Bruce favourite for Wolves job as Curbs says no

It appears Wolves’ search for a new manager is a lot more complicated than first imagined given they had hoped to have someone in place by now.

The 12 day gap between their 5-1 humiliation at the hands of West Brom and their next clash at Newcastle was supposed to not only give the board time to canvass potential applicants but also give their choice a few days to bed-in and prepare for the clash in the north-east.

However, their search so far has proved fruitless, with the initial favourite in the premier league betting, Alan Curbishley, turning down the job twice.

Wolves owner Steve Morgan then looked to find an up-and-coming manager to take over the reins but Reading’s Brian McDermott turned them down while the £2million compensation fee for Brighton boss Gus Poyet proved too costly.

Birmingham’s Chris Hughton and Blackpool’s Ian Holloway were also rumoured to be considered but would take some tempting to move from their club’s while in the midst of a promotion campaign.

It now appears Steve Bruce is the front runner to replace Mick McCarthy, whose five-and-a-half year spell at Molineux was ended barely 24 hours after the West Brom defeat.

But Bruce is not a popular choice among the fans, perhaps due to the way he was sacked as Sunderland boss with the side struggling.

Bruce is also reportedly frustrated at the apparent lack of contact since his initial interview last week, suggesting the club were looking for other options ahead of the former Birmingham and Wigan boss.

The pressing need to get a new man in grows more urgent by the day. The club are third from bottom in the Premier League table, with the Relegation betting suggesting that the bottom five – QPR, Blackburn, Wolves, Bolton and Wigan - looking likely to scrap it out to avoid finishing in the bottom three.