Leeds sacked Simon Grayson on Wednesday following an embarrassing 4-1 home defeat to Birmingham City. The club’s hierarchy stated their promotion ambitions at the start of the season and ultimately decided a change was needed in order to get back into the play-offs. Leeds are currently 10^th in the Championship and four points outside the top six. The Whites have not been in the Premier League since the 2003/04 season and recently sank down to League One. Their quest for a return to the top flight has been hit by inconsistent performances this season but due to the open nature of the league they still have every chance of making the play-offs.

Neil Warnock is also in contention

Neil Warnock, who was sacked by QPR back in January, was immediately installed as the hot favourite for the job due to his success with guiding both QPR and Sheffield United up to the Premier League. However, it is now Clark who leads the way. He is one of the hottest young managers in English football and previously caught the eye of Sunderland when they sacked Steve Bruce back in December. Huddersfield will be desperate to hold onto their man as they have promotion aspirations themselves. The Terriers are currently second in League One, 10 points behind leaders Charlton.

Other potential candidates for the job include Chelsea’s assistant manager Roberto Di Matteo, Steve Bruce and Barnsley boss Keith Hill. Caretaker manager Neil Redfearn, who is also in the frame for the vacancy, will be in charge for Leeds’ match away to Bristol City on Saturday. City have been installed as the 7/5 favourites for the win, while Leeds have been handed odds of 9/5, with a draw available at 9/4.

Odds provided by Stan James.

Arsenal have yet to win a league game this year, losing three consecutive matches to Fulham, Swansea and Man Utd before being held by Bolton. Next up for the Gunners is Blackburn Rovers at home followed by a trip to in-form Sunderland. After these two fixtures they have a potentially make or break four weeks where they face AC Milan in the Champions League second round, a journey up North to play either Sunderland or Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the FA Cup and crucial league games against Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Wenger insists that his side’s current form is a mere blip and remains confident as ever that his team can pull themselves together and get back to winning ways. Luckily for Arsenal their top four challengers Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle have also struggled for consistency but with Liverpool and Newcastle winning mid-week the pressure is on Arsenal. The Gunners haven’t finished outside of the top four under Wenger and the Frenchman certainly doesn’t want to break that trend, with the club currently priced at 3/1 to finish in the top four.

Jose Mourinho may leave Real Madrid this summer

Last week rumours surfaced linking Wenger with a shock move to Real Madrid. Real boss Jose Mourinho has come under heavy pressure following player bust-ups and a difficult relationship with the club’s hierarchy, with media reports suggesting Wenger and Mourinho would swap jobs. Wenger has been installed as one of the favourites in the Next Real Madrid Manager Betting, while Mourinho has long expressed his desire to return to England. If Mourinho was to leave Real at the end of the season and Arsenal fail to get into the Champions League then you never know Wenger may just be persuaded to move to Spain.

Arsenal host Blackburn at the Emirates on Saturday looking to put an end to their dismal league run. Stan James have installed The Gunners as the 1/4 favourites, while Rovers can be backed at 12/1, with a draw available at 9/4.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

Sacked: Simon Grayson

Grayson spent just over three years at the West Yorkshire club, guiding them to automatic promotion from League One in 2010, followed by a 7^th place finish in the Championship last season. Leeds were expected to push on this campaign and challenge for promotion but have been plagued by inconsistent performances. Their promotion prospects were dealt a damaging blow on Tuesday night when Birmingham thrashed them 4-1 at Elland Road. The result means that they have fallen down to 10^th in the Championship and are now three points outside the play-offs. Leeds have now had their odds lengthened to 12/1 with Stan James to get promoted at the end of the season.

On the outside it seems a bizarre decision to sack a manager just a day after the transfer window has shut and many supporters have responded to the news by venting their anger at the Chairman Ken Bates. The controversial former Chelsea Chairman is now looking for his fifth manager in just seven years at the club. Warnock has emerged as the early favourite in the betting, with the likes of Roberto Di Matteo, Alan Curbishley and former player Gordon Strachan in the running. Leeds will begin life without Grayson on Saturday when they travel to Bristol City. City are the narrow 6/4 favourites for the win, while Leeds can be backed at 7/4, with a draw available at 9/4.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

Wolves have drafted in Sebastien Bassong on loan

If the poor results continue then expect the bookmakers’ to respond by opening up the Next Wolves Manager market. Wolves have been leaking goals at the moment, conceding six in their last two matches. McCarthy managed to sign Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong on loan until the end of the season in a bid to sort out his defensive woes. Wolves are one of the favourites for the drop and if they don’t get back to winning ways soon then their odds will continue to shorten. Fellow strugglers Bolton, QPR and Blackburn Rovers are all in action tonight and they have a real chance to push away from 19th placed Wolves and basement club Wigan.

Wolves are next in action on Saturday against relegation rivals QPR at Loftus Road. QPR have enjoyed a successful transfer window, bringing in the likes of Bobby Zamora and former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse. It will certainly be a stern challenge, especially considering the fact that Wolves haven’t won on the road since the opening day of the season. QPR have been priced at evens with Stan James for the win, while Woles can be backed at 14/5, with a draw available at 12/5.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

Harry Redknapp is currently the favourite to succeed Fabio Capello

Harry Redknapp has been the long-standing favourite in the Next England Manager betting market but whether he would take the job at this time is unknown. Redknapp has transformed Tottenham into a title challenging team and in all likeliness will be eager to continue the progress they have made this season. The tax evasion case may also reflect badly in the eyes of the FA. However, in the past Redknapp has expressed his desire to manage his country so it looks like we will have to wait and see.

