Next Oxford manager odds: Alan Sheehan odds-on to succeed Gary Rowett

Former Swansea manager Alan Sheehan is the current favourite to succeed the sacked Gary Rowett as manager of Oxford United, according to UK bookmakers.

The board sacked Rowett on 23 December after just one win in 10 games left them in the Championship relegation places.

Former Notts County boss Craig Short was named caretaker boss at the club for a third time, and he got an immediate response from the side as they beat Southampton 2-1 on Boxing Day.

However, a 1-0 defeat at home to Swansea on Monday, coupled with Portsmouth’s win over Charlton, means they end the year back in the bottom three, so Rowett’s eventual successor will have his work cut out.

With games on New Year’s Day and Sunday, 4 January, we might not get confirmation of a replacement for Rowett for the time being, but the new boss may have a chance to freshen up the squad during the transfer window.

Whoever does take over at the Kassam Stadium has a tough job on their hands with the side currently second favourites for relegation in the Championship odds at 4/6.

Sheehan was sacked by the Swans in November on the back of just one win in seven games, including a four-game losing streak.

The Irishman lasted just six months after being handed a three-year permanent contract on the back of two encouraging interim roles, but Swansea ultimately decided to go in a different direction.

Despite that, Sheehan left the club with his reputation intact, with the Swansea board praising his work ethic and character, which is perhaps why he is seemingly the leading candidate for the Oxford role.

Betting apps have marked him up as the 4/5 favourite to be the next permanent manager of the U’s.

Matt Bloomfield is the second favourite for the role at odds of 2/1 as he looks to return to management after being sacked by Luton Town back in October.

The 41-year-old left with the club three points outside the playoff positions in League One, following their relegation from the Championship in May.

He replaced Rob Edwards in January and led the Hatters on an incredible run, which saw only the top two, Burnley and Leeds, picking up more points from March onwards, but it wasn’t enough to prevent relegation.

He previously managed at both Colchester and Wycombe Wanderers and is highly rated in the EFL, and with 23 games left of the season, he may believe he would have enough time to turn things around at the Kassam Stadium.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Michael Beale among the leading candidates for a role after brief spells at QPR, Rangers and Sunderland, but football betting sites are offering 8/1 on him returning to the dugout at Oxford.

He has been out of work since January 2025, when he was sacked by Saudi side Al-Ettifaq, where he was assistant to former manager Steven Gerrard.

Beale was appointed first-team coach at Championship side Queens Park Rangers in June 2022, but he left just five months later to take charge of Rangers.

He failed to win a trophy at Ibrox and lasted less than a year, sacked the following October after three defeats in their first seven league matches of the 2023-24 season.

He then managed Sunderland for just 63 days, taking charge of 12 games and winning just four, so it would be easy to see why many U’s fans are not exactly excited by his name being in the mix.

Just as with every job going in recent months, we see Russell Martin and Michael Skubala on the long list, although both are very much an outside option on gambling sites.

Martin has kept a pretty low profile since he was sacked by Rangers after just 123 days, managing just five wins in the opening 17 games in all competitions.

He is also among the favourites to take charge at MLS side Columbus Crew, where he would replace Wilfried Nancy, who left the club to take over at Celtic.

Skubala, who is currently manager of Lincoln City, was heavily linked with the Norwich City job before Philippe Clement replaced Liam Manning.

The Imps are currently second in the League One table after winning 13 of their opening 23 games, earning him the September manager of the month award.

The only other managerial experience the former PE teacher has had came at Leeds United, where he was placed in caretaker charge of the club following the sacking of Jesse Marsch.

He was previously the head coach of their U21 side and was then promoted to the role of first-team coach following the appointment of Javi Gracia.

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