Martin O'Neill and Mark Hughes favourites with William Hill to succeed Steve Bruce at Sunderland
The race to take over at the Stadium of Light appears to have been whittled down to two contenders according to William Hill
1 Dec 2011 13:30:00
By Jim Knight
Getty Images
Martin O'Neill and Mark Hughes appear to be the only two contenders with the bookies to take over at Sunderland following the dismissal of Steve Bruce.
O’Neill was initially installed as the front runner by William Hill who opened with a price of 1/2 on the Northern Irishman. The out of work former Leicester manager has been without a club since he departed Aston Villa on the eve of last season.
Several sources seemed to indicate there was already a deal in place and he is now 2/7 to get the job amid reports of an official approach from the Black Cats, but O'Neill had drifted to 13/8 just hours before.
Mark Hughes, who is also without a club after leaving Fulham this summer, has attracted a lot of interest and has seen his price drop rapidly since the market opened.
Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe explains, "We offered a tentative 10/1 about Mark Hughes getting the job and were knocked over in the rush to get on as Mackem mayhem took over with punters clamouring to get on."
It appears to be a two horse race but next manager markets are notoriously volatile and longshots such as Rafa Benitez (12/1), Lee Clark (16/1) or Sean O’Driscoll (20/1) could all see their prices tumble as rumours circulate.
Steve Bruce was dismissed on Wednesday in the wake of Sunderland's defeat to fellow strugglers Wigan last weekend. Blackburn boss Steve Kean is back in his familiar position as favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post at 8/11 followed by Chelsea's Andre Villas-Boas at 5/2.
Sign up with William Hill for a free £25 bet
| Next Sunderland Manager Odds |
|||
 |
|||
| The contenders to succeed Steve Bruce (William Hill) |
|||
| Martin O'Neill |
2/7 |
||
| Mark Hughes |
9/4 | ||
| Rafael Benitez |
12/1 | ||
| Ronald Koeman |
12/1 | ||
| Walter Smith |
12/1 | ||
Several sources seemed to indicate there was already a deal in place and he is now 2/7 to get the job amid reports of an official approach from the Black Cats, but O'Neill had drifted to 13/8 just hours before.
Mark Hughes, who is also without a club after leaving Fulham this summer, has attracted a lot of interest and has seen his price drop rapidly since the market opened.
Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe explains, "We offered a tentative 10/1 about Mark Hughes getting the job and were knocked over in the rush to get on as Mackem mayhem took over with punters clamouring to get on."
It appears to be a two horse race but next manager markets are notoriously volatile and longshots such as Rafa Benitez (12/1), Lee Clark (16/1) or Sean O’Driscoll (20/1) could all see their prices tumble as rumours circulate.
Steve Bruce was dismissed on Wednesday in the wake of Sunderland's defeat to fellow strugglers Wigan last weekend. Blackburn boss Steve Kean is back in his familiar position as favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post at 8/11 followed by Chelsea's Andre Villas-Boas at 5/2.
Sign up with William Hill for a free £25 bet
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