Dundee`s Hartley Favourite to Replace Solksjaer At Cardiff

Former Manchester United super-sub Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is to be sacked as manager of Championship side Cardiff City, according to reports coming out of the Welsh capital.

A second minute Kike goal saw the Bluebirds fall to a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Middlesborough on Tuesday, with the promotion favourites losing their second home game in four days after capitulating at the hands of Norwich City. The Norfolk side came from 2-0 down at half time to strike four past their former keeper David Marshall. Such results mean that Cardiff are winless in four league matches.

`I`m responsible and I should get better results than this [better] than what we`ve had in the first seven games.` Solksjaer said.

It now seems that owner Vincent Tan agrees and has opted for a change with the former Molde manager winning just two of the club`s first seven games of the new campaign, seeing them occupy the lowly position of 17th in the Skybet Championship.

The Norwegian replaced Malky Mackay at the Cardiff City Stadium on 2nd January this year with the club sat 17th in the Premier League and one place above the relegation places. Hired to troubleshoot and pull the club into mid-table safety during their first season in the top division of English football, Cardiff eventually finished bottom. Fans have blamed the swift decline under the `Baby-Faced Assassin` on a lack of confidence amongst players due to his propensity to rotate his extremely large squad, having signed 14 players in the off-season.

There are already a number of names touted for the Cardiff job, despite their being no official confirmation regarding the 41-year-old`s position. The odds-on favourite is Dundee`s Paul Hartley, with other names in the frame including recent Premier League Manager of the Season Tony Pulis, Karl Robinson of the MK Dons and former-Celtic man Neil Lennon.

Surprise favourite Hartley who is 4/9 with william hill, would be making his managerial debut in the Football League after two successful roles in his home country of Scotland. Something of a promotion specialist, Hartley helped Alloa Athletic bounce back from relegation to the Scottish Third Division with an instant return in 2011-12. He then oversaw their second successive promotion, leading the Wasps into the Scottish First Division (2012-13). Dundee called for the 37-year-old, whom he helped to clinch the 2013-14 Scottish Championship title on the last day of last season, propelling them into Scotland`s top tier of football. They now sit in fifth position with 10 points from six games.

Should the job go to Tony Pulis, currently 4/1 with Betvictor, it would be something of a homecoming and an instant return to management for the 56-year-old Welshman. Newport-born Pulis bagged the Premier League Manager of the Season award for the last campaign as he guided relegation favourites Crystal Palace to an 11th placed finish. The former defender left the club `by mutual consent` just days before the start of the 2014-15 season. Pulis made his name with Stoke City with whom he achieved Promotion to the Premier League in his second spell at the helm of the club. The Potters` are currently enjoying their seventh consecutive season at the pinnacle of English football now under-tenure of fellow countryman Mark Hughes.

Betvictor have both MK Dons` Karl Robinson and Neil Lennon, formerly of Celtic, at 8/1 in the market. Thirty-four-year-old Robinson has twice secured his club a place in the League 1 play-offs and has promised not to leave them until he has achieved his aim of seeing the Dons promoted to the Championship. This season he masterminded the team`s 4-0 drubbing of Manchester United in the League cup. Meanwhile, Northern Irishman Neil Lennon has been without a club since quitting the Hoops on 22nd May. The former Leicester City midfielder bagged three Scottish Premier Leagues, two Scottish cups and an impressive 2-1 Champions League victory over giants Barcelona during his four year stint.

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18/09/2014     © Frixo 2024