NEXT FULHAM MANAGER ODDS: ERIKSSON FAVOURED WHILE BOB BRADLEY A WILDCARD LONG SHOT
We're back with another update in the Betfair market for the Next Fulham Manager. You suspect that they were waiting for the end of the World Cup before actually making any formal deals. I suspect that a number of managers have been notified that they are being considered and there are some very interesting selections available.
Sven Goran Eriksson is still clinging to his position as the outright favourite and I don't really know how excited Cottagers fans are going to be with that one. Eriksson has bounced around from side to side over the past few years and knowing that you have the guy who screwed up Notts County taking over your Premiership team may not really inspire a huge amount of confidence. You'll find Eriksson's odds to be next Fulham manager at a 2.6 margin.
Alan Curbishley now looks more or less out of the running with an 11.0 price tag. That's a sharp uptick from the 3.5 he was listed at before he cooled speculation. It seems as though he didn't know much about the gig anyway.
There is no clear second favourite over Eriksson, at least according to the Betfair odds, but Ottmar Hitzfeld has suddenly become a very strong candidate. He is priced at 7.0 and that makes him a very slim second-place favourite.
Stuart Baxter's odds to be named Next Fulham manager are priced at 7.4 while Slaven Bilic (linked with every Premiership job) is trading at 8.0 though I suspect that is a bit too low for my likings.
Mark Hughes price has risen dramatically as well and he's listed at 25.0. He was trading as low as 6.5 last week so he looks out of the running unless there is any new specific speculation.
Dave Jones is available at a 26.0 price to be next Fulham Manager while former West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola could take a trip across London and pay out a 22.0 margin.
Bob Bradley's odds to be Next Fulham Manager are listed at 60.0 and he's the real wildcard here in my opinion. Fulham have built up a solid base of American players and have always boasted a strong US presence. It would be a calculated gamble, but I think Bradley's approach would be conducive to Premier League competition. He does not have the requisite experience to line up against Wenger, Ferguson and Ancelotti but, frankly, neither do most Premiership managers- the exceptions probably being Redknapp, Moyes and O'Neill.
It would certainly grow the presence of Fulham in the United States and I could genuinely see him getting results there. If you're a Fulham fan- who would you actually prefer? Eriksson or Bradley?