Next Cardiff City Manager Odds: Tony Mowbray New Favourite For Bluebirds Post
Cardiff's search for a new manager continues after the club decided to sack Erol Bulut last month.
Omer Riza has been in charge since Bulut was shown the door on September 22 and although he lost his first game 4-1 at Hull, his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis improved with a win and a draw in City's last two games.
UK betting sites are constantly tweaking the odds on who will be named Cardiff's next manager.
The Bluebirds remain bottom of the Championship during the second international break of the season, so who are the contenders to succeed Bulut on a full-time basis?
You can find the latest odds below, followed by our analysis of the situation.
Next Cardiff Manager Odds: Tony Mowbray Could Make Return
Tony Mowbray has jumped to the top of the pile as the main candidate for the Cardiff post.
Mowbray was last in charge of Birmingham, but took sick leave in February and then resigned in May to focus on his recovery from an unspecified illness.
However, the former Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland manager has reportedly been sounded out as a replacement for Bulut.
At the end of August on a return to St Andrew’s, Mowbray revealed that he was “almost back to normal”, but added that he was “still a bit weak” and “still need to give myself a few months”.
* Win a VIP trip for 2 to the Las Vegas Grand Prix - return flights from London, five nights in the Linq Hotel and Casino PLUS $2,000 spending money! Enter our FREE competition below:
It’s possible that Mowbray’s recovery is ahead of schedule which is why he is the new 4/1 favourite with football betting sites to fill the vacancy.
Mowbray is a highly-experienced manager at this level, having led West Brom to the Premier League as Championship winners in the 2007/08 season.
He also led Blackburn back to the second tier at the first time of asking in the 2017/18 campaign when they finished runners-up to local rivals Wigan.
Bilic No Longer Favourite
Slaven Bilic was the 3/1 favourite last week to take the reins at Cardiff, but the emergence of Mowbray has seen his odds doubled to 6/1.
The Croatian has been out of work since leaving Saudi Arabian side Al-Fateh by mutual consent in the summer.
Bilic has coached three English clubs, starting with a relatively successful spell with West Ham between 2015-17.
In his first season, the Hammers finished seventh in the Premier League and made it to the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.
The following season, the first at the London Stadium, was much more challenging and saw star player Dimitri Payet rejoin Marseille during the 2017 January transfer window.
Bilic was sacked in November 2017 and after a disappointing five months in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, returned to England with West Brom, guiding the club to the Premier League as Championship runners-up in the 2019/20 season.
The former Croatia head coach also had a stint in charge of Watford in the 2022/23 campaign which lasted just six months despite the club being in ninth place and just four points adrift of the play-offs at the time of his dismissal.
Riza Remains In Caretaker Role
Four points from the last two games have boosted Omer Riza's chances of being named Cardiff's permanent manager. The caretaker boss is 8/1 to be named as Bulut's replacement.
A 4-1 reversal at Hull wasn't the start Riza wanted, but they did take the lead at the MKM Stadium, before conceding four times.
The Bluebirds have scored first in all three games under Riza, something they had not done since winning 1-0 at Birmingham on April 10.
The last two results have bought Cardiff some time, knowing that the team are performing better under Riza.
Manager | Odds | Bookmaker |
Tony Mowbray | 4/1 | |
Slaven Bilic | 6/1 | |
Omer Riza | 8/1 | |
Ryan Lowe | 10/1 | |
Steven Schumacher | 12/1 | |
Michael Beale | 12/1 | |
Ruben Selles | 14/1 | |
Freyr Alexandersson | 20/1 | |
Nathan Jones | 20/1 | |
Mark Hughes | 25/1 | |
John O'Shea | 25/1 | |
James Rowberry | 33/1 | |
Brian Barry-Murphy | 33/1 | |
Robert Page | 33/1 |
Lowe Still In The Frame
Former Preston manager Ryan Lowe had been the 3/1 joint-favourite at one point, but the emergence of Mowbray and Bilic saw his odds drop to 10/1.
Lowe began the season as North End's boss, but he was relieved of his duties following the club's 2-0 defeat at home to Sheffield United on the Championship's opening weekend.
The 45-year-old might be keen on a quick return to management after his spell at Deepdale, where he guided Preston to 13th, 12th and 10th over three seasons.
The club will hope to have a new manager in place in time for their first match after the international break, a home game with Plymouth on October 19.
