Following the shocking decision by Neil Harris, Gillingham has appointed a former Chelsea manager as their next manager.

Xisco Munoz of Sheffield Wednesday and Mark Hughes at Bradford City have both been given the axe by their respective clubs following poor results, but a surprise departure in the form of Gillingham’s Neil Harris has also come.

Harris, who had Gillingham in eighth position in the League Two table with just a one point gap to second-placed AFC Wimbledon, has been dismissed at the Priestfield Stadium, with the official statement announcing his sacking citing the club wanting to go in a different direction.

Gillingham’s American owner Brad Galinson completed his takeover of the Kent outfit back in December 2022, and despite winning 31 of his 90 matches in charge, Harris hasn’t done enough to keep his job.

Therefore, let’s look at THREE managers that Galinson needs to look into replacing Harris in the dugout.

3Danny Cowley

If Harris was sacked for his style of football then Cowley perhaps won’t be the favoured choice by the Gills hierarchy, but one thing he does know how to get is results.

He showed it at Concord Rangers initially and then led Braintree Town to their highest ever league finish of third in the National League, and then one year later he led Lincoln City back to the EFL by winning the fifth tier of English football.

Cowley’s stock continued to grow with the Imps and he ended up being appointed by Championship outfit Huddersfield Town, who perhaps harshly sacked him at the end of the 2019-20 season despite keeping them in the league.

His near two-year stint with Portsmouth perhaps wasn’t the greatest, but dropping down to a League Two club with a lot of ambition could be what Cowley needs, and it will be one that won’t be too far from his base as he was brought up in East London.

2Andy Woodman

If Gillingham want to pay compensation for a manager, and they can definitely afford to do so within reason, then Woodman should be high on their list.

A solid goalkeeper at Football League level back in his day, Woodman turned to coaching following retirement, working for the likes of Newacstle United, Crystal Palace and Charlton as the goalkeeping coach.

Woodman had a brief foray into management with Whitehawk in 2017, but in 2021 he was appointed at Bromley, departing a Head of Goalkeeping job at Arsenal to do so.

And after good work in his first year in charge at Hayes Lane, Gillingham actually approached Bromley to speak to Woodman regarding their vacancy in January 2022, only for Woodman to remain where he was.

Now though, Gillingham are under more ambitious ownership and it could tempt Woodman, who has Bromley sitting fifth in the National League and got them into the play-offs last season.

1Kevin Maher

Should Gillingham want to go down a potential ex-player route like they did with Harris at the time, then Maher could be a decent fit.

The former midfielder played 62 times in league action for the Gills between 2009 and 2011, although he is best known for his lengthy stint with Southend United.

That is who he has been managing for the previous two years, and there has been a lot of difficulties at the club during that time – Maher though has come out of the other side with a big reputation.

With a 42.6 win percentage at the Shrimpers, Maher clearly has something about him and it could be worth making an approach for the 46-year-old.