Di Matteo is the latest casualty in the manager sackrace

Roberto Di Matteo has been put on gardening leave and removed of his managerial duties with immediate effect from Premier League side West Bromwich Albion, his assistant Eddie Newton and Ade Mafe have also left the club. This was following the Baggies 3-0 defeat at Eastland’s against Manchester City on Saturday which added to the clubs 13 defeats in 18 games which is the contributing factor for the manager’s dismissal. West Brom are now sitting in 18th place in the Premier League above Wigan only by goal difference and a slip into the relegation zone looks almost inevitable following their recent form.

Di Matteo came to the Hawthorns in June 2009 with the team in the Championship after having been relegated the previous season, he took over from Tony Mowbray who had left to manager Scottish Premier League side Celtic. He managed to gain promotion back into the Premier League on his first attempt and despite a shaky start to the season when the Baggies were beaten 6-0 in their opening game they managed to then lose only twice in their next first nine games however form has not gone and team are struggling with several six pointer games on the horizon with matches against West Ham, Wolves and Birmingham in the coming weeks.

Whilst the board at the Hawthornes look for the next West Brom manager the side will be looked after on a caretaker basis by first team coach Michael Appleton, he is now one of the favourites in contention to be offered the role on a permanent basis at odds of 3/1 with bookmakers Victor Chandler. The Baggies next game will be against bottom club West Ham on 12th February.

Tony Mowbray is of course no stranger to Middlesbrough having made his debut as a defender for the side and played for them at their former ground Ayresome Park back in 1982 and he played there until 1991, during this period he made 348 appearances for the Boro and even managed to score on 25 occasions. He left to join Celtic for a fee of around £1 million and it was also a side that he would end up managing, but for only 9 months, and his record here was almost as good as that of supreme failure John Barnes!

He will have his work cut of for him as currently Boro are lying third from bottom in the nPower Championship table following a very poor start to their season,  they are currently on just 11 points having only won 3 games and drawn once out of 13 games so far this season. He is sure to be given a rapturous reception a the Riverside Stadium as he makes his first full game in charge this weekend with be a home fixture against bottom club Bristol City, a loss here would be a devastating start to his new job.

Middlesbrough v Bristol City match odds

• 10/11 – Middlesbrough win
• 5/2 – Bristol City win
• 5/2 – Draw

All the above odds supplied courtesy of Paddy Power.

A statement on the club’s website read that the change was made following Boro’s poor start to the season in the npower Championship with Chairman, Steve Gibson, adding “Gordon has torn up his contract and walked away without compensation because he thought it was in the best interest for the club”.

The search will now begin for Strachan’s replacement with the team languishing at the wrong end of the Championship table after 11 games following high pre-season expectation which saw Boro as the bookmakers favourites to win the division. The former Celtic manager took over from Gareth Southgate just under 12 months ago and has won just 13 of his 46 games in charge and spent over £5 million during the summer transfer.

Tony Mowbray is the early favourite to become just the fifth permanent manager at the Riverside since Steve Gibson took control 16 years ago and the former West Brom and Celtic manager, who made almost 400 appearances as a player for the Teeside club during a nine year spell is 2/7 with Ladbrokes to return to the club where he started his career. Phil Brown and Alan Curbishley are also early front runners but at the odds, it would appear that Mowbray could be a done deal.

New Middlesbrough manager Odds

Tony Mowbray 2/7
Phil Brown 8/1
Alan Curbishley 10/1
Glenn Hoddle 14/1
Paul Ince 14/1
Paul Jewell 14/1
Terry Venables 33/1
Juninho 50/1
odds courtesy of Ladbrokes

Hull are a struggling club at the moment though both on and off the pitch leaving any potential new Manager facing an uphill challenge at the KC Stadium, it is clear that the wage bill will be slashed before the start of next season leaving them in with a tough task if they looking for promotion. Mowbray will need to use all of his experience in the Championship as a player and as a Manager should he take the job at the KC Stadium, the play-off places are likely to be seen as a good result for Hull nest season as they look to get back to the top flight.

It looks as though Paul Hart is still in contention but as fallen behind Tony Mowbray in the race for the hot seat at the KC while Gary Speed is another name in the frame as we understand it, the former Welsh International is looking to make his first steps in Management and is a well respected figure in the game. It would be a risk for Hull to take a chance on an inexperienced man like Speed but he does deserve an opportunity and one will surely come up sooner rather than later. Mowbray does now look the obvious candidate and despite his troubles at Celtic he knows what it takes at this level and would be a seen as a good appointment for a club of Hull’s size and stature.

