Wilder, Keane, Dyche: Assessing who the best replacement for Steve Bruce is at West Brom

Steve Bruce has been sacked as West Bromwich Albion manager after one win in their opening 13 Championship games.

The Baggies sit 22nd in the league following their poor start to the season and are without a win in their last nine fixtures in all competitions.

Albion are now searching for their eighth manager since Lai Guochuan took over the club in September 2016.

This is the club’s second consecutive campaign in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Whoever takes over from Bruce has a tough job on their hands and will be tasked with moving West Brom up the table as soon as possible.

It’s no surprise a number of names have been linked with the job at the Hawthorns since Bruce’s dismissal.

As per SkyBet, Ex-Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder is favourite for the job and is priced at 7/2.. Roy Keane can be backed at 4/1, while former Burnley manager Sean Dyche is at 6/1. Next is Rob Edwards (12/1) and then Scott Parker at the same price of 12/1.

Other names mentioned are Mark Robins, Anthony Barry, Carlos Corberan, Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney.

With that being said, let’s take a look at who would be the best option to take over from Bruce at the Baggies, based on the five favourites for the role.

Chris Wilder

The 55-year-old has been out of work since October 3 following his sacking from Middlesbrough. He oversaw 45 games at the Riverside Stadium in all competitions, winning 19, drawing 10 and losing 16.

Despite his poor run at the end of his tenure in North Yorkshire, Wilder has a decorated CV consisting of five promotions, one of which from the Championship to the Premier League with Sheffield United in 2019.

Though a sensible appointment based on his achievements in the game, his recent run in charge of Boro could put Albion fans off the idea.

Roy Keane

The former Manchester United captain hasn’t managed a team since his spell as Ipswich Town boss between 2009 and 2011. He has since been assistant to Martin O’Neill with the Ireland national team (2013-18) and Nottingham Forest (2019), while also being no.2 to Paul Lambert at Aston Villa in 2014.

Keane currently works as a pundit for Sky Sports but has expressed his desire to step back into the dugout recently and West Brom could be the ideal opportunity to do so.

Sean Dyche

The 51-year-old was sacked by Burnley in April after nine-and-a-half-years in charge at Turf Moor. He maintained their Premier League status from the 2016-17 season until his sacking, which ultimately led to their relegation to the Championship.

Dyche, though criticised for his style of play, has won two promotions to the top flight when in charge of the Clarets, and has established himself as an attractive option for several clubs currently without a manager.

Rob Edwards

The ex-Wales international has been without a job since his sacking from Watford in late-September after three wins in their opening 10 league games. His dismissal was criticised by fans and pundits due to them believing he had insufficient time in charge of the club,

Prior to his tenure at Vicarage Road, Edwards was at the helm of Forest Green Rovers last season, winning the League Two title. He has also managed England’s Under-16s, Telford United and oversaw two games in charge of former club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016.

Appointing Edwards would be an interesting move by Albion given he is still fairly new to management.

Scott Parker

The Ex-Bournemouth and Fulham boss was dismissed by the former mentioned side after four league games this campaign. He began his managerial journey in 2019 as caretaker manager at Craven Cottage and was unable to keep them in the Premier League with 10 games remaining - losing seven and winning three.

However, in his first full season in charge of Fulham, he gained promotion back to the top flight via the play-offs, but were relegated the following campaign leading to Parker leaving the club in June 2021.

The following season he took charge of Bournemouth and gained promotion to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Verdict

It can be argued that all the names linked with the job at West Brom would make for a good appointment due to their previous records of promotion, however, if stability is the overall game for Albion, then hiring Dyche would be the most sensible option given his experience of keeping Burnley in the Premier League once there.