Next MK Dons manager: Four former Bristol Rovers men tipped for League One job

MK Dons are on the hunt for a new manager after sacking Liam Manning – so who’s in the running to succeed him?

Bristol Rovers EFL Trophy opponents MK Dons have sacked their manager Liam Manning and his coaching staff. The Gas will host the Dons at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday night, but Manning will not be in the dugout.

Manning was relieved of their duties along with his assistant Chris Hogg, coach David Wright and goalkeeping coach Darren Smith. Fleetwood Town inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Saturday which puts them second to bottom in the league, far from challenging promotion last season.

Dean Lewington is set to take on the clash with the gas after serving the club before and after it was renamed from Wimbledon. Liam Sweeting, the technical director, already has goals in mind after parting ways with Manning, but there’s no concrete timeframe for who could take over.

The current favorite for the post is former Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson. Ferguson has been out of work since he was sacked by the Posh in March and later replaced by Grant McCann. Leam Richardson, recently sacked by Wigan Athletic and succeeded by former Celtic, Liverpool and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure, is also a contender.

As for those with ex-Bristol Rovers links, you’ll have to scroll down the middle of the list for someone to appear. Paul Tisdale is classified as an outsider for the post. Tisdale has been in the hot seat before in Buckinghamshire. He has managed them for a little over a year and is leading them to promotion from the second tier. The 49-year-old has been unemployed since being sacked by Stevenage towards the end of last season.

Former Gas defender Tony Pulis, who made 130 appearances between terms for the club, is also on the list but has not been in management for over two years. Pulis is now 64 and was sacked by Sheffield Wednesday after just ten games in charge in November 2020.

Further down the list, surprisingly, Joey Barton is named on the list. Barton has a four-year contract at Memorial Stadium and is unlikely to give up his role given how the 40-year-old has rejuvenated the club and has a positive relationship with owner Wael al-Qadi.

Darrell Clarke, who Bristol Rovers just beat over the weekend, is the latest former Rovers name to be publicly linked to the post. Clarke is in charge of Port Vale, who are ahead of MK Dons in the table.