ONE of the key questions following Oxford United’s surprise decision to sack Des Buckingham is what happens next for the 39-year-old?
In the top two divisions of English football, fellow Sky Bet Championship side Millwall are looking for a new head coach after Neil Harris stepped down last week, while Premier League strugglers Wolves and Southampton, both at the foot of the table, sacked Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin respectively on Sunday.
The latter two clubs will likely demand a new boss with Premier League experience on their CV, but mid-table Millwall may see Buckingham as the right man to take them to the next level in the Championship.
READ ALSO: Twelve games which defined Des Buckingham’s time with U’s
In League One, struggling Bristol Rovers sacked Matt Taylor yesterday morning, but the Pirates don’t seem like the right fit for Buckingham.
He is a smart operator and will certainly assess his options before jumping into the first job that comes up.
There is pressure on Rob Edwards and Wayne Rooney at Championship strugglers Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle respectively, but a League One switch is perhaps more likely, especially with Buckingham’s promotion last season with the U’s.
Questions are being asked of Ian Evatt at Bolton Wanderers, who United of course beat at Wembley in last season’s League One play-off final.
The Trotters were beaten 2-0 at home to Wigan Athletic on Saturday, but are still only a point shy of the play-off places.
Further down the table, 14th-placed Charlton Athletic might feel a change could help them climb the ladder.
Buckingham is well travelled following spells earlier in his coaching career with New Zealand national teams, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne City and Mumbai City.
It means a move back overseas cannot be ruled out.
In fact, it was only in September when Buckingham said that coaching in the United States and Japan would interest him later in his career.
He told BBC Radio Oxford’s The Dub podcast: “I’ve travelled enough so far as a youngish coach, but certainly I think the MLS, not right now, but it’s certainly been of interest to me, and so has the J-League in Japan.
“The MLS from both a football point of view, and what they’ve done, and the development of their football has been significant, not just because of the players, and the type of players that are going out there, but how they’ve developed their infrastructure would be fascinating.
“The J-League simply because I’ve been on holiday to Japan three or four times, and I find it very similar to New Zealand, where the culture of Japan is really good.
“Really good people, lovely scenery, a wonderful place to live, and also the football over there has really developed significantly.”