John Sheridan is odds on with bookies to become Oldham Athletic’s new manager following the dismissal of David Dunn earlier today.
The Mancunian has strong ties Boundary Park, having spent six years of his playing days there and having also occupied the manager’s hot-seat between 2006 and 2009.
In that time he led Latics to a play-off semi-final and a famous 1-0 win away at Everton in the F.A Cup. Despite being sacked after a bust-up, ‘Shez’ remains a legend in the eyes of most fans and would be greeted with much warmth.
Since leaving Oldham, Sheridan has managed Chesterfield and Plymouth Argyle where he was sacked last summer. The former Republic of Ireland international then took the Newport County job in October with the Exiles lying bottom of the league. Since then, he’s steadied the ship and has guided Newport out of the relegation zone and into 20th place in the league.
Some bookies are offering as short as 1/6 for Sheridan to return to Oldham and it looks likely that the move could be completed by tomorrow. The usual names such as Paul Scholes have also been bandied about but rumours emanating from sources on Twitter suggest that the bookies have this one spot-on.
Upon the new manager’s appointment, whether it be Sheridan or not, Oldham would have had as many managers as league wins in the current campaign; a statistic which reinforces a shocking start to the season. A change in manager provides the opportunity to kick-start a currently lifeless campaign and the signature of Sheridan would certainly whet the appetite of those losing the faith.
At a time when fans are feeling particularly apathetic, news of a manager with such close links would surely reignite some passion at a crucial time in the football year.
Should Sheridan sign as expected, Oldham Athletic may soon begin to feel a bit more like the club we know and love again.
