Alan Curbishley linked to Wolves job

Alan Curbishley today moved to the front of the bookies favourites to become the new manager of Wolves - with Rafa Benitez another shock name in the frame.

Curbishley was the first to declare his interest in the job soon after McCarthy was axed, leaving assistant Terry Connor in temporary charge.

The former Charlton and West Ham boss is joint favourite with William Hill along with Benitez, the former Liverpool and Inter Milan manager.

The likelihood of the Spainard taking charge at Molineux appear remote with the resources on offer, something even William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly concedes.

He said: "Curbishley and Benitez have both been out of jobs for quite some time and, between them, have a wealth of Premier League experience.

"They would undoubtedly be near the top of Steve Morgan's wish list, but would Wolves be a big enough draw for them?"

Wolves owner Morgan and chief executive Jez Moxey are the man tasked with finding the successor to McCarthy, who swiftly moved from 16-1 to 6-1 with Bet365 to become the new manager of Leeds.

You can bet on as many as 53 names to take the Wolves job and Steve Bruce is a popular name in betting circles to return to the West Midlands, nearly five years after he left Birmingham.

Odds of 4-1 and 3-1 are being offered on him and Neil Warnock - like Bruce, a free agent - is at 6-1 and 9-2 to get the job, just a month after he was shown the door by QPR.

There are odds on the last five England bosses in Fabio Capello, Steve McLaren, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Kevin Keegan and even Glenn Hoddle.

Hoddle would be an unpopular choice with supporters after his previous spell in charge at Molineux from 2004 t0 2006, when he resigned.

Other big names in the frame include Gus Poyet, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Gianfranco Zola, Paolo Di Canio, Alan Shearer, Slaven Bilic, Avram Grant, Roy Keane, Graeme Souness and Ian Holloway.

Prices are also being offered on a Wolves old-boy taking charge - Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman was joint third favourite alongside Billy Davies at 8-1 with SkyBet, while Paul Ince was at 33-1 with Bet Victor.

They offered the same odds on the club's record goalscorer, Steve Bull, being made manager while former Wolves boss Dave Jones was 10-1 with the same bookie.

You can also lay money on Darren Ferguson, Kevin Keen, Paul Cook, Gordan Cowans, Mark Venus and Andy Gray. But imagine if a former Albion boss was to land the post.

Tony Mowbray, now at Championship club Middlesbrough, had a price of 20-1 with SkyBet to cross the Black Country divide to take the reins.

Further links to the area in the list include Wolverhampton-born duo Sean O'Driscoll and Stuart Baxter, along with Dudley-born Sam Allardyce.