According to Radio Solent and papers 'up North' Eddie Howe is the latest favourite to become the next Pompey manager. Any whispers? Howe is it for you?
The bookies clearly see some-thing in it. His name was mentioned a few days ago, but even then he didn't even feature on the odds list. He's now suddenly at number two! Sean O'Driscoll 6/4 Eddie Howe 5/2 Dave Jones 7/2 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 5/1 Mark McGhee 6/1 Guy Whittingham 8/1 Aidy Boothroyd 10/1 The above odds are from Skybet. It's interesting to see that Guy Whittingham is only 8/1. He was at 25s BEFORE he ruled himself out. -
DL has told Radio Solent that they are enetring the end game so I guess we can expect an announcement early next week.
Some one on the BBC Sports Updater has said that Eddie Howe coming to us would be a step backwards and he should stick with the stability at Burnley..... .....We are pretty stable now right? lol
Dont take too much notice of bookies odds in the "next manager" field, as it's the hardest for them to fix odds on. It's also a market where it's very easy for them to get their fingers burnt, so they tend to err on the side of caution. If some large bets come in from the Sandbanks area of Poole, then they will close the book. But seriously, can you remember when the early Fav ever got the managers job anywhere?
You are right Ducky - I cannot remember the last! The managerial merry-go-round is always a tough one to predict - also, how can the bookies give odds on something that, lets be honest, the really have no idea about! CSI and DL have kept their mouths shut, the press don't know what is going on the boardroom and neither do the players I would suspect! Who cares anyway - as long as CSI and DL get the right guy in, which I am confident they will after the release of their criteria for the new manager, and get someone in who is going to take us forward. Still holding out for Ole though - ok, he is unproven, but he has learnt from arguably the best football manager ever.
Originally Posted by mikecloud1984 Still holding out for Ole though - ok, he is unproven, but he has learnt from arguably the best football manager ever. Ditto
The sports bulletin on Radio Solent this morning seemed pretty confident that Howe would be appointed the new Portsmouth boss. With Burnley only one position above PFC, this is definately not the high profile appointment that Pompey fans had been expecting and certainly not the proven level of manager that can take PFC to a new level especially if the BBC comments about the new manager not being given any money to spend is also true. My initial reaction was that Howe would be a disaster and very much a step backwards and tacit recognition that a quick return to the Premiership is a pipedream. Howe hasn't looked anywhere near taking Burnley back to the top flight and it many respects, the Clarets are very similar. (Turf Moor is as similarly as prehistoric as Fratton park, both teams have enjoyed past glories and will have similar aspirations to be the top team in their County especially with Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn looking like relegation candidates although obviously setting aside the two Manchester clubs.) Although the Pompey fans at my place of work were generally not enthused by the prospect of Howe, it was pointed out by a fellow Saints fan that we initially preferred him prior to appointing Adkins. It would be interesting to see if Howe is appointed and whether he will have a similar impact. He was very highly considered at Bournemouth. I can see the appeal of Solsjaer but the Norewgian needs more experience back in his home league before taking up the challenge of an English club. Portsmouth would be a strange choice for him having no links with the South and my gut feeling is that this would be a non-starter. Howe does seem credible and with the likes of Dave Jones, Ericson and Martin O'Neill being more obvious choices for clubs where they will be able to spend the money to create a team, I think Howe would be a better manager than O'Driscoll. All in all, Howe would be a fascinating prospect but is perhaps too much of a risk when Pompey probably need a safe pair of hands with the necessary Championship experience to build upon Cotterill's sterling work at steadying a very rocky boat.
Everybody else may completely disagree with me, but I haven't seen any indication from the new owners that they intend a quick, or even medium term, return to the premiership. We have 19 players plus 2 short term loans, not even enough to have a reserve team. Good players though with a mix of youth and premier league experience. However, none of us know how much SC was given but the funds supplied seemed to be quite a small amount for a club with only 9 or 10 players at the end of last season, certainly there wasn't enough to build a squad. All the way through this process I have had the feeling that they are looking for a manager who will keep us up in the championship rather than take us up. Don't think for a minute that I'm suggesting that we should be spending big, that lesson was painful, but it does seem to me that we are taking baby steps and promotion is quite a long way down the line in terms of what the new owners are intending. This is why I haven't been surprised by any of the names linked with us, well, apart from Ole. And it isn't going to be Eddie Howe! He's ruled himself out.
Sean O'Driscoll still favourite, now at 10/11. Ole is 5/2 and Eddie Howe has slipped to 5/1 at skybet.
SKY Sports reporting that Sean O'Driscoll is going to be the next manager - he was at the match today according to them. Have to say not thrilled if they're right. Also will indicate that CSI intend to stay in the Championship for quite a while yet.
Can't say I'm too enthralled if true, 3rd eye. Would much prefer OGS or Eddie Howe be appointed, if possible.
