Next Cardiff Manager Odds: Prices on Mark Hudson, Sol Bamba, Craig Bellamy, Nathan Jones and Scott Parker

Cardiff City dismissed Steve Morison in the first of three managerial casualties that took place within the Football League on a busy Sunday afternoon.

Morison, who replaced Mick McCarthy last October, picked up the pieces following a club record eight straight defeats to avoid the drop in an 18th place finish. Morison brought in 17 new players in the summer but a return of five defeats from his opening 10 games this term - culminating in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Huddersfield - saw Vincent Tan make a managerial change for the fourth straight season.

Mark Hudson has been placed in interim charge of the first team, a role which could potentially turn permanent given that The Athletic’s David Ornstein has reported that 18th-placed Cardiff are planning to give the coach time to shine. As a result, William Hill have cut his odds to 4/6 in the next Cardiff manager market, although he’s odds-against at 6/4 with BetVictor.

Hudson had been working at the club as first team coach - he previously oversaw Huddersfield’s U23s and had two caretaker spells with the Terriers - so he knows the players well, while his cause could well be boosted considering that Cardiff have a recent history of giving caretaker managers the full-time job. 

The 40-year-old has a bit of time to go about his business during the international break, then will take charge of his first match on Saturday 1 October against Burnley, which is one of seven Championship matches the club plays during that month.

However, we all know how quickly the narrative in football changes. Should Hudson fail to sparkle in the short-term - he lost all four caretaker games at Huddersfield - we could see other managerial contenders fired into the mix. After all, Morison was caretaker before he got the permanent job, only to later be sacked.

With this in mind, club legends Sol Bamba (12/1) and Craig Bellamy (20/1) could well be worth keeping an eye on. They would both undoubtedly lift the mood, generate excitement, and would surely jump at the opportunity if offered.

However, if the Hudson experiment fails, common sense would suggest Cardiff would then opt for a more experienced head. Both Samba and Bellamy are still awaiting their first job as a manager. Similarly, for all their coaching experience, Jody Morris (10/1) and Michael Carrick (20/1) have yet to be tested properly as an outright No.1 in the dugout.

Scott Parker recently became available for hire after leaving Bournemouth. It’s never quite worked out for the cardigan-loving boss in the Premier League, however at Championship level he has delivered two promotions in as many seasons (Bournemouth and Fulham), although critics would argue he had high-calibre squads and cash to splash. He is available at 16/1 at the time of writing.

Sean Dyche (20/1) is also available for hire, although it could well prove difficult to persuade him down to the second-tier. Michael O’Neill, Chris Hughton (20/1) and Huddersfield-linked David Wagner (25/1) are also unemployed, wheres former Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock (16/1) has retired…

Employed Championship managers such as Luton’s Nathan Jones (6/1) and Rotherham’s Paul Warne (16/1) have been loosely linked. Welshman Jones may have endured a chastening stint at Stoke but at Luton he has worked wonders across two spells, leading the Hatters to the play-offs last season on a limited budget. Cardiff - where he played as a youngster - also happens to be his boyhood club.

"I grew up in the Rhondda valley where all my mates were Cardiff fans," Jones previously told Wales Online. "I had the chance to sign for Bristol City or Cardiff City and I signed for Cardiff City.

"I worked on the turnstiles when I was an apprentice and then rushed and watched all the games. All my mates came down and then we would all go back and chat about the games. I love Cardiff City."

Meanwhile, over in League One there have been impressive performances from the likes of Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and Plymouth’s Steven Schumacher (both 20/1) - full odds below...