He Sounds like a 1950s light programme DJ
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Suddenly become odds on favourite to become the next Wales manager.
Could just be because someone's put a whacking great bet on him for no apparent reason.
He Sounds like a 1950s light programme DJ
I was just about to start a similar thread.
I'll be honest and say I hadn't heard of him until today, but at the moment the bookies think it's either him or Bellamy for the job.
He got Oxford promoted to the Championship last season. Surely managing a Championship club has got to be more lucrative and more appealing than managing Wales?
Des Buckingham is currently preparing his side Oxford United side for their first season back in the Championship since 1999, having already masterminded a sensational promotion push that ended with jubilation in the play-off final at Wembley.
However, there's a growing suggestion he could now be a possible candidate to take over the biggest job in Welsh football.
For what it's worth, WalesOnline understands there hasn't yet been any formal approach for Buckingham at this stage, but his name will nevertheless spark plenty of intrigue.
At 39, he is seen as something of a rising managerial star. But despite his tender age, he has no shortage of air miles under his belt. Already, his journey has taken him to New Zealand, Australia, India, and er... Stoke.
He's arguably now come full circle, having begun his coaching journey at the Kassam Stadium when he was just 18, having previously been a part of the youth team set-up as a player.
"I started playing football late, aged 12," he told Coaches Voice when looking back on his career. "I went into Reading as a 15-year-old, then to Oxford at 17. There was no hard-luck injury story with my playing career, though.
"I did my badges while I did my scholarship. My youth coach at Oxford, Mickey Lewis, took me under his wing. He’s the reason I got into coaching, and I found myself really enjoying it.
"It ended up that I was enjoying coaching more than playing. Then Oxford said they weren’t going to renew my contract, so it was a natural transition into a coaching career."
After working his way through the development sides, Buckingham's breakthrough as a coach arguably came when he turned 28. Chris Wilder, U's boss at the time, brought his coaching talents up to the first team ahead of the 2013/14 season.
"He was very supportive in those early stages, which really allowed me to settle into the first-team environment," he said when quizzed on his time working under Wilder. "I also knew a lot of the players, because the club wanted ex-academy players to make up at least 30 per cent of the first-team squad.
Thought he would have gone to Palace.....