Former Celtic, Leicester and Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill, the initial frontrunner for the Republic of Ireland manager’s job, has emerged as the fans’ favourite to succeed ex-Blues coach and skipper Tony Mowbray at Middlesbrough.
Mowbray was sacked by Boro earlier in the week with his assistant and former Town team-mate Mark Venus currently in caretaker charge.
While former Stoke boss Tony Pulis is the favourite with the bookmakers, O’Neill is the man supporters want to take over on Teesside, according to a poll in the Middlesbrough Gazette, with ex-Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo just behind him in second.
It’s reported in some sections of the Irish press that O’Neill has been given to the end of the week to rule himself in or out of the running for the Ireland job, which initially appeared to be his after Giovanni Trapattoni’s exit by mutual consent last month.
The 61-year-old has also recently been linked with Premier League Fulham and Norwich — where there are currently no vacancies — and it is his preference for another club role which is believed to have led to his reluctance to take the Ireland job.
According to reports earlier in the week and again today, the FAI are set to make an approach to the Blues regarding Mick McCarthy, now the odds-on bookies’ favourite, before the end of the week.
Perhaps inevitably, speculation that Mowbray might be viewed as a potential successor to McCarthy should he move on began soon after the former centre-half made his Boro exit.
Meanwhile, Bolton Wanderers will be without their first-choice keeper Adam Bogdan for Saturday’s game against Town and for the next three to six weeks. The Hungarian suffered a knee injury in training on Monday.
One-time Blues target Andy Lonergan is set to take his place in the Trotters’ line-up at the Reebok Stadium.