The unexpected sacking of Head Coach Des Buckingham has left Oxford United searching for a new manager for the second time in 13 months. After replacing now-Bristol Rovers coach Liam Manning with Oxford second in the Football League One table, Buckingham led the U’s to promotion at the first time of asking. That wasn’t enough to avoid the axe, however, as the U’s decided to make a change before the arrival of the January transfer window. With the club sitting in 20th in the Championship, the next Oxford United manager odds make very interesting reading.
With only one point from their last 10 games, the Oxford board decided it was time to take action before the January transfer window. It’s not been a popular decision amongst the U’s faithful, with many fans not happy with the sacking of a boyhood fan with a solid record. It could be said that the sacking was harsh, especially given last season’s promotion and Oxford’s current position in the championship. However, whichever side of the debate you’re on, it’s now down to the Oxford United board to replace Buckingham with the right candidate. With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the next Oxford manager odds.
At the time of writing, Championship expert Gary Rowett is the favourite at 4/5*. The former Burton, Birmingham, and Millwall boss knows the area well and the league even better. The appointment of Rowett as Oxford manager would offer stability and security on a tight budget, so it’s no surprise he’s the top pick.
Second favourite in the next Oxford manager odds list, maybe somewhat surprisingly, is the former Chelsea captain John Terry. Having never taken up a head coach role before, it would surely be a surprise if he was chosen to be the next Oxford United manager. However, odds of 10/11* suggest that Terry is under serious consideration, despite only having held Assistant Manager roles with Aston Villa and Leicester City.
Rounding off the top three, former Coventry boss Mark Robins is tipped at 16/1* to take over. Given his knowledge of the league, Coventry’s great FA Cup run last season, and his availability, Robins seems a solid shout for the role. He’s a manager who would bring great experience and once again suit a lower budget for a team near the Championship drop zone.
Rounding off the top five, Steven Schumacher and Paddy McCarthy are currently valued at 20/1* to be the next Oxford United manager. The club will be evaluating their options over the next few days and our next manager odds will be constantly updated as they do.
Taking an overall view of the next Oxford manager odds, it seems that Rowett is a shoe-in for the role, although he faces stiff competition from John Terry. In the meantime, the team will be focussed on their upcoming matches and doing their best to ignore the media speculation that will no doubt be circling around the Kassam stadium. Until the board make an announcement, stay tuned to all of our football betting odds this weekend and for further information on who the next Oxford United manager could be.
* All odds are correct at time of writing and are subject to change