Steven Schumacher Still In Contention
Steven Schumacher was a Championship manager until recently. But after a poor start to the campaign with Stoke, the former Plymouth head coach was dismissed last month.
He is one of two men priced at 12/1 on betting apps to fill the Cardiff vacancy.
For what it is worth, most Stoke supporters felt the sacking of Schumacher was premature. He has Championship experience and is now out of work, so no compensation would have to be made by Cardiff.
However, this would not be a particularly exciting appointment and Cardiff may be tempted to explore other options first.
Beale Could Be Back In Business
Michael Beale made his name working as a coach under Steven Gerrard at Rangers and Aston Villa, but got his first break as a manager at QPR.
After a poor start, the Londoner oversaw eight victories in 11 matches to send QPR to the top of the Championship table, although they slipped back following four defeats in five outings.
Beale turned down the chance to become Wolves' new manager in October 2022, but he could not resist when Rangers came calling a month later.
Despite a good start, Gers failed to win a trophy that season and he was sacked 11 months later.
Beale was soon back in work as manager of Sunderland in December 2023, but he lasted just nine weeks and was dismissed in February having overseen just 12 games, the shortest managerial stint in the Black Cats' history.
He still has his success at QPR and as a Rangers coach to draw upon, so it is not surprising to see Beale at 12/1 in the next Cardiff manager odds.
Ruben Selles In The Picture
Reading manager Ruben Selles has entered the fray at 14/1 as a potential candidate for the Bluebirds role.
The former Southampton boss has been working under difficult circumstances at the Madejski Stadium amid last month’s failed takeover.
The last few years have been marred by transfer embargos and numerous points being docked over financial matters, but Selles is taking it all in his stride.
A strong home record has helped the Royals move up to 16th in the League One table, but it remains up for debate whether the Spaniard would want to swap one crisis club for another struggling at the foot of the Championship.
Interest Wanes In Freyr Alexandersson
Freyr Alexandersson was the 7/2 second favourite for the Cardiff vacancy a couple of weeks ago, but his odds have drifted to 20/1.
The Icelandic manager was linked with the job soon after Bulut’s departure was confirmed, but his current club Kortrijk released a statement denying suggestions that their boss was in talks with Cardiff.
Both the Bluebirds and Kortrijk are owned by Vincent Tan, so it is not hard to see why Alexandersson was seen as such a strong contender.
The link between the two clubs would no doubt help if Cardiff did decide to make an approach, but that does not appear to be on the cards for now at least.
Nathan Jones Could Make Step Up
Welshman Nathan Jones is rebuilding his managerial career in League One with Charlton.
His reputation took a major hit after a disastrous spell with Southampton, but Jones previously did a fine job at Luton and he is available at 20/1 with BetVictor to take the reins at Cardiff.
Jones only joined the Addicks in the summer, but the fact he is a boyhood Cardiff fan means he would surely consider any offer to take over in south Wales.
Charlton made a strong start to the season and after beating big-spending Birmingham 1-0, the Addicks moved up to eighth in the League One table.
Mark Hughes Is Available
Mark Hughes was the 7/2 favourite to take over at Cardiff at one stage, but he is starting to drift.
The proud Welshman made his name as a manager after a successful stint in charge of the national team, and he could be tempted to take over at one of Wales’ biggest clubs.
Hughes has been out of work since leaving Bradford around 12 months ago. Yet a report by Wales Online suggests Hughes is not in the running for the position and that has seen his price drop to 25/1.
* Attention football fans, want to win back the cost of your season ticket? Enter our free competition below. A winner chosen every month this season.
City Unlikely To Turn To Rowberry
James Rowberry was originally thought to be of interest to the board at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The 39-year-old has only had one frontline managerial job before, and that stint at Newport County ended in 2022 when he was dismissed after a run of form which had left the club just outside the League Two relegation zone.
Rowberry was then appointed as Head of Elite Coach Education by the FAW, before becoming Craig Bellamy’s assistant with the national team.
An offer to lead a club like Cardiff would be difficult for Rowberry to turn down, but his lack of experience at this level could ultimately lead to him being overlooked and at 33/1 he is unlikely to be offered the job.
Others in the conversation include John O'Shea (25/1), Brian Barry-Murphy (33/1) and former Wales manager Robert Page (33/1).
Stay In The Loop With Free Bets, Insider Tips & More!
Live Betting. Sports Promos. Sent Weekly.
