MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 15:55:14| >> :120:4239:4239:

Next Crystal Palace manager: The contenders

Next Crystal Palace manager: The contenders
© PA Photos
Sports Mole brings you the five men that are reportedly in contention to replace Dougie Freedman at Crystal Palace.

Championship side Crystal Palace yesterday confirmed that manager Dougie Freedman had decided to leave the club and link up with league rivals Bolton Wanderers.

While there has been no official confirmation from Bolton, reports today have claimed that Palace have already begun their search for a new boss.

With that in mind, Sports Mole has compiled a list of five men who are considered to be the early leading contenders to fill the void left by Freedman at Selhurst Park.

Mick McCarthy

There are very few jobs that McCarthy has not been linked with in recent months. Having left Wolverhampton Wanderers in February of this year, the 53-year-old is now said to be eager to return to management. He has recently been touted to take the jobs at Blackburn Rovers, Burnley and Bolton. Having been beaten to the Bolton role by Freedman, the former Republic of Ireland head coach could well be keen to take over from the Scot.

Odds: 6/4

Steve Coppell

The departing Freedman is considered by many to be a Palace legend. However, 57-year-old Coppell is looked upon even more favourably by the Palace faithful. He has had four previous spells in charge of the club and during one of those he guided them to the 1990 FA Cup final, where they lost to Manchester United 1-0 in a replay. Coppell has forged himself a reputation as a manager who gives youngsters a chance and with players like Wilfried Zaha at the club, a fifth stint could appeal to the current Crawley Town director of football.

Odds: 15/8

Lennie Lawrence

As so often when a manager departs a club, his assistant is linked with filling his shoes. Lawrence is slightly different to most other assistants though, as he possesses a vast managerial experience that stretches all the way back to 1978 when he took caretaker charge of Plymouth Argyle. He's currently looking after first-team matters while the search for a new manager begins.

Odds: 8/1

Gareth Southgate

Southgate, 42, has been out of the management game since he left Middlesbrough in 2009. Since then he has become the Football Association's head of elite development. Despite only being in the role a matter of months, speculation has suggested that he would consider a return to club football. The former England international would also be a favourite with the supporters, having made over 150 appearances for Palace during a seven-year stint up until 1995.

Odds: 12/1

Mark Bright

Like Southgate, 50-year-old Bright is a former Palace player who represented the club with such distinction. He was part of the team that reached the FA Cup final under Coppell's guidance. Having not held a job in management before, appointing the BBC Sport pundit is likely to be seen as a gamble. However, there is potential for the ex-striker to perhaps form a partnership with the experienced Coppell.

Odds: 16/1

ID:51399: cacheID:51399:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4313:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Broadfield Stadium
Read Next:
Southgate favourite for Crawley job
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!