Former Sunderland, Newcastle United and Hull City coach Stephen Clemence is the bookies’ favourite to become the new manager of Oldham Athletic, according to the Sunderland Echo.
The Latics announced on Sunday afternoon that head coach David Unsworth would be relieved from his duties following a seven-game winless run. Oldham have picked up just one victory this season in nine games and are currently sitting third from bottom.
In an official statement, the club revealed that results were the sole reason for Unsworth’s departure, having been given a substantial sum of money to spend during the summer transfer window [quotes via the BBC]:
“After a strong finish to the 2022-23 season, a sizeable investment in the playing budget and some highly promising signings during the summer, the start of the current campaign has unfortunately not met the expectations of the club.”
The final decision was made after a 3-0 defeat away at Bromley on Saturday and now the process for selecting a new manager has begun but it looks as though Stephen Clemence is the man who will take up the vacated chair in the Boundary Park dugout.
Clemence has been a disciple of Steve Bruce, following the former Manchester United defender across the country at clubs such as Sunderland, Newcastle, Hull, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and more recently, West Bromwich Albion.
The ex-Leicester City man has only ever managed one match in the professional game which came during his time with the Owls in 2019 so this will be a big leap for Clemence.
Writer’s View
This is a risk for both Oldham Athletic and Clemence. This will be his first permanent managerial appointment so things could either go pleasantly well or horribly wrong.
Nonetheless, his biggest task at the moment will be to take the former Premier League side out of the relegation zone. After that, the board can review their objectives.
