Alan Shearer has become the latest man to be linked with the vacant Ipswich Town manager post. Shearer's odds were cut on Thursday as he leapt up to second favourite, behind frontrunner Alan Curbishley, in the Next Ipswich Town Manager betting market. The Tractor Boys have reportedly received over 50 serious applications for the in-demand job as they begin the process of finding Paul Jewell's successor.
Shearer has recently been linked with a return to former club Blackburn Rovers but in the last few days his odds have drifted and he now looks to be out of contention. His brief foray into management with former club Newcastle United back in 2009 ended in failure but you simply can’t judge him on a miniscule eight games in charge.
After spending a few years warming the seat on Match of the Day Shearer is now believed to be keen to make his mark in the management arena and Ipswich could be the perfect place to start. He definitely has the backing of one player, Michael Chopra, who excitedly tweeted that he would love to see Shearer come in as manager.
Former Ipswich boss George Burley has also expressed his interest in the vacancy, while Mick McCarthy has been attracting some attention. However, Curbishley remains the favourite in the betting, with his experience edging him ahead of Shearer in the pecking order.
Meanwhile caretaker manager Chris Hutchings, who is an outsider for the job, will take charge of Ipswich's match at home to fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Paddy Power have installed Ipswich as the 5/4 favourites to end their barren spell and claim their first win in 11 games, while Wednesday can be backed at 2/1 to record their first victory since the end of August.
