Next Fleetwood Manager Odds: Chris Beech, Scott Brown and Nathan Rooney in the running

Managers are being catapulted from their posts left, right and centre at the moment. 

We've seen Michael Appleton and Johnnie Jackson leave Lincoln and Charlton respectively, Mark Warburton will exit QPR this weekend as will Tony Mowbray at Blackburn, while Roy Hodgson has revealed he won’t be prolonging his stay at Watford - not a huge shock that one.

Meanwhile, up in the northwest corner of the Fylde, Fleetwood - who survived the drop out of League One on the final day - have made the decision to move head coach Stephen Crainey back to his role in charge of the U23s, meaning they’re now looking for a third boss in less than six months.

Town chairman Andy Pilley has revealed that he will take his time in the search for Crainey’s replacement: “What is important here is to make the right decision rather than the quickest decision so I want to speak to numerous people here, want to think very carefully, and want to make sure that the new appointment will be one who has the best interest of Fleetwood Town at heart.

“There has been interest already and that doesn’t surprise me because we are a League One club, have exceptional facilities, and have a track record of standing by managers. It’s bound to be an attractive job for any manager who wants to prove how good they are out there.”

Below, we take a look at the early runners-and-riders for the latest vacancy to open up in League One…

A history of recent appointments shows that Fleetwood have flicked from experienced head to rookie boss: John Sheridan to Joey Barton to Simon Grayson to Stephen Crainey.

Barton was a shock choice back in 2018, but ultimately a successful one having finished 11th and 6th in his two full seasons. 

Could we see Pilley go down a similar road with novice Scott Brown, who is a surprise early name in the frame at 3/1. The Celtic legend, 36, left Aberdeen in March in order to pursue a coaching career and could well be seeking opportunities south of the border.

However, at this early stage it’s former Fleetwood player Chris Beech who leads the way in the market as the evens favourite. Beech, who scored a promotion winning goal for the club back in 2005, most recently spent two years in charge of League Two side Carlisle - they briefly topped the table during his tenure - but left in October after a poor run.

This isn’t the first time Beech, 47, has been linked with taking charge of his home-town club. He featured in the betting after Barton’s exit and was the bookies’ favourite for the vacancy in November after Grayson’s departure. Could this be third time lucky?

Pilley has revealed that he’s eager to appoint a manager who will develop and give opportunities to young players. With that in mind, Nathan Rooney is well worth considering at 20/1 with BetVictor.

Rooney is a young talented coach who Pilley knows well given that he previously spent over three years at Fleetwood working with the youth and development team.

Rooney has since gained experience in a variety of roles. He was assistant manager at Crawley Town, head of coaching at Port Vale, then impressed in his first managerial post at Colne. He's transformed the fortunes of Gibraltar outfit Bruno’s Magpies since his appointment earlier this year; rocketing them to a cup final and qualification into the Europa Conference League.

David Martindale (12/1), impressing as Livingston boss, is another name that’s been linked with the Cod Army opening as is ex-Fleetwood player Jamie Milligan (12/1) who has been managing Bamber Bridge since 2019.

Elsewhere, you can find the likes of Tim Cahill, David Unsworth, Darren Ferguson, and Jonathan Woodgate at the 16/1 mark - full odds below.