Next Stevenage Manager Odds

Stevenage is looking for a new manager to take the helm immediately or for the start of the new season. The club recently announced that popular manager Steve Evans has re-joined Rotherham United with immediate effect.

Evans, 61, leaves Stevenage after two full seasons in which he achieved great success. Under his tenure, the club narrowly avoided relegation to the National League in the 2021/22 season. Following this, Evans led Stevenage to promotion by finishing second in League Two, the season after.

This season, Evans led Stevenage into a playoff push, and they would require a miraculous set of results to close the six-point gap. The former Peterborough United manager departs, leaving the club in ninth place after 44 games played this season and a 49%-win rate overall.

Steve Evans returns to Rotherham United, where he spent three years as a manager from 2012-2015. Evans achieved consecutive promotions with the Millers during his spell and in his final year achieved Championship survival with a game to go.

Famously, Evans wore a sombrero in the final game of the season at Elland Road to celebrate. He would then leave to join Leeds United for the following season.

Gareth Ainsworth emerges as the early favourite for the recently vacated post at Stevenage. The former Queens Park Rangers manager is currently without a club after departing Loftus Road in October.

Ainsworth, who was a former player at the likes of Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers, is probably best known for his managerial stint at Wycombe Wanderers. He also spent three years as a player there before assuming managerial duties.

The 50-year-old spent ten years as a permanent manager at Adams Park in which he garnered a reputation for being adaptable to the circumstances presented to him.

During his tenure at Wycombe Wanderers, Ainsworth guided the club to promotion from League Two in 2018. Famously, he led the club to promotion to the Championship for the first time in the club’s history in 2020.

Ainsworth joined QPR in 2023, where he remained for eight months until he was dismissed in October.

Stevenage could look to the league below for a new manager and one manager who is one of the early frontrunners for the role is Scott Lindsey at Crawley Town. Lindsey’s playing career saw him play for the likes of Gillingham, as well as making the rounds in non-league at the likes of Dover Athletic and Welling United.

Scott Lindsey’s managerial career is relatively new, having spent most of his coaching career as a first-team coach or in some cases as an assistant manager. Lindsey’s first permanent role in management was at non-league Chatham before returning to Swindon Town as an assistant in 2021.

Lindsey was awarded the managerial role at Swindon Town the following year and within six months found himself at another venture as he left to join Crawley Town.

Interestingly, Swindon were eighth when he joined his current club. At Crawley Town, Lindsey guided them to safety in his first season. Crawley are currently seventh in League Two, only a point ahead of Walsall but two points ahead of Doncaster Rovers who have a game in hand.

Lindsey has been in charge for 73 games at Crawley, averaging 1.36 points per game.

Former Burnley defender Michael Duff is the third favourite early doors for the vacant managerial role at Stevenage.

Duff spent the majority of his playing career at Turf Moor where he achieved three promotions to the Premier League. Duff became the second player since Neil Clement of West Bromwich Albion to achieve his feat.

The 46-year-old from Northern Ireland has been without a job since parting ways with Swansea City in December of last year. Duff’s managerial career is probably best remembered for his time at Cheltenham Town.

His tenure at The Completely-Suzuki Stadium lasted four years in which he won the Sky Bet League Two in 2021.

For this achievement, Duff was awarded the Sky Bet League Two Manager of the Season.

Michael Duff left to join Barnsley in 2022 where his tenure only lasted a year before he joined Championship club Swansea City. Duff was dismissed after 21 matches and has been without a job ever since.

Luke Garrard is the only non-league manager on this list, but the current Boreham Wood manager comes in 8/1 to take over from Steve Evans.

The former Boreham Wood player has overseen the club since 2015 and has managed 410 games in his tenure. Garrard has won 146 games as a manager – averaging 1.38 points per game.

Boreham Wood have won two Hertfordshire County Senior Challenge Cups in his time but unfortunately for Garrard, his team face relegation heading into the final game of the current season.

Boreham Wood host Ebbsfleet United and a win for Garrard’s side would secure survival and move them out of the relegation zone.

The final manager on this list is Mark Bonner. The former Cambridge United manager is the only manager in the early odds process, not to have had a distinguished playing career.

Mark Bonner’s only venture into management was his appointment for the U’s in 2020. During his time at Cambridge United, he achieved promotion in his first full season, finishing second in League Two.

Bonner secured the first promotion back to the third tier of English Football for the first time since 2002 for Cambridge United.

In 2022, Bonner famously led Cambridge United to a 1-0 win away at Newcastle United in the FA Cup. He signed a new long-term deal in September of 2023 before being dismissed in November following a run of one win in 13 league games.

Mark Bonner has averaged 1.38 points per game as a manager across 191 matches.