Steve Cooper is the big bookmakers’ favourite to replace Wayne Rooney in the next Birmingham manager odds market.
Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City after winning just two of his 15 matches in charge. The former Manchester United and England striker replaced John Eustace at St Andrew's in October with the club in the Championship playoff places.
However, Rooney has been shown the door less than three months later after a disastrous run of form featuring just six points from the last nine matches.
The final straw was the 3-0 defeat at Leeds on New Year's Day.
Click here for the latest next Birmingham manager odds market.
Who is the favourite to be the next Birmingham manager?
Steve Cooper is the bookmakers’ favourite to replace Wayne Rooney in the next Birmingham manager odds market at a best price of 5/2 on William Hill (implied 28% chance).
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Cooper was sacked by Nottingham Forest just a few days before Christmas with the club 17th in the Premier League table after a run of five defeats from six matches.
His replacement, Nuno Espirito Santo, has picked up two wins from his first three matches to lift Forest to 15th – five points clear of the relegation places.
Cooper took the job at the City Ground in September 2021 when they were bottom of the Championship. He led them to playoff success that season, beating Huddersfield at Wembley in the final, before guiding them to a 16th place finish in the 2022/23 Premier League.
Meanwhile, Cooper’s nearest rival in the latest betting market former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch (6/1), out of work since leaving the Elland Road club in February 2023. Marsch helped Leeds to safety on the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season at Brentford, but left the club in 17th.
At the time of writing, Scott Parker is narrowly behind Marsch as third favourite with William Hill (9/1) in the next Birmingham manager odds market.
The 43-year-old is out of a job once again having been sacked by Club Brugge in March after just 12 matches in charge of the Belgian side. That was his first post since leaving Bournemouth shortly after a 9-0 defeat at Liverpool last August.
The only other manager with a best price shorter than 10/1 is Tony Mowbray (9/1), sacked by Sunderland in December after a run of just two wins from nine matches.
Meanwhile, an intriguing contender is William Still, the Belgian manager currently in charge of Ligue 1 side Reims. Still (14/1 on Sky Bet) is most famous for getting the Reims job aged 30, with the club fined €25,000 for every match he managed due to him not holding a UEFA Pro Licence.
Ironically, the man Rooney replaced just 83 days ago can also be backed at 10/1. The 44-year-old John Eustace, linked with Stoke City, Sunderland, Watford and Swansea since leaving St Andrew's in October, has spent the largest part of his managerial career with Kidderminster.
He also enjoyed a brief spell as caretaker manager of QPR in 2019, helping the club avoid relegation from the Championship after taking seven points from seven games.
Next Birmingham Manager Odds
| Manager | Best Price | Worst Price |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Cooper | 5/2 | 2/1 |
| Jesse Marsch | 6/1 | 6/1 |
| Tony Mowbray | 9/1 | 8/1 |
| John Eustace | 9/1 | 8/1 |
| Scott Parker | 10/1 | 9/1 |
| Will Still | 14/1 | 9/1 |
