Next Stevenage Manager Odds: Six possible replacements for Steve Evans

EFL pundit Gab Sutton discusses six potential candidates to take over as Stevenage manager following Steve Evans’ exit for Rotherham.

1. Gareth Ainsworth 

Stevenage have a far bigger budget now, than Wycombe had when Gareth Ainsworth took them up from this level in 2019-20.

What Boro may look for, after Evans’ exit, is stylistic continuity, and Ainsworth would provide that, as well as charisma and excellent man management qualities.

The 50-year-old’s ill-fated stint at QPR raises questions over his credentials at Championship level, but he can still get results in League One, as he’s proven in the previous two campaigns, when the Chairboys were prime Play-Off contenders under his watch.

When Ainsworth gets buy-in to his culture-led process, he can build teams that achieve well, well above expectation.

Verdict: the fit could be ideal – an excellent appointment

2. Scott Lindsey

Scott Lindsey has done a remarkable job at Crawley this season – how he’s not been shortlisted for Manager of the Year in League Two defies belief.

Nonetheless, the fit has to be right, and Stevenage have always built their most successful periods with strong, tough, gnarly sides that are horrible to play against, and managers who create a siege mentality.

This doesn’t really describe Scott Lindsey who, the risk is, may try to evolve the style of play too quickly, when the appointment should really be about building on the template already in place.

Verdict: great manager – possibly not what Stevenage need right now

3. Alex Revell

Revell will take charge of Stevenage’s remaining two games, and while the interim spell may not be long enough to influence the club’s thinking too much, convincing performances and positive results wouldn’t do his chances any harm.

‘Revs’ also has a connection to Rotherham, though – he scored 28 goals for the Millers, including a stunning equalizer from 35 yards to complete a brace in the 2014 League One Play-Off Final against Leyton Orient, which they won on penalties.

As such, there’s a likelihood that the 40-year-old opts to choice Evans and Paul Raynor on the coaching staff in the summer – and the chances of him remaining at Stevenage probably depend on whether he’d be offered the manager’s job.

There’s a benefit to continuity after a successful period – somebody who knows how the club operates, who the fans trust, who has learnt a lot from Evans.

At the same time, it’s hard to argue for Revell being more appealing than the appointment of a more experienced Football League manager.

Verdict: might join Evans and Raynor at Rotherham.

4. Michael Duff

Duff would be an outstanding capture if Stevenage could pull it off.

It’s hard to see the Northern Irishman getting a Championship job right now, even if he’s more than good enough for one, as clubs may be put off by his struggles at Swansea – although that was more down to fit than ability.

Stevenage might be the best League One job available this summer, so him being drawn to the Lamex is not unrealistic with the investment Phil Wallace has been prepared to provide.

Having made history at Cheltenham and worked wonders at Barnsley, Duff would be the ideal capture, and the perfect candidate to take Stevenage to the next level.

Verdict: the perfect candidate - if he’s willing to make the move.

5. Mark Bonner

Mark Bonner massively exceeded expectations in his first two seasons at Cambridge, met them in his third, before losing his job based on form rather than overall performance in his fourth.

Simplistically speaking, the U’s were 18th when Bonner was sacked in late November, and they’re now 19th having since appointed two experienced former Championship managers in Neil Harris and Garry Monk.

The lack of investment in the squad made it very difficult for the 38-year-old to build on previous successes, and perhaps to an extent, five months out of work to reflect, refresh and reset is no bad thing for any manager who’s been in a job for three-and-a-half years.

As such, Bonner should be considered a serious contender based on his achievements, and would bring his own calming, assured personality to the club as they move into this new era.

Plus, comparing him to, say, Ainsworth, who has been focusing largely on his music in his time out of work, Bonner has been active in a footballing sense – watching matches at various levels, going into clubs to study and learn, speaking on numerous podcasts and taking in new ideas.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with switching off from football in this time, but Bonner certainly has a clear drive to make the next chapter of his career a successful one.

Verdict: deserves a chance to show what he can do at this level with an extra few quid.

6. Pete Wild

Approachable off the touchline, passionately animated on it, Wild would breathe new energy into Stevenage.

Not only that, he has a hugely successful track record in the lower leagues: two Play-Off finishes in three National League seasons on a low budget at Halifax, as well as likely another in League Two with Barrow this season after last year’s ninth-place.

Despite being a young manager, Wild has shown he can manage experience successfully, so he’d have no problems handling this relatively old Stevenage squad, although he would want to rejuvenate it somewhat with some youthful exuberance.

The 39-year-old is a real up-and-comer, making him a hugely exciting proposition for Stevenage, but once compensation is sorted, the only potential snags are timing and location.

Firstly, Barrow are likely to be in the Play-Offs, in which case Stevenage are left with a dilemma.

They might approach the Bluebirds with a view to poaching Wild after the Play-Offs, but it’s plausible the Holker Street club ask them to not even start negotiating anything until it’s conclusion, which could be as late as a month’s time.

Bearing in mind Wild could then reject Stevenage, losing them valuable time in the process, the situation may become too difficult to be worthwhile pursuing with no indication of a returning interest – and that’s because of the second point.

All three of Wild’s jobs so far have involved a suitable daily commute from Royton, in Oldham – Halifax was just over the Pennines, and Barrow train in Manchester.

The likelihood may be that Wild would be willing to relocate for an opportunity as big as this, but who’s to say what the most important thing is to him?

Verdict: would be a fantastic capture – if Barrow are amenable to contact prior to a likely Play-Off campaign