FORMER Crawley Town and Rotherham United manager Steve Evans has applied to become Tony Mowbray’s replacement as manager of the Sky Blues.
As the search for a new Sky Blues manager hots up this week, the Observer has learned that Evans has thrown his name into the hat along with several other high profile candidates.
The 53-year-old Glaswegian is a popular choice amongst supporters with a managerial CV that includes guiding Crawley Town to the Football League and he also won two promotions with Rotherham from League Two to the Championship.
His knowledge and experience of League One make him a strong candidate for the role and he was in the crowd to observe Saturday’s 2-0 victory away at Port Vale.
Caretaker manager Mark Venus will be given time to demonstrate his managerial credentials as he continues to take temporary charge of the team.
It is understood that Venus has been given time to firstly decide if he is interested in making a return to coaching after taking on a role as technical director at the Ricoh Arena before proving he has what it takes to guide the Sky Blues back up the football ladder.
Both Evans and Venus face stiff competition from several other applicants including former Charlton Athletic and West Ham manager Alan Curbishley who is understood to have made his interest known in the current vacancy.
The 58-year-old guided the Addicks to the Premier League during a hugely successful five-year period at the Valley and he also spent two enjoyable years at West Ham where he maintained their top flight status despite being tipped for relegation.
Curbishley has been out of the management game for just over six years but in a recent interview with The Independent he hinted at a possible return.
Former Sky Blues Academy Director Richard Money has also declared an interest as he considers a return to England.
Money currently works as the Academy Director of Major League Soccer (MLS) side Atlanta United but previously enjoyed spells as manager of Walsall, Luton Town and Cambridge United.
Steven Pressley is a surprise name linked to the job despite being sacked by the Sky Blues back in February last year while the bookies also make former Stoke City, Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill a strong favourite.
Like with previous appointments, the Sky Blues are expected to come up with a long shortlist of potential candidates before shortening that down to a handful.
