th place in the National League last season. They now sit top of the league and eye promotion to League Two.
He was also caretaker manager at Chesterfield for the final three games of their time in the EFL. And has impressed ever since.
Current odds on Sky Bet: 4/1
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3) Richie Wellens
Wellens managed Oldham in the 2017-18 season, however was unable to stop them being relegated from League One after winning 14 games, draws 16 and losing 13 of his 43 games in charge. He has done incredibly well in his first season in charge of Swindon however, who were crowned champions of League Two in June 2020.
Oldham – 25 Sep 2017 – 8 June 2018 – G43, W14, D16, L13, 32.6 % win
Swindon – 13 Nov 2018 – Present – G72, W32, D17, L23, 44.4 % win
Current odds on Sky Bet: 3/1 (initially 20/1)
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2) Gary Bowyer
He is currently out of a job after he resigned as Blackpool manager last year.
Bowyer had been in charge of the Tangerines in June 2016 after the club’s relegation to League Two.
In March 2017, he was hit by boiled sweets thrown by Newport County fans during his side’s win at Rodney Parade.
In May 2017, Bowyer took Blackpool back up to League One in his first season in charge, his side beat Exeter City in the League Two Playoff Final.
He then resigned on the 6th of August 2018 after the first game of the season.
In February 2019 he was linked with the job at Bradford City before he replaced David Hopkin as Bantams boss on the 4th of March 2019, signing a contract until the end of the season.
In April 2019 he signed a contract with Bradford City until 2021.[28] He was nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award for October 2019,[29] but later said he was not a ‘fan’ of such awards. He was sacked on 3 February 2020 after 11 months into his spell at club due to his poor form and backlash from fans online.
At the time, they sat 8th in the League Two table, five points behind the Northampton who were in the playoffs having played a game more. Stuart McCall tookover and they finished 9th and four points behind Cobblers who maintained a playoff place.
Current odds on Sky Bet: 5/2 (initially 7/2)
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1) David Lee
This man is always in Bolton manager talks after years of service, but has never been taken caretaker reigns, nor has he ever decided try and go it alone elsewhere.
He knows the club but it would be a gamble to take it on, especially when it will take a big job and a rebuild to get the Trotters promotion back to League One.
Current odds on Sky Bet: 2/1 (initially 4/1)
* NEW *
Walking Down the Manny Road – Episode 2David Lee joins us to discuss his immediate future at Bolton Wanderers, ambition to succeed as a first-team manager, memories of the Burnden Park era and much more.
? » https://t.co/5sQU25xXVG#BWFC #WalkingDownTheMannyRoad pic.twitter.com/nZscIgADmw
— Burnden Aces (@BurndenAces) May 6, 2020
Other managers listed by the bookies are Dean Holden (16/1), Mark Kennedy (16/1), Nigel Clough (16/1), Ryan Lowe (16/1), Terry McPhillips (16/1), Sam Ricketts (20/1), Simon Grayson (20/1), Jason Euell (25/1), Neal Ardley (25/1), Neil Warnock (25/1), Paul Hurst (25/1), Phil Brown (25/1) and Sol Campbell (25/1).
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