Next Bristol Rovers manager odds: Mangan the new favourite

Andy Mangan is the favourite to replace Joey Barton as Bristol Rovers manager following the former Manchester City midfielder’s dismissal in October. 

Barton was sacked by Rovers following a poor run of form in League One, winning just one out of five matches, leaving the club sat in 16th place in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone. 

The 41-year-old had been with Rovers since February 2021 and steered them back to the third tier after overseeing an initial drop into League Two. 

He stabilised the Gas in League One last term by finishing 17th to cap a solid season.

But, the club’s hierarchy opted to end his tenure after two-and-half years at the Memorial Stadium following a 1-1 draw against Stevenage Town at the end of October. 

Caretaker boss Mangan is the favourite with UK bookmakers to replace Barton after leading Rovers on a four-match unbeaten run, although former Oxford manager Karl Robinson is also in the running.

Next Bristol Rovers manager odds: 

• Andy Mangan – 1/1
• Karl Robinson – 3/1
• Garry Monk – 6/1
• Neil Harris – 16/1
• Paul Cook – 33/1
• Danny Cowley – 33/1
• Ian Holloway – 33/1
• Ian Widdrington – 33/1
• Chris Wilder – 33/1
• Lee Bowyer – 33/1

Caretaker Mangan new betting favourite 

Mangan has seen his odds slashed and been made the favourite for the position due to his performance in the Memorial Stadium dugout. 

He has led Rovers on a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions, distancing them from the League One relegation zone as well as advancing to the second round of the FA Cup. 

The club are now only four points adrift of the playoffs after picking up victories over Northampton Town and Carlisle United. 

The 37-year-old served under Barton as a first-team coach at Rovers and at his previous club Fleetwood Town. 

Mangan is priced at 1/1 with new betting sites to be appointed to his first full-time managerial role after an impressive performance to date. 

Robinson one of top contenders 

Robinson has been out of the game since the end of last season when he served as Sam Allardyce’s assistant at Leeds United. 

The 43-year-old was previously sacked by Oxford United after a five-year spell at the club, where he narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship on two occasions. 

Ironically, Robinson’s final game in charge of Oxford came against Rovers in a 3-0 defeat.

A run of eight matches without a win prompted the U’s to call time on his tenure after 274 games. 

Robinson also enjoyed a lengthy spell as MK Dons manager between 2010 and 2016, leading the club to the Championship, albeit their time in the second tier last only one season. 

Given Robinson’s pedigree in League One, he is certainly worth consideration at 3/1.

Monk and Harris experience could entice Rovers 

Garry Monk is an intriguing candidate for the role at 6/1 given that he has been out of work since November 2020. 

He does have a vast array of experience managing in the Premier League at Swansea City along with tenures at Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday. 

Monk has had mixed fortunes at all his previous stops and has yet to manage a team for 100 matches. His last role at Wednesday ended with the club sitting second-bottom of the Championship.

Neil Harris is an outsider at 16/1 to take the reins at the Gas. Harris was sacked by League Two outfit Gillingham in October after a difficult run of results, ending his tenure after 20 months in charge. 

Harris has a League One promotion on his CV when he steered Millwall back into the second tier in the 2016/17 season through the play-offs. 

He performed equally well at Cardiff City to take them into the Championship play-offs, where they lost out to Fulham in the semi-finals of the 2018/19 campaign.  

Notable names 

There are some notable names from the world of management priced at 33/1. Ian Holloway is among those contenders with the potential of a romantic return to where his managerial career began.  

Lee Bowyer, Danny Cowley, Paul Cook and Chris Wilder are also priced up, but are seemingly long shots to replace Barton.

Simon Sinclair is an experienced sports journalist, who has written for national publications for football, cricket, NFL and many more. He contributes tips on a wide range of sports for The Independent.