Looking back at what has been stated by club figures (rightly IMO) as the profile of manager we'll be targeting I think we can rule out a number of the somewhat rogue suggestions posted in this thread. An attacking, expansive, style of football and a head coach type with strong on-grass coaching skills are two prerequisites that SH has mentioned. This, combined with our budget and our general way of doing things under this leadership, would I think, exclude a number of managers, such as those who either play more 'pragmatic' football or older, experienced types from the manager merry-go-round. That should rule out the Ainsworths, Pearsons, Parkers etc.
Looking to managers already employed in the lower leagues, should we opt not to go for another 'first timer' after IF, presumably we would be looking at people who are judged to have overachieved against expectations and budget.
In this mould, Des Buckingham seems to fit the profile but has had a mixed time at Oxford, making the play offs but not in a convincing way, and reportedly being very close to edge until a recent excellent run of form. Jury is still out I'd say.
Richie Wellens was said to have been interviewed previously and has certainly over delivered but has just signed a new contract at Orient.
Skubala, as has been mentioned a lot in this thread, seems an intriguing proposition and seemingly a perfect fit for us. Exceeding expectations by playing expansive football marks him out as one to watch.
Mike Williamson has again been talked about a lot and I fully agree that we should be giving him strong consideration. His record is outstanding and he has an extremely clear identity in terms of playing style. Could yet win promotion through the play offs, and is currently strongly linked with Barnsley.
A wildcard option could be Scott Lindsey. He has massively overperformed at Crawley. They were preseason favourites for relegation with a small budget but have made it into the playoffs whilst playing expansive football. Interestingly Klaidi Lolos has starred as a creative, goalscoring no 10.
Another option would be to take a gamble on an up and coming coach, which is a risk I don't think we would be scared of taking, irrespective of how IF's tenure turned out. Many have mentioned Anthony Barry, but one other potential name seems to have gone under the radar slightly. According to the Athletic, Harry Watling was considered for the job last time out, and I would be surprised if he wasn't again in the mix this time round. Quite an interesting profile.
And then of course there is the overseas route, which is a wide pool of unknowns. Scandinavia has bourne a lot of ripe fruit in recent years, both in terms of under-the-radar playing talent, but also as a managerial testing ground. Marti Cifuentes and Graham Potter are obvious examples of talent that can be found there.
