Neil Harris new favourite for Ipswich job but is he the right fit?

Neil Harris has been installed as the new favourite in the betting for the Ipswich Town job.

The former Millwall and Cardiff boss is now as short as evens (BetVictor) - best-priced 7/4 with William Hill - for the League One vacancy, which opened up on Saturday after Paul Cook had his contract terminated.

John McGreal (6/1) has since been placed in caretaker charge and will oversee the first team tonight (Tuesday) for their trip to Charlton.

Marc Bircham, Liam Manning, Frank Yallop, and Michael Appleton all remain single-digit prices in the market, whereas John Terry can be backed at 14/1.

Meanwhile, it looks like Plymouth's Ryan Lowe, who has also been linked, could be set to jump up a division into the Preston dugout.

First of all, it's important to note that Harris' move to the summit of the market doesn't mean he's about to get the job. The betting has been wide open so far with multiple favourites since it opened on Saturday, while Ipswich have already come out and said that they will be conducting an extensive search for a new manager, so this one could ramble on for some time.

Below we take a look at Harris' managerial achievements, his style of play, and whether he'd be a good fit for The Tractor Boys.

Harris boasts an impressive League One record from his time at Millwall, whom he led to back-to-back play-off finals following 4th and 6th place finishes in the third-tier, with a total of 154 points from 92 games.

In the 2015/16 season, Millwall registered 81 points and were just four points off the automatic promotion places. They overcame Bradford in the play-off semi-finals, but lost out 3-1 to Barnsley at Wembley.

The following season Harris’ men finished 6th following a final day 4-3 triumph at Bristol Rovers thanks to a late 85th minute winner. Scunthorpe and Bradford were then dispatched in the play-offs as they claimed promotion to the Championship. The Lions also reached the FA Cup quarter-finals, beating Premier League sides Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester en-route.

The momentum was with Millwall who quickly acclimatised to life back in the Championship. They came oh so close to securing another play-off place but in the end they agonisingly missed out on a top-six finish by three points. Harris then stepped down the following season (October 2019) when the club were 18th.

Six weeks later and Harris was back in the division with Cardiff, whom he took to a 5th place finish, only to lose out to Fulham in the play-offs. He was sacked the following season in January following a six game losing run, and has been out-of-work since.

Harris predominantly adopts a physical and direct playing style. He likes to get the ball forward quickly and utilises set pieces in particular. His Cardiff side were ranked bottom the Championship for possession in 2019/20 (44.4%) - his old Millwall side were 23rd - however, there was no doubting his effectiveness as he took the Bluebirds to 5th; and only three teams outscored them. 

Harris did attempt to move towards a more possession-based style early on the following season but reverted back to type following a slow start. Cardiff failed to regain their form of the previous campaign and he was dismissed in January.

Whether it’s a brand of football that will secure Harris the Ipswich job is open to debate. The 44-year-old was previously linked to the club last season following the exit of Paul Lambert, however it was Cook who landed the job.

Judging by the reaction on social media, Harris isn’t the glamorous appointment many fans crave, however his play-off pedigree - three top-six finishes - will surely be of interest to Ipswich as they bid to find a manager who can catapult them out of League One.

If the Ipswich hierarchy are keen to target a manager who employs a more easy on the eye, high pressing style of football then they could well turn to their former academy coach Liam Manning - a 6/1 shot - whose tactical approach and philosophy have turned heads following his appointment at MK Dons, who are 6th in League One.

One things is for sure, the club won’t be short of options when it comes to selecting a new manager, it’s just crucial that they get this one spot on.