Despite claims in some media reports yesterday, Notts County manager Steve Cotterill has not been offered the vacant manager's post at Coventry City.
County owner Ray Trew is desperately keen to keep the manager who led the troubled club to promotion into League 1, but Cotterill is still seen as the bookies favourite for the Coventry job. Some bookmakers have stopped taking bets with Victor Chandler's spokesman David Jenkins saying “We feel it’s a done deal so we have suspended betting.”
It is believed that Coventry City chairman Ray Ranson is seeking permission to speak to an under contract manager at another club. One of the names previously mentioned is Leicester City's Nigel Pearson. He was also shortlisted for the job when Iain Dowie was sacked, but Chris Coleman was appointed instead. It has emerged now that Pearson is not as well fancied as first thought despite having an uncertain future at The Walkers stadium.
Doncaster Rovers’ Sean O’Driscoll is now being touted as a possible candidate, but a previous name, Eddie Howe of Bournemouth is being increasingly seen as too inexperienced for Mr Ranson.
One of the early front runners, Tony Mowbray looks to have fallen behind in the race for the City hot seat. Neither the club nor Mr Ranson have made public who is on their shortlist of candidates, but it is widely believed now, that Mowbray's name is not on it. Despite making a late application for the job, he has not been contacted by Coventry City.
While the situation surrounding the identity of the new manager at The Ricoh is as clear as mud, what has become apparent is the type of person Ranson is looking. for.
The man Ranson is looking for will be one of the younger generation of managers. He will be dynamic, he will be a motivator and have a reasonable managerial record, but more importantly, he will have to agree to work with the most of the current squad, although he will be permitted to add to it when the transfer window opens again on June 1st.