Toshack out: Top 10 candidates to replace Wales boss
With Wales manager John Toshack widely expected to tender his resignation following his team's 1-0 defeat to Montenegro, rumours as to who will succeed the former Real Madrid boss are already rife. Chris Mann runs the rule over the possible candidates.
1) Brian Flynn
Flynn, the former Wrexham and Swansea City manager, took charge of the Welsh U-21 side in 2004 and has since overseen the most successful period in the team's history. His vast experience as a coach and the good relationship he has with many of the young Welsh players who are currently breaking into the senior team makes him one of the stand-out candidates to replace Toshack.
2) Ryan Giggs
The best Welsh player of the modern era, Giggs is thought to be Toshack's personal preference to succeed him at the helm of the national team. Although he has no direct managerial experience, the Manchester United midfielder's 20 years playing under Sir Alex Ferguson may well have given him the tools to succeed as a coach. Whether he would want to risk his reputation by taking on such a pressurised job, however, is another question.
3) Chris Coleman
Currently unemployed after a modest two-year spell at Coventry City, Coleman is one of the obvious candidates to replace Toshack. His background as a Welsh international and the relative success he enjoyed during his four years managing Fulham give him the credentials required for the job he would represent a safe, if unimaginative, appointment for the Welsh FA.
4) Ian Rush
The legendary Welsh striker may have only had one previous managerial experience – a disappointing one-year spell at Chester City in 2004 – but that in no way diminishes the legitimacy of his candidacy. Rush was a well-respected attacking coach at Liverpool during Gerard Houllier's tenure at Anfield and so is not completely bereft of the skills relevant to the national team job. A popular, if risky option.
5) Gary Speed
Highly unlikely to take the job considering he has just been installed at Sheffield United, it would be a major shock to see the former Newcastle United player walk away from Bramall Lane at this embryonic stage of his managerial career. That said, should Speed succeed with The Blades he would be a good bet to take on the Wales job a few years down the line.
6) Dean Saunders
Capped 75 times by Wales and the current manager of Wrexham, Saunders is well versed in the workings of Welsh football and could be ready to take his coaching career on to the next level. However, the former Benfica striker has been criticised for allowing Wrexham to stagnate in the Conference, two mid-table finishes being deemed a disappointment for a club that should be pushing for promotion back to the league. He may need more time to prove himself at club level before taking on a job as big as Toshack's.
7) Paul Trollope
The current Bristol Rovers manager, Trollope also earned nine caps for Wales during his playing career and, such is his respectable record with The Pirates, could well be up for consideration by the Welsh FA. An outside bet for the job perhaps, but Trollope may very well be keen to progress his career should he feel that he has taken Rovers as far as he can.
8) Simon Davey
Best known for masterminding Barnsley's incredible run to the semi-finals of the 2006/07 FA Cup, Davey left The Tykes by mutual consent in August 2009 before taking the reins at Darlington in the April of this year. However, just two months later the former Swansea City player left the club for “personal reasons” only to crop up at Hereford United just days later. Despite a brief period of success, Davey has never marked himself out as a top-level manager and, having recently taken over at Hereford, is unlikely to be considered.
9) Tony Pulis
Pulis's inclusion on the list of bookies favourites to replace Toshack seems somewhat incongruous, the mere fact of him being Welsh apparently taking precedence over his actual availability. With Stoke City continuing to exceed expectations in the Premier League and Pulis having made some astute signings during the transfer window in an attempt to build on his team's progress, it would be a major shock to see the Welshman leave the Britannia Stadium at this particular juncture in his career.
10) Mark Hughes
Should 'Sparky' return to manage his country just months after his appointment at Fulham it would be one of the stories of the season. There is, however, very little to suggest that Hughes would be willing to make such a radical move and leave Craven Cottage. To say that he is a long-shot would be to put it mildly.
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