Brown is early favourite for Mansfield Town hot seat

The rumour mill will grind into full motion today after the shock departure of Stags boss Steve Evans and assistant Paul Raynor last night.

The pair resigned with 12 games to go and are expected to be unveiled at Peterborough United before the weekend.

Brown, quoted at 15/8 favourite with SkyBet, has an excellent CV with promotions at Hull City and Southend United and a battling track record in keeping Hull in the Premier League against the odds for a time.

READ LOMAS ON STAGS ON EVANS’ DEPARTUREREAD MANSFIELD TOWN’S STATEMENTREAD TIM MORRISS’ TAKE ON THE SITUATIONREAD CRAIG PRIEST’S THOUGHTS ON EVANS LEAVINGThe 58-year-old has only been out of work for six weeks since his five year tenure at Roots Hall was ended.

Second favourite is former club skipper and terrace hero Richie Barker, who always said he would love to come back one day and manage the club.

He failed to achieve as boss at Crawley Town and Portsmouth, but he did take over at Bury in a similar position to the Stags right now with eight games to go and got them over the promotion line.

Other candidates high on the bookies’ list are Michael Brown, Stuart McCall, Uwe Rosler, Mark Warburton, and Keith Curle.

Michael Brown was sacked by Port Vale in September after a poor start to the new season following relegation.

But the former Manchester City and Sheffield United star had taken over a poor side midway through a relegation season and then been forced to sell off star players.

He has a massive point to prove as a fledgling manager.

Bantams legend Stuart McCall has only been out of work a fortnight since his sacking at Bradford City following six straight defeats, having managed at Rangers and also worked at international level, coaching with Scotland.

German star Uwe Rosler has only been out of work since 17th February, shown the door at Fleetwood Town after seven defeats in a row.

Before that he was at Leeds United, ironically replaced by Steve Evans.

Mark Warburton was relieved of his post at Nottingham Forest early this season as the Reds struggled to find consistency, though his brand of football is a very attractive passing one.

Keith Curle needs no introduction to Stags fans, having taken them to a play-off final and been controversially sacked on what proved to be a wrongful dismissal.

Still popular with many fans, he would also have a big point to prove after his last spell ended so disappointingly.

Indeed, another former Mansfield man who would be a popular appointment would be Bristol Rovers’ hugely successful Darrell Clarke, but that would be highly unlikely at the moment.

In the meantime Stags Academy boss John Dempster, who knows the club and players better than most, will take the reins.

If he can pull off some big wins over the next week, Dempster will hope the club may give him a chance to stay on and get them over the line.