Michael Jackson is now the odds-on favourite to be named next Tranmere manager with one bookmaker after the betting market resumed.
The likes of Sky Bet and Bet Victor both suspended the next Tranmere manager market earlier this week following John McGreal’s departure from Colchester. However, talk of McGreal being appointed seems to be cooling and the market has now resumed.
Leading the way on Sky Bet is Michael Jackson, the former assistant to Micky Mellon. Jackson is 4/6 with them to be given the job and would offer some continuity from Mellon’s tenure.
However, with so few first team players remaining there perhaps is not the need for continuity that there may have been. It would be Jackson’s first managerial position should he be given the job.
McGreal remains second favourite with Sky Bet though has drifted to 7/4, Bet Victor do still have him favourite at 5/4 ahead of Jackson. Anthony Barry and Nigel Adkins are the other main contenders according to both markets.
We’re more than a week on from Mellon’s departure to Dundee United and there has been very little information to come out of the club, official or otherwise. Speculation is also pretty thin on the ground, leading us to believe that it will be an appointment like Jackson, or somebody totally left field is being considered.
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Outside of the top six or seven names with the bookmakers, it’s pretty much a whose who of unemployed managers and former players, most priced at 25/1 or greater. Paul Cook and Ryan Lowe are highly unlikely, while Robbie Fowler seems to be in the running for the Birmingham City job, suggesting he is aiming higher than Tranmere (thankfully).
Luis Milla is an interesting name that won’t go away. He’s the 54-year-old Spaniard who played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona and most recently managed the Indonesian national team two years ago. A long shot, but we’re led to believe it isn’t (or wasn’t) totally out of the question.
In short, nobody outside of Mark and Nicola Palios really has any idea who is a genuine contender for the job!
