It’s been a week since Salford City parted ways with Graham Alexander.
So far, we’ve seen a variety of runners and riders appear in the next Salford City manager market; from Roy Keane to Sam Allardyce, and Paul Cook to Danny Cowley. You can even back Sir Alex Ferguson at 20/1 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at 50/1, although we’d advise against those two!
Meanwhile, Paul Scholes has drifted out to 25/1 after Salford sunk to their first League Two defeat of the season in his first match as caretaker.
We aren’t privy to the intricacies of the Salford City boardroom, so for the moment at least it appears that Salford simply sacked Alexander on a whim, with no plan in place.
The general reaction to last week’s dismissal was a combination of surprise and frustration and while supporters obviously want the right manager to come in the other direction and take them forward, there remains a sense of confusion as to why the decision took place in the first place.
Anyway, it’s a new day in the search, and a new name has sprung into the betting as the former Barnsley and Hearts manager Daniel Stendel appears as an 8/1 shot with Bet Victor.
The German coach, who can be backed at 25/1 to return to Barnsley, is currently available for hire having left his post at Hearts back in June.
Stendel won only five of his 17 matches in Edinburgh in what was a disappointing spell which ended in relegation after the campaign was curtailed due to the pandemic. The club then triggered a release clause in the 46-year-old’s contract, so just like that he was left jobless.
Stendel previously enjoyed far more success in Yorkshire, where he led Barnsley to promotion to the Championship in his first season.
Stendel wasn’t helped in the summer as his three best players were sold, and weren’t replaced. Unsurprisingly this had a grave effect on the club’s performances and results, and it was the popular Stendel who rather harshly paid the price. The fact the club didn’t even thank him in the statement was shocking.
However, fans made sure they did, as videos surfaced the following day of Stendel and supporters drinking in his local.
A year ago Daniel Stendel went to his local pub to say goodbye to Barnsley fans just after the club sacked him.
— The Sack Race (@thesackrace) October 9, 2020
What a hero 🍻
📹 @RosaBroom#BarnsleyFC pic.twitter.com/sDw1so1EXv
“Even without spectators, I realize that I am eager to return – but the project and people also need to fit to me and my philosophy,” Stendel revealed to the Yorkshire Post last week.
“Football-wise, the intention to act offensively with physically strong players and to always play with high risk with the intention to win the game instead of avoid losing is very close to my interpretation of football. That is why I would love to come back and train an English team.”
So, watch this space...