Next Permanant Fulham Manager – Southgate not to be sniffed at (Excuse the nose pun)

As Roy Hodgeson moved to pastures new, to what should be bigger and better things with Liverpool, Fulham have been left without a manager and the search for Hodgeson’s successor, someone to fill his huge shoes after his three year tenure at the club climaxed with a UEFA Europa League final defeat, has led to many a speculation surrounding the Fulham hot seat. As usual, bookmakers have thrown in an array of managerial profiles for us all to ponder and possibly have a nibble at, but the majority are either the absurd or just plain ridiculous.

The main short-list doesn’t necessarily make the heart skip a beat, with the slimy Sven Goran Eriksson arguably the most high profile name in the running. It wasn’t so long ago that he was claiming to have Liverpool blood running through his veins slap bang in the middle of a supposedly promising World Cup campaign with the Ivory Coast. His credentials took a serious knock mind when Les Elephants didn’t even make it past the group stages of the tournament, although he’s under the impression that the Ivorian Football Federation still values his services – God knows why. He is however out of contract and will continue to flirt with every vacancy that tickles his fancy between now and the start of the domestic season. Despite enjoying a fair amount of success at club level during his early days as manager with IFK Goteborg and Lazio, Eriksson is more fondly remembered for his bedroom antics and isn’t really a coach anyone can really take seriously nowadays, especially after a couple of disappointing stints as England coach as well as the farcical that went on at Notts County.

The Swede is currently the third shortest price with SkyBet and PaddyPower both going 6/1. The general consensus with the Fulham fans is that Eriksson would be a suitable replacement for Hodgeson, while there’s little doubt Eriksson himself would be interested in the Fulham reigns – After all it is a job which would pay reasonably well.

Dave Jones, currently of Cardiff City, is another being linked with the Fulham job and can be found at slim odds of around 5/2 with the likes of WilliamHill and Ladbrokes, which does make you think they may have some inside information as SkyBet go 5/1 on the BlueBirds coach snapping up the Craven Cottage post. Jones guided the Welsh outfit to the Championship play-off final last season only to suffer defeat to Blackpool. He’s been with his current employer since 2005 but has been in the Premiership before with Southampton. However, his spell at St. Mary’s was marred by off-pitch allegations regarding his past and Jones was later sacked by the club. Jones has picked himself up miraculously since then and some would even say he’s maturing into a Premiership manager in the making. If only a Premiership club would take a chance on him. Will Fulham take a gamble on the Caridff manager, whom would find the position extremely difficult to turn down considering Cardiff current financial issues. We reckon he’d snapped Mohammed Al-Fayed’s arm offer, so the 5/1 currently on offer isn’t all bad, although we get the feeling Fulham are after something more classy.

And then along came Martin Jol, of whom SkySports recently revealed that sources inside the club are strongly weighing up whether or not trying to lure Jol to Craven Cottage is a good idea and, more to the point, whether it’s actually plausible. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager recently signed a three-year contract with Dutch giants Ajax and almost brought home the Dutch league title in just his first season but had to settle for the Dutch Cup instead. We’re under the impression that Jol wouldn’t be interested in a move right at this moment despite his self-proclaimed love for the English game and his desire to one day work in England again. He did leave Hamburg after just one season but it’s different when you’re managing in your home country and at a club which isn’t just held in the highest regard all around the world but will entertain Champions League football this season, as well as boasting one of the hottest properties in today’s game in Luis Suarez. So we see enough negatives in this bet to put us off Jol making such a bold move.

We are more than happy to oppose the backers on Betfair, who are willing to accept anything around 1.90 currently, simply because of our gut instinct. We feel it’s too early in his Ajax tenure for him to be throwing in the towel for English football, while he will quickly establish a reputation for club hopping if he continues to leave every club after just one season. Plus, and this is a huge factor in our opinion, he only just missed out on the Dutch league title last season by 1 point, with FC Twente beating Ajax to the finish line despite Jol’s team finishing the campaign with 14 successive victories. That sublime streak will be a big indication for Jol, that Ajax are within touching distance of ending their seven year wait for the Dutch league title and that the Amsterdam based club will be firm favourites to clinch the title this season. Why throw the opportunity to make a little piece of history with the biggest football club in his homeland just to join Fulham, who may just have peaked last season?

We say LAY Jol to the Sun comes down, although I was the same pundit which told you to lay Owen Coyle not to join Bolton Wanderers last season only to see him sprinting out of the Claret’s door within the blink of an eye. I guess the best piece of advice would be to watch this space, and to keep one eye on the SkySports website and channel, as they’re generally first on the scene when it comes to matters such as these.

If you’re looking for something with a side of value, why not try Alan Curbishley. Yeh he may not bring glamour and sophistication to the fore but he’s enjoyed a great deal of success during his time, especially with Charlton Athletic, who felt apart at the seams when he left the club. He’s just the manager to resume business following the huge success of Roy Hodgeson, and if there’s ever a coach to bring some calm and professionalism to the camp, Curbishley is your man. Fulham have already revealed that the former Charlton and West Ham coach has held talks with the club although reports claim they are holding out for a celebrity it would seem. Fulham could be about to pass up on a good thing if they aren’t careful. Alan Curbishley is 22/1 with Bodog but is around 34/1 on Betfair.

Those which should be ignored at all costs: Gianfranco Zola – Way too soon after leaving West Ham United in what was a harsh eye opener for the Italian softie. Slaven Bilic – Constantly linked with a move to the Premiership but his managerial appeal has derailed considerably since spanking England at Wembley on that famous rainy night in London. He’ll also be fuming that Croatia missed the World Cup boat and will be eager to make amends for the upcoming EURO’s.

Value stunner – Gareth Southgate. It’s been nearly two years since Gareth left Middlesbrough to take up the limelight with ITV as a pundit. The sooner we get him off the telly the better we say, and Fulham is right up his street – Not too glamorous as so the expectations aren’t so high but a project nonetheless. We get the feeling Southgate will begin job hunting soon enough and wouldn’t surprise us if he took a serious liken to the Fulham post. Definitely a name to keep one eye out for if you ask me, although we haven’t heard his named mentioned this week and the assumption is that Fulham want to appoint a new manager within the next few days and don’t want the matter to drag on. Currently 66/1 with Bet365!