Next Bristol Rovers Manager Odds: Karanka Favourite to Jump Into Pirates Ship

Bristol Rovers have a managerial vacancy and betting sites have compiled a list of contenders to fill it.

The League One outfit parted company with Matt Taylor after a year in charge following a third straight league defeat. 

A family emergency saw Taylor miss two games last month, but his departure is based on recent results and Bristol Rovers’ perilous position in the table where they are just two points clear of the relegation zone.

The games come thick and fast at this time of year and the club will doubtless want to make an appointment soon. 

Who will be the next manager of the Pirates? Let’s take a look at the list of candidates and the latest next Bristol Rovers manager odds.

Next Bristol Rovers Manager Odds

Karanka Odds-On For Gas Gig

Aitor Karanka has emerged as the 1/5 favourite with football betting sites for the job, a price which suggests he is Bristol Rovers' top target. 

The former Real Madrid coach has worked in England before, taking charge of Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham, but his last two jobs came in Spain (Granada) and Israel (Maccabi Tel Aviv).

Karanka has had mixed success in his previous jobs in the Football League, although there is no doubt he is a big name and many at Bristol Rovers would be excited by the appointment of a man who has worked with the likes of Jose Mourinho in the past.

Rowett Drifts After Karanka Revelation

Gary Rowett was the early favourite to fill the vacancy at the Memorial Stadium, but his odds lengthened from 2/1 to 5/1 once Karanka entered the running. 

Apart from a brief stint as Birmingham's interim boss earlier in 2024, Rowett has not been employed on a permanent basis since he left Millwall in October last year.

Rowett may feel he did a decent enough job in south London to deserve another shot at the Championship. 

The job with the Lions is available once again after Neil Harris decided to stand down and we have looked at the next Millwall manager odds, and Rowett is one of the favourites to make a return.

The fact he has been out of work for 14 months, aside from the interim position at Birmingham, suggests he is not getting offers at present. 

Perhaps Rowett will be willing to drop into League One with Rovers.

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Cattermole Has Chance To Prove Worth

Lee Cattermole and David Horseman have been handed the reins on an interim basis while Bristol Rovers search for a permanent successor to Taylor. 

But the fact that Cattermole only joined the club’s coaching staff last week has led some to wonder whether he was lined up for the top job from the get-go.

That is certainly possible, but much will depend on how well Rovers perform in their next few games. 

A tough test against Wrexham awaits this weekend, before back-to-back away games at Exeter and Stevenage after Christmas. 

A few good results there and Cattermole’s odds will probably be cut from their current 12/1 with betting apps.

Schumacher May Hold Out For Championship

Like the aforementioned Rowett, Steven Schumacher may also believe he deserves another job in the Championship. 

Sacked by Stoke after just five games this season, the consensus was that the club had acted prematurely in getting rid of Schumacher, who previously guided Plymouth back into the Championship.

Schumacher has not managed in the second tier for that long, however, so there is a good chance that his next role will be in League One. 

Bristol Rovers no doubt have him on their shortlist, with Schumacher available at odds of 25/1 on the day Taylor was sacked.

Is Buckingham Ready To Jump Straight Back In?

Taylor is not the only manager to lose his job shortly before Christmas. 

In the Premier League Gary O'Neil and Russell Martin were both given their marching orders over the weekend, as was Des Buckingham at Oxford. 

A poor run of form for the U’s saw them make the difficult decision to part company with the manager who led them to the Championship in the first place.

We do not know whether Buckingham wants to get straight back in at another club. Many coaches in his position prefer to have a spell out of the game following a sacking. 

But it is no surprise that Buckingham is being linked with Bristol Rovers given how well he did to win promotion from the third tier last season. However, he is also a 25/1 with BetVictor in this market.

Last Two Jobs Unfruitful For Appleton

Another 25/1 option is Michael Appleton, who was dismissed by Charlton at the start of 2024 after just four and a half months at the helm. 

Appleton did not last long at Blackpool in his previous job either, so he may have to convince clubs like Bristol Rovers that he is worth a shot.

The former Preston midfielder has succeeded elsewhere, of course, and he has racked up significant Football League experience over the last decade or so. 

He could yet emerge as one of the main contenders for the opening down at the Memorial, but for now he feels like a dark horse.

Elsewhere, Mark Robins, Ryan Lowe, Leam Richardson and Lee Johnson are just some of the names available at 33/1.