The current slight favourite in the betting is Tony Mowbray who may be looking for a move back down south after his troubles at Celtic this season. Mowbray led West Brom out of the Championship so knows the league well but he did have a torrid time at Celtic Park and has seen his reputation damaged considerably as a result, he was criticised for his style of play in Scotland which may prove a worry for Sky Blues fans. Outside of him there are a wide range of Managers featuring in the betting with Paul Hart another being well fancied according to the latest betting, he may be looking for a move to a more secure club after having spells at Portsmouth, QPR and Crystal Palace this season. Hart has had mixed success at each of those clubs though and is yet to prove himself at this level despite the fact that he did keep Palace in the Championship under tough circumstances.

There are also two Coventry heroes in the betting from their Premier League days in Dion Dublin and Gary McAllister who would both be popular appointments despite having little or no Managerial experience. McAllister did have a brief spell in charge of Coventry before as well as a stint at Leeds where he failed to set the world alight, he may see this as a long term project to sink his teeth into and there is no doubt he is well respected figure. Dion Dublin has no Managerial experience and looks more than happy playing the pundit in the Sky Sports studio so it looks highly unlikely he will be the next man up the ramp at the Ricoh.

There are one or two interesting names slightly further down the Next Coventry Manager Odds and one that The Sack Race feels may be interested in the Coventry job is Steve Cotterill who has done a cracking job at Notts County. He arrived at County half way through the season and led them on a great run to the title and promotion but his future at the club is far from certain at the moment, there are big financial problems at County meaning that Cotterill may want to move with Coventry perhaps the ideal destination. Since we tipped Steve Cotterill to become the Manager he has been slashed all the way into favouritism and is now all the rage having started the day at 8/1.  At this stage though it is looking wide open with Cov fans left to speculate on who the next gaffer will be but with that in mind there is some excellent value on offer in the market for punters.

Next Coventry City Manager Betting with SkyBet.com - 07/05/2010

S Cotterill – 6/4
T Mowbray – 5/1
A Curbishley – 8/1
D Dublin – 9/1
P Hart – 9/1
G McAllister – 9/1
S O’Driscoll – 10/1
A Irvine – 10/1
E Howe – 10/1
A Boothroyd – 10/1
P Brown – 12/1
S Pearce – 12/1
P Jewell – 14/1
Others On Request

All markets are supplied by SkyBet

The 4-0 defeat to st Mirren appears to have been the straw that has broken the camels back for Mowbray who had high ambitions when he took charge of the club in the Summer, with Rangers winning the SPl last season the target was always going to be to reverse those positions this season. That has never looked likely though with Celtic dropping points in a regular basis and are left with only the Scottish Cup to play for this season as they look to salvage some pride from the wreckage.

Attention now turns to the Next Celtic Manager Betting and it is already shaping up to be a competitive market with Skybet opening up with Neil Lennon the man installed as the favourite to take the job on a permanent basis. Lennon we understand has been handed the role on a temporary basis and if he can produce a good run of results between now and the end of the season he is surely the man in pole position at this stage. Outside of Lennon the man many are talking about is Paul Lambert who is currently in charge of Norwich City, he has led the team to the top of League One and as a former player has to have good chances of taking the job at Parkhead on a full-time basis.

Next Celtic Manager Odds With Skybet.com as of 25/03/2010 – Subject to change

N Lennon – 11/8
Paul Lambert – 5/1
Mark Hughes – 6/1
W McStay – 8/1
J Hughes – 9/1
Slaven Bilic – 10/1
Roy Keane – 16/1
John Collins – 16/1
Roy Aitken – 16/1
Derek McInnes – 20/1
Mark McGhee – 20/1
L Moravcik – 25/1
David O’Leary – 25/1
Henrik Larsson – 33/1
Other names on request

Odds supplied by Skybet.com

Next Celtic Manager Odds

Celtic’s season slumped to a new low last night when they were crushed by St Mirren 4-0 leaving Tony Mowbray under increasing pressure at Celtic Park, the team now lie ten points behind Rangers having played two games more to the disgust of the fans. Mowbray joined Celtic in the Summer after having a successful spell at West Brom but things have not worked out for him and he may find himself out of a job come the end of the season if results continue to disappoint. It has been a tough season for Mowbray with the team slipping out of Europe at an early stage and things have been made worse by their performances in the SPL which have handed the title to bitter rivals Rangers for the second consecutive season.