The FA, players and supporters crave an English manager but Redknapp aside the options are slim. West Brom boss Roy Hodgson and Newcastle gaffer Alan Pardew feature in the betting but whether they would be suitable candidates is open to debate. Martin O’Neill has also been mentioned following his impressive start with Sunderland, but after only joining the club in December he is unlikely to leave so soon into his contract.

Due to all the rumours surrounding Mourinho’s future a Next Real Madrid Manager market has recently opened up and is currently headed by Germany manager Joachim Low. Former Liverpool and Inter Milan boss Rafa Benitez is also in the running as are Arsene Wenger, Guus Hiddink and Fabio Capello.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

Last season Dunfermline were crowned the Irn-Bru First Division champions but they have so far failed to impress in their return to Scotland’s top flight. Despite a bright start to the season, where they took eight points from their first four games, the club have crumbled winning just two league games since August. They are still without a win at East End Park, with their last home league win coming way back in May when they were in the First Division. Their season has been plagued by defence errors, with The Pars conceding a whopping 31 goals at home this term – that’s nearly three a game. At the moment the fight for survival seems to be between themselves and Hibernian, with Hibs earning a valuable three points when the sides met a a couple of weeks ago.

McIntrye insists that the board are behind him and that he is eager to bolster his squad in order to boost the club’s chances of survival. However, he is well aware that the season is by no means over and will be hoping his side can steer themselves out of their current rut before it is too late. They will look to put the defeat to Aberdeen behind them and focus on their next match at home to Kilmarnock on Tuesday 7^th February. They recently thumped Killie 3-0 at Rugby Park and will head into the match looking for another comprehensive and clinical display.

In the aftermath of Real’s home defeat to Barcelona in the first-leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final media reports surfaced that Mourinho had a bust-up with players Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas. A few days later Real fans booed Mourinho during their game with Athletic Bilbao for employing negative tactics, even though they came out on top 4-1.  This week Mourinho’s poor record against Barcelona continued when they got knocked out of the cup, although they deserve huge credit for the character they showed in fighting back from two goals down to draw level. It is believed that Mourinho must now win both La Liga and the Champions League in order to hold onto his job.

Bookmakers Stan James have reacted to the speculation by opening up a Next Real Madrid Manager betting market. Germany boss Joachim Low is the frontrunner in the betting, while Arsene Wenger, Guus Hiddink and Fabio Capello also feature. Mourinho has not been shy in stating his love for English football and is almost certainly expected to return at some point in the future. He is currently the favourite in the next Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham manager betting markets, as well as featuring prominantly in the Chelsea and Liverpool manager odds.

Real are at home to bottom of the table Real Zaragoza on Saturday. They are the overwhelming odds-on 1/20 favourites for the match, while Zaragoza have been handed long odds of 33/1, with a draw available at 11/1. Real are the 4/7 favourites to win La Liga and second favourites (behind Barcelona) at 5/2 to win the Champions League for the first time since 2002.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

John Coleman left Stanley earlier this week

Richardson has stated that he is eager to continue the bright start the club have made this season under Coleman and he will be looking to draw from the experience he has of working under nine different managers. Stanley currently sit 10^th in the table, just two points outside the top seven and depending on other results this weekend a win against Gillingham could see them enter the play-offs. Stanley are the 7/5 favourites with Stan James for the three points, while Gillingham have been priced at 19/10, with a draw available at 23/10. Stanley can currently be backed with odds of 14/1 to get promoted at the end of the season.

Matt Patterson is currently the early frontrunner in the Next Accrington Stanley Manager Betting. The club are believed to be interested in someone with a connection to the club, for example a former player like Paul Cook, who is in charge of the League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers. Chorley boss Garry Flitcroft is in the running as of course is Richardson and also David Unsworth, with the former Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore putting his name forward too.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

Graham Westley left Stevenage for Preston

During his playing career Smith spent time at Fulham, Colchester, Wycombe and Barnet before coaching at Wimbledon, Wycombe, Watford and Arsenal. His lack of actual managerial experience may be of small concern for some supporters, with the 43-year-old’s only manager role coming in America with Major League Soccer outfit Colorado Rapids. However, he did guide them to the 2010 MLS Cup in his second season, before leaving the following year after a disagreement over finance.

Smith’s first match in charge will be at home to Notts County on Saturday in the FA Cup fourth round. Stevenage will be aiming to reach the fifth round for the first time in their history. County won the meeting between the two sides at Lamex Stadium earlier in the season but have won just one of their last nine matches in all competitions, with that sole win coming at Championship side Doncaster in the third round. Stan James have installed Stevenage as the evens favourites, while The Magpies can be backed at 11/4, with a draw priced at 12/5.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.

The court case has come at a very inconvenient time as Tottenham are currently involved in a three-horse title race with the Manchester clubs. If found guilty the scandal could leave a very negative effect on Redknapp’s career and it will be interesting to see how Spurs respond. Depending on the verdict it may also effect his chances of becoming the Next England Manager. Redknapp has been the long-standing favourite for the job since it was announced that Fabio Capello would step down after the European Championships this summer.

Spurs are currently preparing for their FA Cup fourth round match against Watford at Vicarage Road this Friday. They are the 2/5 favourites with Stan James, while Watford have been priced at 7/1, with a draw available at 10/3. Spurs haven’t won the famous trophy since 1991 but they are one of the favourites in the betting, with odds of  6/1.

Odds courtesy of Stan James.