"Too good for us" - Bristol Rovers: Steven Schumacher, Ryan Lowe & Aitor Karanka name-dropped in manager dilemma | OneFootball

FLW's Bristol Rovers pundit discusses who he'd like to see next in the dugout at the Memorial Stadium.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bristol Rovers are on the hunt for a new manager, have wielded the axe on Matt Taylor with the club sat 20th in League One.

A poor run of form, including a 3-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Leyton Orient, has left the Gas outside the third tier’s drop zone by just two points, prompting the Rovers board to take action and bring Taylor’s time at the Memorial Stadium to a close.

The former Rotherham United and Exeter City boss took charge of Rovers last December and led them to a 15th placed finish in League One last term.

However, his side failed to kick on this season, leaving Rovers finding themselves in the midst of a potential relegation battle just before the halfway mark.

Current out of work managers labelled as "too good" for Bristol Rovers to entice to the club

Taylor’s sacking comes at a potentially pivotal point of the season for the Gas.

They face relegation ‘six pointers’ against Leyton Orient and Cambridge United in the first week of January and failing to win both of them will put the new boss on the back foot immediately, as well as potentially landing them inside the bottom four.

However, with the January window looming, there will be plenty of opportunity for the new incumbent to stamp his mark on Rovers’ squad.

A flurry of managerial sackings lately has left several managers with EFL pedigree available for work.

We asked our resident Bristol Rovers fan pundit, Joshua Hemmings, who he would like to see Rovers target as their next permanent boss, but he believes the names that are out there are perhaps out of reach for owner Hussain AlSaeed.

“This one’s such a hard question because there are so many available managers at the minute, but who would actually come to us?" Joshua told Football League World.

“If there is any truth in rumours of interference from above, no manager in their right mind is going to want to come and pick up the pieces here.

“If we ignore that, I’d be looking at someone like Steven Schumacher, Ryan Lowe, Mark Robins or Neil Harris. You could even reach out to Gary Rowett or Aitor Karanka - who has got his name in the pan at the minute.

“For me, if I had to pick one, it’d be Schumacher, Lowe or Robins.

“It’s so hard to decide as they’re all fantastic managers, but I don’t think any of them will drop down to League One again, especially with a club of our size. They’re better than us, unfortunately.”

Bristol Rovers could look into the lower leagues for their next permanent boss

If some of the high-calibre Championship and League One managers prove to be a step too far for Rovers, they could into some of the bright young coaches who are performing well in League Two and the National League.

Mat Sadler has led his Walsall side to the top of the League Two table and, according to Football Insider, is coming into consideration for both the Millwall and Northampton Town jobs.

Sadler’s side play a very adaptable, high-energy style of football and have already built upon a four-point lead for themselves at the summit of League Two.

Similarly, Johnnie Jackson has AFC Wimbledon flying high in fourth place. The Dons already have a remarkable nine clean sheets to their name from just 19 league games so far in 2024/25, a tally which only Gillingham can match in League Two.

The Gas could also explore some of the exciting options who are carving a name out for themselves in the National League at the moment.

Adam Hinshelwood has York City sat 2nd in non-league’s premier division, having led Worthing to the National League South play-off final last term.

Even Dean Brennan, who recently went viral with a rant about his own supporters, could be a viable option. The Irishman has Barnet top of the National League, having led the Bees to back-to-back play-off finishes in the last two seasons.

With crucial games on the horizon, it’s important Bristol Rovers’ board move quickly to secure the right man, because one wrong move could spell serious trouble for the Gas’ third tier status.