Portland Timbers coach Liam Ridgewell has been named as a possible contender as Port Vale‘s search for a new manager begins.
The Valiants are in the process of finding a new boss heading into the new year following the sacking of Darren Moore, just one year into a massive five-and-a-half-year contract in Staffordshire. They face Bradford City tonight in League One with first-team coach Jamie Smith taking charge at Valley Parade.
Left-Field Contender Emerges
Many of the usual names are often floated around as soon as a managerial vacancy opens up, with former Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson and ex-Luton Town chief Matt Bloomfield two of the many options named as potential successors to Moore.
However, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Liam Ridgewell could also be a contender to take over the reins at Port Vale in what would be his first senior managerial appointment.
The former Birmingham City and Aston Villa defender has spent his time following retirement in the United States with Portland Timbers, whom he played for between 2014 and 2019. He has been the assistant to former England Women’s manager Phil Neville since 2023.
The Oregon-based club has seen steady progress up the MLS Western Conference with Ridgewell and Neville at the helm, making the MLS playoffs for the past two seasons, having failed to do so the previous campaign.
Risk vs Reward: Is A Ridgewell Gamble The Right Choice?
Port Vale find themselves in a very tough position with a relegation battle on their hands, with the supercomputer giving them an 89.1% chance of going down this season. They sit 10 points adrift of safety heading up to Bradford and face another two of the sides in the playoff hunt in Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers after the new year.
Taking a punt on Liam Ridgewell is a massive risk to take right now with there still being enough time to right the ship and claw their way back towards survival, and may not be the wisest choice to make right now.
A more experienced name such as Darren Ferguson, who did so well with Peterborough United up until this season, would be the more sensible choice to make and give them the best chance of an unlikely escape.
Nevertheless, it is an intriguing decision to make with Ridgewell, with the 41-year-old only having coaching experience with Portland and at Dover Athletic. While he is yet to see any real success with Phil Neville in America, there have been slow signs of improvement for the one-time MLS champions.