Next Leyton Orient Manager Odds: Darren Ferguson linked with O’s hotseat

Leyton Orient remain on the hunt for a new manager following the exit of Kenny Jackett, who was sacked last Tuesday following a run of four straight defeats.

O’s coach Matt Harrold has since been named interim manager but was unable to prevent the club from slipping to their fifth straight league defeat - losing 1-0 at home to Carlisle - as their winless run in all competitions stretched to 12 games.

“The process is we are going after people and receiving CVs,” vice chairman Kent Teague revealed on Saturday when asked about the club's search for Jackett's replacement.

“As far as when we will believe that we have found the best person to lead Leyton Orient forward, I don’t know exactly know when that’s going to happen but I hope that happens sooner than later, and I hope it lasts longer than normal.”

Darren Ferguson is one name who has been hotly linked with the Leyton Orient job.

Ferguson only resigned from his post at Peterborough just over a week ago following a difficult season back in the Championship which culminated in a 1-0 defeat to relegation rivals Derby which left Posh 23rd in the table.

Ferguson, who won four promotions in three spells at Peterborough, also led Doncaster into League One and had a 49 game spell at Preston.

It will now be interesting to see whether he can be tempted to drop back down into League Two. It's a league he not only knows well but has thrived in with two automatic promotions from his time at Peterborough and Doncaster.

He certainly fits the bill in regards to the “offensive, aggressive type manager” which Teague mentioned over the weekend. While he struggled in the Championship, Ferguson’s Posh hammered home a Football League high 83 goals en route to finishing 2nd in League One last season.

Next in the running is former Celtic, Hibernian, and Bolton boss Neil Lennon, who can currently be found at just 3/1.

Lennon led Celtic to five league titles and five cups during two spells in charge. At Hibernian he won the second-tier then finished 4th in the Scottish top-flight, while over in England he endured a testing time at Bolton who were engulfed in financial difficulties during his tenure.

Elsewhere, caretaker Harrold and Richie Wellens can both be backed at 8/1. Wellens has had quite the rollercoaster journey in recent years; from leading Swindon to the League Two title to dropping back into the fourth-tier with Salford, where he won the EFL Trophy last season before he was harshly sacked, while he left injury-hit Doncaster in December after winning just three of his 19 League One games.

Wellens may be wounded by his Doncaster departure but the work he did at Swindon was extremely impressive. He turned a mid-table team into League Two champions complete with an attractive and entertaining style of play.

Further afield you can find ex-Sunderland and Bristol City manager Lee Johnson at 14/1, alongside Jonathan Woodgate who has had his odds trimmed from 25/1. Woodgate previously managed Middlesbrough and Bournemouth in the Championship, and has been looking for his next opportunity since leaving the Cherries in the summer.

Chris Powell and Matt Gray are available at 16/1, with the likes of Steve Evans, Simon Grayson and Paul Lambert at 20/1, whereas Neil Warnock is a 25/1 outsider.

Leyton Orient, 18th, are next in action on Tuesday away to 21st-placed Colchester who are just a point behind them in the table.