Plymouth Argyle will be looking for a new permanent first team manager after parting company with manager Derek Adams.
His departure comes as little surprise given the Pilgrims recent form. Indeed they have lost their last five straight matches in League One including a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Accrington Stanley, which has seen them plummet into the relegation zone.
The timing of it will, however, raise a few eyebrows, with just one game of the 2018/19 left. And it is a huge one, with the Devon club welcoming Scunthorpe United to Home Park as both sides aim for three points that could ensure that they avoid relegation.
Adams had been in charge of the club since June 2015 and up until this season had enjoyed a positive stay with them. He led them to promotion from League Two in the 2016/17 season before then guiding them to the brink of the League One play-off places last season before ultimately finishing seventh.
In a club statement, Plymouth said: "The club would like to place on record its sincere gratitude to Derek, not only for his hard work and dedication in his management of the team, but also for his wider input into the club during four challenging and often exciting seasons."
Assistant manager Paul Wotton was also relieved of his duties, with first team coach Kevin Nancekivell set to take charge of their final game of the campaign.
But who will replace Adams long-term? We have taken a look at the bookmakers odds to see who the favourites are to take over at Home Park.
Ian Holloway favourite to become Plymouth manager
The favourite with bookmakers to take over from Adams at Plymouth Argyle is a man who has plenty of experience managing in the English Football League in Ian Holloway. He has of course managed at the highest level with Blackpool and Crystal Palace, whilst also enjoying spells in the Championship with the likes of QPR and Millwall.
Holloway has also had a previous stint with the Pilgrims, and a relatively successful one at that. The 56-year-old initially guided them to a 14th place finish in the Championship and by November in his second season in charge had them challenging for a play-off place with the likes of Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and David Norris in his squad.
However, he then decided to jump ship and join Leicester City which was a move that upset a lot of the Plymouth faithful and there are still plenty of fans who still haven't forgiven him. He was also blamed by the chairman at the time for the departure of five high profile players just after he chose to leave. The bad blood could prove to be a stumbling block for any potential return.
He has spoken about it since, describing his decision to leave Argyle as the "biggest mistake" of his life. Will that be enough to earn himself a second chance with the club if he is offered the job?
BetVictor are currently offering odds of 4/1 for Holloway to become the next Plymouth manager.
Who else is in contention for the Plymouth job?
Gary Johnson is the man just behind Holloway in the betting market, currently priced as the 6/1 second favourite.
The 63-year-old has a history of managing clubs in the south west of England, having previously taken charge of the likes of Bristol City, Yeovil Town and Cheltenham Town. He achieved success at each of those too, achieving promotion from League One with both City and Yeovil whilst helping Cheltenham escape from the Conference.
These days he has dropped into the Non League again, and is currently in charge or Torquay United. It is fair to say that he has been successful with them too, winning 26 of his 36 matches in charge and losing just five en-route to the National League South title. Is a return to the Football League now on the cards for him?
Keith Hill and Paul Hurst are also in the frame, with them both being priced at 8/1 with BetVictor. Both have solid experience at League One level having recently managed Rochdale and Shrewsbury Town respectively, with Hurt arguably boasting the more impressive CV having taken the Shrews to the play-off final last season.
Full next Plymouth Argyle manager odds:
(All odds taken from BetVictor)
- Ian Holloway - 4/1
- Gary Johnson - 6/1
- Keith Hill - 8/1
- Paul Hurst - 8/1
- Michael Flynn - 10/1
- Steve Evans - 10/1
- Kevin Nancekivell - 10/1
- Sol Campbell - 12/1
- Darrell Clarke - 12/1
- Mark Warburton - 14/1
- Jay Saunders - 16/1
