Notts County supporters are braced for a blow after news that manager Luke Williams is in talks with Oxford United about becoming their next boss.
Oxford lost their boss, Liam Manning, to Bristol City, and it seems as though Williams is their choice as his successor. The popular 42-year-old is in his second stint as a manager, having previously bossed Swindon Town. In between that and Meadow Lane, he acted as head coach of Bristol City, Swansea City, and MK Dons. His stock is high after finally guiding the Magpies back to the Football League and overseeing their climb into the promotion race in League Two.
However, he now appears to be on Oxford’s radar, and that could mean a fresh hunt at Notts County. They’ve got a strong squad, and despite the hiccups against Mansfield and Crewe recently, they’re used to a possession-based brand of football that has ensured plenty of excitement for supporters. Those same supporters may now be getting excitement of another kind – a hunt for a new manager.
Already, 19 out of the 72 EFL clubs have conducted a search for a new boss this season, a whopping 26% (Tranmere, Bradford, Gillingham, MK Dons, Colchester, Grimsby, Charlton, Fleetwood, Cheltenham, Lincoln, Bristol Rovers, Oxford, Huddersfield, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham, Millwall, QPR, Bristol City and Rotherham), which means a lot of out of work managers, and plenty for the Magpies to consider should the need arise.
Who should be on the list? Which managers are likely to be attracted to Meadow Lane and the potential success it offers? We’ve compiled a list of three who must surely be on the club’s radar.
Danny Cowley
It’s easy, almost lazy, to link Cowley with a job at the moment, but the Notts County job would surely appeal. His credentials are not in doubt – he’s managed in the Championship, he can energise a fanbase, and he’s won League Two before.
He did recently turn down Bradford for family reasons, and with his daughter playing football in London, it’s believed he didn’t want to travel too far north. However, Nottingham is just a short journey up the M1, and continuing to awaken a sleeping giant is right up his street.
Matt Taylor
Matt Taylor has barely cleared out his desk at Rotherham, but he has to surely be an early contender for the County role should Williams leave. Taylor won promotion from League Two with Exeter City, winning the Manager of the Month award on four occasions. Rotherham is 40 miles from Nottingham, so location wouldn’t be an issue, and he could be looking to get back on the horse as soon as possible.
Would he drop from the Championship to League Two? It sounds like a big dip, but when you compare County and the Millers, the League Two side is probably the bigger club.
Mark Kennedy
Kennedy might have felt a little hard done by following his exit from Lincoln. He took them to 11th in League One last season, their second-highest finish in 40 years. They only lost twice at home in the league all season and had cup runs that saw them beat Bristol City last season and Sheffield United earlier this campaign. He’s a coach who wants to play attacking football, even if that didn’t always manifest itself at the LNER Stadium.
He spoke openly about hunting for his new challenge after leaving the Imps, and a short journey up the A46 might be just the thing to get him back in the game quickly.
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