Sitting rock bottom of the table, Derby County's decision in removing Phillip Cocu from his managerial duties did not come as a surprise to many.
The Rams became the fourth Championship club of the season to get rid of their head-coach, with Wayne Rooney stepping in on a temporary basis.
Will the Englishman be granted the role permanently though? We've had a look into the latest rumours surrounding the frontrunners for the job, and the next Derby County manager odds on SkyBet.
When Rooney arrived at Pride Park at the beginning of the year, many predicted him to one day sit in the hot-seat at the club. Joining as a player-coach, the former captain of Manchester United, Everton and England, was clearly taking the initial steps on a pathway to become a future club manager.
The awe of the player has certainly been felt inside the dressing room, a contributing factor as to why Derby have trusted the Englishman to now step in momentarily - a leader on and off the field needed to help guide the club out of the bottom three.
Given the context, it wasn't a surprise to see Rooney be initially granted the label as the betting favourite to be the next permanent manager of Derby at 5/4. Football is all about results though, and the 35-year-old did not get off to the dream start that he would have wished.
The 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough was particularly deflating, and the 1-1 draw with Wycombe was simply frustrating. Such results have showcased just how tough the job at hand is for any manager coming in, due to the depleted numbers in quality in the squad. Inevitably, Rooney's price has slightly been on the drift. As of Tuesday, he is 6/4, but did go into 8/1 last week.
On the topic of former Premier League legends, John Terry is the current favourite at 4/5.
The Englishman's odds are significantly short, given that he has never held a managerial role, but his price has been on the fall. Initially opening up at 5/2, he was soon backed in as short as 1/8, despite a lack of reports linking him for the job.
Terry is currently the assistant coach at Aston Villa, a club that are soaring in the top division. The ex-Chelsea captain has played a crucial role in Dean Smith's coaching set-up in helping guide the Clarets back into the promise-land, with the side now looking to elevate their status away from 'relegation contenders'.
Sitting 10th in the table, plenty of plaudits have been coming Villa's way. Such praise will only aid Terry's stock, and he may look to the Championship for a starting job in management.
Is it Big Sam to the rescue?
It feels like an age since we've had the Englishman on the sidelines, with Allardyce not taking up a position since his dismissal from Everton. His last 3 clubs have all been in the Premier League, all of whom were relegation threatened. Known for getting clubs out of danger, Allarydce will never shake this 'saviour' reputation.
Such a stigma has, however, also been the manager's downfall. Results are often grinded out, and fans aren't always so keen on the appointment of such a coach, due to the lack of longevity around this style of play.
However, alarm bells close to setting off at Pride Park. Their odds to go down have significantly dropped to 6/4 recently, and at the time of writing, sit bottom of the table.
Is there much to gain from Allardyce's point of view though? His odds of 20/1 probably reflect the reality of Derby not having that pulling factor, but he did open up at 25/1. Certainly one to watch in this market.
Whenever there is a vacancy in England, Rafael Benitez's name is never too far away. SkyBet have the Spaniard at 25/1 to be the next Derby manager.
Currently in China, rumours linking Benitez with a move away from Dalian Professional are inevitable, as the household name is certainly still capable of operating at the top level. Would the Rams be too much of a step down for the former Liverpool and Real Madrid man though?
Benitez did stay in charge of Newcastle when they were relegated to the Championship back in 2016, but the squad and structure of the club meant promotion was realistically never more than a season away. Perhaps the prospect of him taking charge at Derby rests on their reported potential, lucrative takeover.
Having initially opened up at 4/1, the hype behind a Benitez appointment has quickly fallen off.
Things didn't go to plan at Huddersfield Town for Danny Cowley, but there are still plenty of clubs that would willingly take on the 42-year-old.
His price, however, has been on the rise for the hot-seat at Pride Park. Initially starting at 6/1, at the time of writing, he has now drifted out to 33/1.
In terms of calibre of job though, Cowley would surely be keen to make amends in his career with such a position. Derby, however, seem to be heading in a different direction of appointment.
Eddie Howe's name is another popular one when it comes to managerial speculation.
He was first given a price of 7/1 to be the next Derby manager, and has been out of a job since his Bournemouth departure back in August.
The Englishman will not be short of any takers, and the issue is that the Rams do not look entirely appealing right now. The takeover does seem needed to land such a name, but his price has massively drifted out to 25/1.
Steve Cooper's inclusion on this list may come as a surprise, given Swansea's league standing in pushing for a play-off place, but his price to be the next Derby manager has been up and down like a yo-yo.
On the opening weekend of the market, the Swans boss was 25/1 for the job. By the next Monday, he had dropped to 7/1. At the time of writing, he is 8/1, making him the third favourite.
Paul Cook seems to be a popular candidate with Derby fans, but SkyBet have the former Wigan manager down at 20/1, a small rise on his opening odds of 14/1.
Moving beyond his name, and the prices continue to rise. The recently sacked Gary Monk is 33/1, with Lee Johnson sharing this price.
Steven Gerrard has odds of 25/1, but surely he won't be leaving his high-flying Rangers just yet.
There are plenty more names at 25/1 and above, with figures like John Gregory, Steve McClaren and Liam Rosenior all being given a big outside chance.
