Next Blackpool Manager Odds: Two-Horse Race In Search To Replace Steve Bruce
Ian Evatt and Richie Wellens are co-favourites on football betting sites for the Blackpool job following Steve Bruce's dismissal at the weekend.
Bruce was sacked following a 2-0 loss at home to Wimbledon which left the club second from bottom in the League One table.
The former Manchester United defender led the Tangerines to ninth place last season, but seven defeats from their opening 11 games in the new campaign brought an end to his 13-month reign.
Evatt is available after his successful five-year spell as Bolton manager ended in January, but Wellens is in his third full season with Leyton Orient.
We take a look at the contenders and the latest Blackpool manager odds.
Next Blackpool Manager Odds: Evatt Evens For Seasiders
Evatt is a fans’ favourite at Blackpool, having played a major part in the club’s incredible promotion to the Premier League under Ian Holloway via the 2009/10 Championship play-off final.
The centre-back joined the Seasiders on an initial six-month loan from QPR at the start of the 2006/7 campaign, but the deal was made permanent in January.
Evatt helped the club secure promotion to the Championship in the same season and four years later he was playing in the Premier League, so his legendary status at the club is assured.
Next Blackpool Manager Odds
Manager | Odds | Probability |
Ian Evatt | Evens | 50% |
Richie Wellens | Evens | 50% |
Damien Duff | 6/1 | 14.3% |
Stephen Dobbie | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Ian Holloway | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Charlie Adam | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Sean Dyche | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Steve Evans | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Wayne Rooney | 20/1 | 4.8% |
Jim Goodwin | 25/1 | 3.8% |
Jon Brady | 25/1 | 3.8% |
Danny Rohl | 25/1 | 3.8% |
Luke Williams | 25/1 | 3.8% |
Leam Richardson | 25/1 | 3.8% |
However, he has also made a big impact as a manager, leading Barrow to the Football League as National League champions in 2020 and in the following season he achieved promotion to League One with Bolton.
He also won the EFL Trophy with the Trotters and reached the play-offs in back-to-back seasons, only for his four-and-a-half-year reign to be ended by mutual consent at the start of 2025.
Evatt is the co-favourite at Evens on betting sites to become the next manager of Blackpool.
Blackpool have sacked Steve Bruce following their 2-0 defeat to AFC Wimbledon ❌ pic.twitter.com/LJbqhEWDJ3
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 4, 2025
Momentum With Wellens
Richie Wellens is also fondly remembered as a player who brought silverware to Blackpool, but he is now making a name for himself in the managerial game.
Wellens was a key member of the Tangerines team that were promoted to the third tier via the play-offs in 2001 and he twice won the EFL Trophy with the club over the next three years.
The former Leicester midfielder won the League Two title in his first full season as a manager with Swindon in the 2019/20 season and again with his current club Leyton Orient three years later.
Remarkably, the east Londoners reached the League One play-off final last season which they lost to London rivals Charlton.
Wellens may feel he has taken Orient as far as he can and he is also priced at Evens to become the latest Blackpool manager.
Duff A New Name For Seasiders Post
Damien Duff twice won the Premier League as a Chelsea player and is now proving to be a winner as a manager.
In 2024, the former Republic of Ireland international led Shelbourne to their first League of Ireland Premier Division title since 2006 with a dramatic late winner against Derry on the final day of the season.
Shels had been 25/1 to win the league at the start of the campaign, so it's small wonder Duff described it as his greatest achievement.
However, the ex-Blackburn, Newcastle and Fulham winger dramatically quit as manager in June and is thought to be looking for a new role.
The Irishman is 6/1 on betting apps to end up at Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool’s Next Manager: Dobbie In The Frame
It’s always worth considering interim managers for the role of head coach and it’s no surprise to see Stephen Dobbie installed as one of the favourites at 10/1.
Dobbie and Steve Banks have been placed in temporary charge of the Tangerines until a replacement for Bruce has been appointed.
The Scot spent three loan spells with Blackpool, two of which resulted in Championship play-off finals, so he is a familiar face around Bloomfield Road.
This is also Dobbie’s second spell as caretaker manager, having been given the task of keeping the club in the Championship when Mick McCarthy was sacked towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Despite winning three of his six games in charge, Dobbie was unable to retain Blackpool's second-tier status, but he remained at the club under new manager Neil Critchley.
Next Blackpool Manager: Second Stint For Holloway?
Holloway famously steered Blackpool to the top flight in 2010 with a 3-2 victory over Cardiff in the play-off final and the club proved to be a breath of fresh air in a memorable 2010/11 campaign.
Despite their stature, the Tangerines' stay in the Premier League went to the final day of the season when a 4-2 defeat at Manchester United meant they were relegated by just one point.
Three years later, Holloway took Crystal Palace to the top flight via the play-off final, so he has a record of success in the Football League.
Holloway is currently in charge of Swindon, who have won eight of their first 11 games to sit a point adrift of leaders Walsall in second place, and he is priced at 10/1 for an emotional return to Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool Next Manager Odds: Adam Loved By Fans
Charlie Adam was Blackpool’s skipper in that incredible 2009/10 Championship season which already gives him kudos among the supporters.
The Scot scored the first equaliser at Wembley and later went on to bag 12 Premier League goals in the following season.
However, rather than return to the Championship, the free-kick maestro could not resist the lure of Liverpool, where he spent a couple of seasons before joining Stoke in a spell which lasted seven years.
Adam’s sole experience of management came at Fleetwood Town where he spent 12 months until he was sacked at the end of 2024.
The former Scotland midfielder, currently a set-piece coach at Everton under David Moyes, is 10/1 to get the Blackpool job.
Next Blackpool Manager Odds: Tangerine Dream For Dyche?
Sean Dyche is one of the favourites for the Rangers vacancy following the dismissal of Russell Martin, but is also 10/1 to replace Bruce at Blackpool.
Dyche made an impact at Burnley and Everton, so is unlikely to consider dropping into a League One relegation battle.
Elsewhere, Steve Evans, who has enjoyed promotions as a manager with Crawley, Rotherham (twice) and Stevenage, is 12/1 to fill the Tangerines vacancy, while ex-Birmingham and Plymouth boss Wayne Rooney can be backed at 20/1.
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin is available at 25/1, the same price as former Northampton boss Jon Brady, ex-Swansea gaffer Luke Williams and Danny Rohl, who left Sheffield Wednesday in July.
Leam Richardson won the EFL Trophy as a Blackpool player in 2003/04 and has also enjoyed success as a manager with Wigan, the team he took to the Championship as 2021/22 League One champions.
Richardson is also available at 25/1 to be the next manager of Blackpool.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
Blackpool fans, who do you think should be the next manager at Bloomfield Road? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!
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