More than Mourinho in LMA Manager of the Year market

Punters may be forgiven for thinking the LMA Manager of the Year award is already in Jose Mourinho’s back pocket.

He may be Coral’s 11/10 favourite to scoop the gong award to the best boss in English league football with ‘the Special One’ about to steer Chelsea to a delightful double, but would make for a conservative and somewhat lazy choice.

There are alternatives out there deserving of credit and recognition in very different circumstances. Because of that, our football experts have got their heads together and look at some other candidates.

Ronald Koeman (3/1)
Southampton boss Koeman inherited a side stripped of its best and brightest after Premier League raiders came to the south coast and snapped up Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Calum Chambers and Adam Lallana.

Not only has the Dutchman rebuilt Saints, but he has somehow made them better and is now on course to better predecessor Mauricio Pochettino’s eighth-place finish last term, and could take Southampton into Europe next season.

Toby Alderweireld, Ryan Bertrand, Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic have all proved to be astute signings, so this all adds up to Koeman being a worthy winner.

Alan Pardew (5/1)
Beginning the current campaign at Newcastle United, now Crystal Palace coach Pardew endured some real indignities towards the end of his reign on Tyneside. A fans campaign to get him sacked fell on deaf ears, but this so-called ‘Cockney villain’ has stuck it to the Toon Army by taking the Eagles above their team in the table.

Returning to Selhurst Park looks like a match made in heaven for former Palace playing favourite Pardew. His Eagles could yet finish in the top half and need just four more points to eclipse last term’s tally of 45.