Five managers to bring about a revival at Brighton and Hove Albion

Following the resignation of Sami Hyypia as Brighton and Hove Albion boss just before Christmas, Coral’s football experts found themselves wondering who might step into his shoes?

The Seagulls, who sit in the bottom three ahead of Boxing Day, are 3/1 shots to go down. But which out-of-work managers could bring about a reversal of fortune? Here’s five we came up with…

Tony Pulis (2/1)
Former Crystal Palace boss Pulis would tarnish his legacy at Selhurst Park, after keeping the Eagles up for the first time in Premier League history, if he resurfaced at bitter rivals Brighton. Ian Holloway did a similar thing after he got Palace up, then left by mutual consent and returned to management with another enemy in Millwall.

Pulis steered Stoke City to promotion from this division, and the set-up of a new stadium on the south coast is not dissimilar. Brighton would undergo a change of style, which may go against the grain for some supporters, if the Welshman takes over, though.

Tim Sherwood (3/1)
Sacked by Spurs as head coach in May, ex-White Hart Lane skipper and Premier League title winner with Blackburn Rovers, Sherwood has been linked with a return to management ever since. He was among those fancied early on replace Hyypia’s predecessor Oscar Garcia, but the Finn landed the role.

What is refreshing from a fan’s perspective is the honest nature of Sherwood, but his straight-talking style will not always go down well with players and board members.

Nigel Adkins (6/1)
Perhaps the writing was on the wall for Adkins at Reading when club ownership changed hands from Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich to a Thai consortium. He was not the new investors’ choice to take charge of the Royals, so Steve Clarke replaced him when Birmingham City hit them for six.

Any failure from Adkins to mount a promotion push in Berkshire should not be a blot on his copy book. The former Scunthorpe United physio-turned-manager is a likeable character, and took another south coast side, Southampton, from League One to the Premier League.