The Independent
·28. November 2024
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Yahoo sportsThe Independent
·28. November 2024
Mark Robins is the betting favourite to take over as Hull City’s next manager following the sacking of Tim Walter.
Walter’s fleeting stay with the Championship club lasted just 17 league games, in which he accumulated three wins and 15 points from a possible 51. Hull sit third from bottom and are currently one point from escaping the relegation zone in an extremely tight battle at the root of the table.
Football betting sites expect a swift return to the dugout for Robins, who was sacked at the start of the month following a run of seven losses in 14 league matches with Coventry. Frank Lampard was confirmed as his successor at an important point of the season for Championship clubs, with the busy schedule heading into its most gruelling part.
Robins’ departure from Coventry was a disappointing end to an extremely successful seven-year spell with the club. The experienced manager led Coventry through the ranks with two promotions and also won the EFL Trophy, but he may be best remembered for two ‘nearly moments’ that took them so close to even bigger breakthroughs.
Fankaty Dabo’s missed penalty was the vital moment that saw the Sky Blues lose the 2023 Championship play-off final in a shootout that ended 6-5 to Luton after an initial 1-1 draw. A place in the Premier League has the potential to catapult any club, so Robins did well to dust his team down and put together a stunning FA Cup run last season.
Robins’ side nearly recorded arguably the greatest shock in the competition’s history during the semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley. Trailing 3-0 and seemingly out of the tie, Robins watched on as his side scored three times in the last 20 minutes to set up extra time.
It looked like Victor Torp had done the unthinkable and won it for the underdogs in the final seconds of the additional period, but a painstakingly close VAR call ruled the goal out and sent the tie to penalties. United prevailed, just, but certainly didn’t emerge moral winners on an unbelievable day of drama that highlighted the guts and confidence Robins is able to install into his teams.
One name on the potential list might jump out to Hull fans. Steve Cooper is available after his sacking from Leicester, which perhaps happened a little too early after he put 10 points on the board in 12 games upon the Foxes’ return to the Premier League.
Cooper’s side battled well, but the dip in identity after Enzo Maresca’s departure was stark. This likely led to him being given the boot as Leicester’s hierarchy seek a gameplan that lets their pacey attacking threats play on the front foot.
Still, Cooper knows what it takes to succeed at Championship level. His Nottingham Forest side beat Huddersfield in the 2022 play-off final, before he was forced to preside over an era of huge change under owner Evangelos Marinakis. This included too many signings to count and a state of flux that made Cooper’s job more difficult than it needed to be before his sacking in December last year.
Betting sites have him placed as an outside shout at this point, but he’s nevertheless an interesting candidate who has the pedigree to turn Hull’s season around.
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