Former Sunderland player emerges as early favourite for permanent Bristol Rovers job
Ex-Sunderland star Lee Cattermole could be in line to take over at Bristol Rovers on a permanent basis.
Former Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole has emerged as an early favourite to be appointed as the next permanent Bristol Rovers manager - just days after arriving at the club in a first team coaching role.
The 36-year-old was unveiled as a member of backroom staff at the Memorial Stadium last week, with a particular focus on “the development and implementation of set pieces”, according to a statement from the Gas.
Cattermole’s situation took an unexpected turn on Monday, however, when Matt Taylor was relieved of his managerial duties in the South West, leaving the ex-Sunderland man in charge on a co-interim basis. A statement from Rovers read: “Bristol Rovers FC can confirm that Manager Matt Taylor and Assistant Manager Wayne Carlisle have been relieved of their first team duties.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
“The club would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Matt and Wayne for all their hard work during their time with Bristol Rovers, and we wish them both every success in their respective future careers. David Horseman and Lee Cattermole will take interim responsibility for first-team football duties while the club undertakes a thorough recruitment process for a new first-team manager.”
And according to bookmakers, Cattermole is among the early frontrunners to replace Taylor on a full-time basis. At the time of writing, he is priced at odds of 4/1, alongside Des Buckingham, who recently parted company with Oxford United.
Elsewhere, Michael Appleton is currently priced at 7/1, while Steven Schumacher is at odds of 8/1. Further down in the bookies’ estimations is another potential point of interest for Sunderland supporters, with ex-Black Cats boss Lee Johnson regarded as a relative outsider at 12/1.
Speaking about his initial appointment at the Memorial Stadium last week, Cattermole said: “I am delighted to join the coaching team at Bristol Rovers. Having spoken to the guys here and [Rovers Director of Football and former Boro defender] George Friend, I very quickly got excited about the project being developed here at the club. Everything I’ve heard about Bristol Rovers tells me it’s an exciting time to be part of things here, and I’m looking forward to getting going.”