Next Swindon Manager Odds: Four candidates to replace Jody Morris

EFL pundit Gab Sutton picks out four candidates who could replace Jody Morris as the next Swindon Head Coach...

Brian Barry-Murphy

After a successful stint in charge of Manchester City Elite Development Squad, Brian Barry-Murphy is out to prove himself in senior management once again.

BBM’s stint in charge of Rochdale was broadly impressive in trying circumstances, even if the coach’s process-driven approach didn’t appeal to everyone.

Since Barry-Murphy left, Dale have finished 18th and 24th in League Two, so by simplistic logic, an 18th-placed finish in League One in 2019-20 looks a creditable achievement.

On top of that, BBM kept the club up with four 1-0 wins in seven games from a tough position the year before, and relegation only came after five key players departed and just two players signed before the month of the opening day.

Even then, they went down by a point, having scored more goals than promoted Blackpool, with a tally of 47 that would have kept them up in the subsequent two seasons.

Barry-Murphy would come with demands: not so much over the immediate first-team budget, but over the vision.

When the Irishman interviewed for the Tranmere job, a reported part of the proposed deal from his side was that the club would introduce a B Team, which may have been in part where talks broke down.

It’s possible BBM would have similar requirements at Swindon, who don’t currently have a Development Squad or equivalent.

As such, in appointing Barry-Murphy, the club would have to commit to a long-term vision, but if it’s aligned with what is already planned then it could be worth the jump.

Plus, the former Bury stalwart would bring excellent knowledge of the Under-23s scene, fresh from winning the PL2 back-to-back with Manchester City EDS.

The trust in BBM would be such that with him in charge, Town would have a better chance of getting first pick of the top young talent at City: Carlos Borges, Adedire Mebude and Oscar Bobb.

Ryan Mason

Ryan Mason is currently interim Head Coach at Tottenham Hotspur, who are still in the market for a replacement for Antonio Conte.

It’s plausible that Spurs appoint a high-profile manager, who may want to bring in his own backroom team: for example, Julian Nagelsmann is likely to favour Xaver Zembrod as his assistant, having worked with the 56-year-old at different stages since he started out at Hoffenheim Under-17s in 2010.

If Mason wants to become a number one, he may start afresh in the EFL, at a club he already knows from a loan stint in 2013-14.

With a young family, he’s unlikely to want to move too far from London, and a move to Swindon would mean the logistics are manageable.

Plus, going to a club like Swindon, where the probability of success in his first job is high, might be preferable to a Championship job at a club like Watford or QPR, where there’s more off-field turbulence to contend with.

Mason could bring to the County Ground first-rate coaching talent, elite contacts, and a high-performance mentality. 

David Artell

David Artell’s biggest selling point is that he ticks multiple boxes.

A significant section of supporters want a manager who has won promotion from this level before, and with a reasonable amount of experience, which Artell has, meeting or significantly exceeding expectation in five of his six seasons in management with Crewe.

This appointment, though, should not be made only with short-term interests in mind: it’s also important that when Swindon get into League One, they get there with the means to grow sustainably within the division.

When League Two clubs are only prepared to build a vision or identity once they get into the third tier, they can come a cropper, because League One is the worst league to go up into whilst still working yourselves out as a club and a team.

Newly-promoted clubs face a giant every other week, and if they’re not consistent against bottom-half opposition, a season of transition can very quickly become one of firefighting, from which point there’s the risk of even more mistakes being made, setting the club right back to square one.

However, if the club enters League One having long established a vision, created an identity, and built a squad that can grow within the division, the first season becomes more manageable, and with the right structure, progress can be achieved from there.

Artell would bring experience of not just promotion from League Two, but also wisdom over the process of going into League One, which is just as important.

The 42-year-old knows how to execute an excellent first season at the level, having done so by securing a top-half finish with the Alex in 2020-21, and he’s learned valuable lessons from an ill-fated second season.

Even the negative experience of 2021-22 has reinforced for him the importance of getting more operational support, which the right Sporting Director, something Swindon are recruiting for, should provide.

Below - see image - is a rough guide as to how Swindon would look under Artell, if they were to sign, as an example, Mikki van Sas on loan from Manchester City, Charlie Raglan from Cheltenham, Charles Clayden from Wealdstone, Liam Kinsella from Walsall, Charlie Kirk from Charlton, and Joe Pigott from Ipswich.

Artell would look to refine Hutton’s game, so that he can add some extra quality on the inside, as well as being able to hit the byline, run and cross which he does so well.

Hutton would hold the width on the right, allowing Jacob Wakeling the license to operate as an inside forward, linking up with a striker like Joe Pigott who is strong but also graceful with the ball at his feet.

Charlie Kirk, if he were to be reunited with Artell, would hold the width on the left and forge a partnership with Charles Clayden, something the duo established briefly at Charlton – similar stylistically to the Kirk and Pickering combo at Crewe.

Charlie Raglan and Liam Kinsella could be brought in for experience in defence and midfield respectively, with both offering commitment, leadership and battling qualities, whilst still being good enough on the ball to slot into an Artell team.

Darrell Clarke

One possibility is that owner Clem Morfuni intends to adopt a change of tack and go for the appointment likeliest to simply get Swindon promoted next season.

This approach would come with its limitations, as referenced above, but it would satisfy a proportion of the fanbase who would prefer the more developmental model to start once League One status is attained.

If that was the state of play, then Town will be in the market for a promotion specialist, and there aren't many out-of-work managers who fit that description better than Darrell Clarke, who has won five of them in his career: two with Salisbury, two with Bristol Rovers, and one with Port Vale.

Clarke has delivered promotion in two of his three full seasons as a manager at this level, and excels at creating an intense, driven culture by recruiting strong characters who respond well to a demanding man-management style.

Clarke is an instinctive, intuitive operator capable of changing games that aren't going his side's way, with proactive substitutions and tactical tweaks.

Without being the most analytical mind in the world, the 42-year-old excels at smelling problems and making decisive calls to address them, without being wedded to any one particular style - although he did tend to favour 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 at Vale.

In some respects, Clarke's flexibility and pragmatism can hold him back from establishing a clear style of play over a period of time, which is the trade-off Swindon would have to make in order to get someone of his credentials.

However, if the model were to go on the back-burner for Clem as short-term promotion becomes the name of the game, Clarke would certainly be the best option.