Next Port Vale Manager Odds: Five candidates to replace Darrell Clarke

EFL pundit Gab Sutton looks at five candidates in the next Port Vale manager market who could potentially take over on a permanent basis following the departure of Darrell Clarke.

Andy Crosby

Having been assistant to Darrell Clarke, and having stepped in for a significant period of last season’s promotion, when the manager was on compassionate leave, Andy Crosby is in interim charge once again.

The former defender will almost certainly take the reins until the end of the season and, if he can keep Vale in League One, he may be in the conversation for something longer-term.

With more performances like Tuesday’s spirited 2-1 loss at Ipswich, which came after an incredibly difficult 48 hours for the club, the option of going to Crosby might carry more appeal.

What Vale have accomplished in the last two seasons has been very special, despite a run of two wins in 18, and keeping Crosby on would be a means of retaining some form of continuity.

On the flip side, Vale’s form since January suggests they need to evolve the squad significantly, if they want to continue moving forward as Carol and Kevin Shanahan seek to build a Championship-ready club.

Crosby has neither a brilliant managerial CV, though, nor an esteemed coaching background, and it’s possible the club can find a candidate with a more appealing resume.

Danny Cowley

When Danny Cowley was dismissed by Portsmouth in January, they ranked 10th on points per game.

In that time, Pompey had endured a significant period with four of their first-choice midfielders out simultaneously, including key man Tommy Lowery, another with both right-backs absent.

Sporting Director Richard Hughes poached John Mousinho from a player-coach role at Oxford to be Head Coach, and at first there was a huge fanfare over the 36-year-old’s affable media-handling qualities, with an initial upturn in results.

Three months down the line, Portsmouth have ranked ninth for PPG during Mousinho’s time in charge, with a much more favourable state of play regarding squad depth in that time: they’ve failed to beat the likes of Port Vale, Morecambe and Oxford.

As such, the Cowley brothers’ tenure at Fratton Park should be looked upon more favourably in retrospect, now we know how this squad has performed when more players are available, under different management.

Plus, Portsmouth’s playing budget is lower than it was under Kenny Jackett, only a couple of places into the top half, as the club has put more of its resources recently into infrastructure.

It’s possible that the Cowley brothers will hold out for another top-half League One job, but if they’re keen to go back in, Port Vale can offer them a blank sheet of paper this summer.

Vale are unlikely to have much money: they were slow to recruit last summer, and didn’t back Clarke as he might have wanted in January, so the next manager will have to act smartly.

With approximately 18 players out of contract, though, the Cowley brothers will have an opportunity to revolve the squad as they wish and look for bargain pickups on loan, from the out-of-contract market and elite academy drop-outs.

Leam Richardson

It’s been a tumultuous few years for Leam Richardson.

After assisting Paul Cook to the League One title in 2017-18 and a famous FA Cup win over the Centurions Man City side, Richardson helped Wigan stay up in the Championship the following season thanks to good home form – and randomly coming from behind to win at Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds with 10-men.

Cook and Richardson worked wonders the following season, but even a late run of eight wins to nil in 11 games – including an 8-0 thrashing of Hull – wasn’t enough to save Wigan in the Championship, due to a points deduction after sudden financial turmoil.

Cook then left and following a forgettable John Sheridan stint, Richardson took the reigns to somehow keep Wigan afloat and in League One in a time of grave adversity and uncertainty.

A Bahraini takeover cleared the financial woes, before Richardson inspired the Latics to another League One title win in 2020-21, prompting what he hoped would be a new dawn for the club under his guidance.

It wasn’t to be, as an aging squad struggled with the step up, and after a poor run of Autumn to Winter form saw Richardson cruelly dismissed, before the club’s next bout of financial woes came to light.

After all that, it’s hardly surprising that Richardson has been keen to take a few months to rest, reflect and refresh, climbing in the Lake District with the family last week.

The 43-year-old has proven to overcome most mountains in his career, can set a fantastic culture and has a history of success, both as an assistant and a number one.

