Paul Clement sacked: Contenders to take over as the next Reading manager
Following Paul Clement's sacking by Reading, we look at the contenders for the vacancy alongside odds from Sky Bet.
Clement was sacked by the Sky Bet Championship strugglers after just nine months in charge with the Royals just outside the relegation zones with just four wins out of 20.
Steve Bruce
Sky Bet odds - 10/3
A manager who knows what it takes to succeed at this level, Bruce guided Hull to the Premier League in 2016 despite unhappiness amongst supporters with the club.
He also took Villa to the play-off final last season, Tom Cairney's goal denying them promotion as Fulham won 1-0.
He was sacked by the West Midlands outfit in October with the club floating in mid-table, although their summer was disrupted with financial uncertainty.
Bruce was promoted with Birmingham in 2006 and the Royals may see him as a candidate if they fancied an unlikely go at promotion to the top-flight next season.
In the short term though, Reading will be looking to stay in this division and Bruce will likely bring an instant upturn in results.
Phil Parkinson
Sky Bet odds - 5/1
Parkinson is the name that best suits the job given their current position. His Bolton side may sit below Reading in the standings, but context shows that he is overachieving with that squad.
Wanderers continue to be hit by off-field issues relating to finances and, despite that, he has still managed to pick up points - including victory over Reading earlier this season.
Parkinson also managed to keep Bolton in the division against the odds last season.
The Royals do, on paper, have a better squad than Bolton and Parkinson will likely steer them to safety, avoiding a relegation scrap in the final weeks.
He also has history with the club, making 361 appearances between 1992 and 2003.
Graeme Murty
Sky Bet odds - 7/1
Another player with a long history with the club is Graeme Murty, also making over 300 appearances in an 11-year spell which came to an end in 2009.
Murty's only managerial experience has come at Rangers, with two caretaker spells prior to accepting the full-time position in December.
He did post an impressive 62% win ratio during his permanent time in charge. Despite that, heavy defeats on more than one occasion to Celtic led to the Rangers hierarchy making another change at the end of the season.
Murty is currently involved with the Scottish club's under-20s side, although you'd imagine he would likely be open to a return to senior management.
Alan Pardew
Sky Bet odds - 10/1
A familiar name amongst English football fans, Alan Pardew is a well-experienced manager with seven clubs on his CV.
Pardew also has managerial history with Reading having spent four years there between 1999 and 2003. He saw success at the Royals after guiding them to a second-placed finish in the English Second Division in 2002.
He was awarded Premier League Manager of the Year for his efforts at Newcastle in 2012 alongside LMA Manager of the Year at the end of the same season.
During his spell at Crystal Palace, Pardew took them to the FA Cup final although they would lose out to Manchester United.
He is a name that is often linked with managerial vacancies, and the fact that he is currently unemployed could mean a swift appointment.
Mark Warburton
Sky Bet odds - 12/1
Another former Rangers manager in the market is Mark Warburton, who has been out of work since leaving Nottingham Forest towards the end of 2017.
Warburton has been linked with a few vacancies already this season, although none of which have come in the Sky Bet Championship.
He has promotions on his CV after guiding Brentford from League One and Rangers back to the Scottish Premiership, alongside a Manager of the Month award in the Championship in 2013.
Warburton posted a 41% win ratio in his 37 games in charge at the City Ground, but did leave with the club sitting in 14th.
Verdict
Given the job he has done at Bolton, Phil Parkinson is the name I would be going for here.
Plus, the financial situation at his current club continues to prevent him from pushing Wanderers on and Reading would be the route out that he will be hoping for.
The squad isn't the worst and he could implement an effective style of football that will get results.
Their short term aim should be to stay in the division, and Parkinson would be a a safe bet for doing just that.
Odds correct at 1055 GMT (06/12/18)
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