Bookies Declare Rovers Job A Two-Horse Race

It appears that the race to become the Blackburn Rovers manager is hotting right up, with club chairman John Williams declaring that he feels he will be able to name Mark Hughes’ successor by the end of the week.

The bookmakers, meanwhile, have declared the battle a two-horse race, between Sam Alladyce and Paul Ince, with the next nearest challengers way behind at 6/1.

However, many bookies are spilt on who the favourite should be. Paddy Power maintains Ince as the 5/6 odds on favourite, with Alladyce at 7/4 and Steve McClaren at 8/1. Meanwhile, onlinebettingguide.co.uk claims that Alladyce is the market frontrunner, with odds as short as 6/4 with Coral. They pit Ince as the second choice, although there really isn’t much to seperate the two candidates in truth.

Early favourite Alan Shearer, a former Rovers title-winning striker, has dropped all the way out to 33/1 with Paddy, after admitting he didn’t wish to be on the Rovers short-list. Other interesting candidates are former Rovers defender and United team-mate of Ince’s, Henning Berg (28/1), Avram Grant (66/1), Paul Jewell (50/1) and Croatia manager Slaven Bilic (14/1). The long-shot, for those who fancy a punt, is former Irish national team manager Steve Staunton, at 100/1.

And yet the severity of this situation should not be underestimated for MK Dons. By the end of the week, the club could be without their double-winning, inspirational manager, with a long, tough season in League One ahead.