Four ex-Sunderland bosses emerge as contenders to replace Joey Barton at Fleetwood Town

Joey Barton’s two-and-a-half-year stint as head coach came to end earlier this week with Fleetwood sitting in 10th position and eight points off the automatic promotion spots.

Last season, Barton took Fleetwood into the League One play-offs where they were defeated by Wycombe Wanderers in the semi-final.

The bookies have today installed their favourite for the position vacated by the one-time Newcastle United player.

Leading the field is former Millwall and Everton midfielder Tim Cahill at 3/2 with SkyBet.

The other favourites include ex-Blackpool player Simon Wiles at 9/4 and current Carlisle United head coach Chris Beech, who is priced at 5/1.

Former Black Cats boss Simon Grayson is priced at 22/1 to land the job, whilst Roy Keane (25/1) also appears in the market.

Ex-Sunderland duo Jack Ross (28/1) and Gus Poyet (28/1) also feature further back in the field.

All odds correct at the time of writing. Over 18s only. Please gamble responsibly and Be Gamble Aware. www.begambleaware.org.

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