The hunt for a new manager at the Showgrounds continues and fans are hoping that a new manager is in place, sooner rather than later.
With Rovers currently sitting second bottom in the table after a 1-0 defeat to Shamrock Rovers last weekend, we are led to believe that the Bit O’Red board has drawn up a shortlist of four managers to take the reins at the west of Ireland club.
These names include former Ireland international Keith Andrews, ex-Rotherham United boss Neil Redfearn, former Crawley Town manager Mark Yates and former Hartlepool United manager Craig Hignett.
We understand that Keith Andrews is the front runner to take over from Dave Robertson who parted company with Rovers after the 1-1 draw with Galway United last week.
Andrews began his football career at Wolves and also played with Hull City, MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers. He is also an ex Ireland international and won 35 caps for the full team scoring 3 goals.
More recently Andrews has been coaching the youth team at Premier Division side St Patrick’s Athletic. Andrews is also in the process of earning his FAI Pro Licence.
While Andrews doesn’t have the experience of the other three candidates, he certainly fits the mound of a young hungry manager. This seems to be something the Rovers board seem insistent on going with.
Hignett was sacked by Hartlepool in January and according to reports is anxious for a swift return to management.
Yates on the other hand has been without a job for the past 15 months after he was sacked by Crawley Town after enduring a run of six games without a win. Like Hignett, Yates is anxious to get back in to management and has already expressed an interest in taking the helm at the Showgrounds.
One other manager who has been contacted about the post is ex League of Ireland defender Dave Rogers. Rogers is currently manager Indian side DSK Shivajians. Like Andrews, Rogers still has his Pro Licence to complete, but he knows the league and has some knowledge of how Rovers works thanks to his cousin Alan Rogers who was assistant manager under Mickey Adams at the end of the 2015 season.
Whatever happens, Rovers fans will be hoping for a quick solution to the managerial situation so the players can concentrate on getting results on the pitch and moving up the Premier Division league.