Mowbray took the 4-0 defeat to St Mirren on the chin by saying the club will move onto the next game but he knows that Celtic fans will not accept a result like that for too much longer, they are a club that is used to success and trophies and at the moment they are not performing anywhere near the level they need to be to keep Mowbray in the job. The Sack Race understands that Mowbray’s position will be reviewed at the end of the season so only a strong finish to the campaign may be enough for the board to give him a second season, the side are into the Scottish Cup Semi-Final and a win in that tournament now looks essential for Mowbray.

Celtic fans are growing increasingly agitated with the team’s performances of late and Mowbray knows that any Celtic Manager is measured against how they compare against Rangers, at the moment their fierce rivals Rangers are clearly the superior side. The last Old Firm Derby saw Rangers take a 1-0 win at Ibrox to all but end the Scottish Premier League title race with a couple of months of the season to go and that is unacceptable for a club like Celtic. Tony Mowbray could well find himself back in the job centre in the Summer if results do not pick up and he can convince the board and fans that the club are moving in the right direction. At this stage though the bookmakers are worried for hus future following the St Mirren defeat and he is now odds-on with Skybet to be gone before the end of the season.

Odds supplied by Skybet.com

Next Celtic Manager Odds With Skybet.com as of 25/03/2010 – Subject to change

N Lennon – 11/8
Paul Lambert – 5/1
Mark Hughes – 6/1
W McStay – 8/1
J Hughes – 9/1
Slaven Bilic – 10/1
Roy Keane – 16/1
John Collins – 16/1
Roy Aitken – 16/1
Derek McInnes – 20/1
Mark McGhee – 20/1
L Moravcik – 25/1
David O’Leary – 25/1
Henrik Larsson – 33/1
Other names on request

Next Celtic Manager Odds

The past few weeks have seen things go from bad to worse for Tony Mowbray and Celtic as they have failed to close the ten point gap that has opened up at the top of the Scottish Premier League, the club have looked decidedly shaky in recent weeks and are not looking like catching rivals Rangers anytime soon. Mowbray joined Celtic from West Brom in the Summer aiming to bring the SPL crown back to Celtic Park this season after Rangers picked up the title last term, however things have not worked out so far for Mowbray and he is beginning to come under increasing pressure with some fans starting to question his position.

The latest poor result came at the weekend when they could only manage a 4-4 draw with Aberdeen despite leading by two goals with just 15 minutes left, the defence is a particular worry for Mowbray who knows they will need to learn to keep the back door shut if they are to starting closing in on Rangers. Robbie Keane came in on transfer deadline day in a deal that Mowbray would help turn things around but he didn’t account for the defensive problems now facing the team. The crucial match is the Old Firm tie with Rangers at Ibrox at the end of the month, a win there could see the season turn around while a defeat would be unthinkable for both Tony Mowbray and the fans who are hungry for more silverware.

There has been more bad news out of Parkhead this week off the pitch as the club announced a huge drop in turnover, over the last six months of 2009 the clubs turnover was down a massive 22.8% with the failure in the Champions League cited as the main contributing factor. Mowbray knows the importance of taking Celtic into the Champions League group stages next season if he is to realise his dream of turning Celtic into a force on the European scene which seems a long way off at the moment.

Mowbray knows only too well that any Celtic Manager is judged against his success against Rangers in the domestic cup competitions as well as the Scottish Premier League, the Celtic faithful would be expecting their team to be at least on a par with their Glasgow rivals but at this moment in time they look a team short on confidence. It was a bust transfer deadline day for Mowbray as he tried to resurrect their season by bringing in the likes of Diomansy Kamara from Fulham and the marquee loan signing of Robbie Keane. Keane is a huge signing for Celtic and Scottish Football but he will need to produce the goods for Mowbray who has stuck his neck on the line for the Spurs player who is reportedly the highest paid player in Scottish Football history.

One bookmaker has opened up a market on whether or not Mowbray will last the season at Celtic Park and although at this stage Sky Bet are backing him to remain in the hot seat they are by no means certain at this stage, punters can currently get odds of 7/4 that Mowbray will not make it to the end of the SPL season. Those odds reflect the recent poor run at Celtic and the Mowbray will no that the upcoming fixtures could be crucial for his future at the club, the club have three games in a week coming up with away games against Aberdeen and Dunfirmline sandwiched by a game at home against Hearts. The under fire Manager will be hoping that his Celtic team are a few points closer to Rangers at the end of the week than they are now otherwise the speculation will increase with Celtic supporters growing inpatient.