Brian Barry-Murphy

Of all the candidates, Brian Barry-Murphy will bring the most innovative and progressive ideas to Vale Park.

BBM has been entrusted with coaching Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad for the last two years, after leaving Rochdale following their relegation from League One.

The Irishman arguably did a decent job at Dale, when one considers the problems they’ve had since coming into League Two.

The former defensive midfielder saved the Lancashire club from the drop in 2018-19, overseeing four 1-0 wins in seven games, before steering them to a safe, 18th-placed finish the following season.

The summer after, Rochdale’s squad was ravaged with the losses of Callum Camps, Luke Matheson, MJ Williams, Ryan McLaughlin and Ian Henderson, plus loanees Robert Sanchez and Rhys Norrington-Davies, while only two players having arrived before the month of the season starting.

Despite this, Dale scored more goals than promoted Blackpool in 2020-21, 15 more than big-hitters Ipswich, had 15 different goalscorers, and were relegated by a mere point.

Since BBM left, Dale have finished 18th in League Two, and are almost certain to go down in 24th this season in an era dominated by off-field problems.

Subsequent context makes Barry-Murphy’s work at Spotland seem more impressive, and the number of players out of contract means he’ll have the chance to rebuild the squad in his image, but there’s a caveat.

BBM is an extremely process-driven coach – he focuses primarily on development and performance - which can come at the expense of pragmatism.

It’s harder to stay process-driven in League One, however, because it can feel like half the games are against former Premier League giants you don’t expect to get much out of.

As such, any time a home game against a Cheltenham or a Burton isn’t won, you can lose at a Bolton or a Derby and the pressure ramps up, especially with four relegation spots rather than two.

The reason Vale fans love Clarke is because he’s a fighter, a competitor, someone who makes big calls on instinct and sets high standards.

Valiants might struggle to warm to BBM, because he’s so patient, so forgiving of mistakes, so big-picture orientated, that a certain demographic of the fanbase may not relate to him in the same way.

Under Barry-Murphy, there will be games in which Vale dominate the ball, have the better of the territory, have far more final third entries, but get beaten comfortably because their opponents are ruthless in the final third.

After that type of performance, BBM will be inclined to pick out the positives, which may be valid from an advanced, technical perspective, but it will baffle fans who can only see that the team isn’t testing the goalkeeper.

The advantage of Barry-Murphy is that he gives the club the best chance of developing saleable assets, which will be crucial to raising the funds they need to grow within the league.

The risk is that they go into a situation where they’ve got to fight for their League One status again next season, with a manager who may be perceived not to grasp the ethos and fabric of the club.

Calum McIntyre

If Vale want a promising young manager to kick-start a process of cherry-picking up-and-coming talent from the lower leagues, they could do worse than Calum McIntyre.

After replacing Steve Watson last summer, McIntyre has Chester 3rd in the National League North in his first full season in charge – and he’s only 28!

Kings Lynn and AFC Fylde have enormous budgets in that division, so it’s hardly a surprise to see them competing for top spot, but the Seals are the best of the rest, having finished 16th the year before.

According to Off The Line Blog, experts on non-league football as well as the EFL: “McIntyre has really impressed with Chester, showing a clear capability – and trust – in youth, bringing about large scale improvement in the short-term to the tune of a promotion push with a high-pressing brand of football.”

Some might say, understandably, that this might be too soon for a three-league jump for McIntyre, who was coaching the step-two club’s academy this time last year.

If McIntyre were to be poached by a top-end National League club, though, like Chesterfield, for example, he’d then be out of reach for Vale by that stage, both financially and in terms of appeal.

As such, Vale could be inclined to take a chance and go early on McIntyre, who would also have the inside track on the high-potential talent from the non-league market.

Formerly of Warrington Town, Ben Garrity has been one of Port Vale’s best players this season, and sorely missed when injured: there are other players who can be unearthed from those levels if the club were to take a gamble on McIntyre.

On above evidence, he likes a post-win fist pump too!