Celtic legend ruled out of the running for EFL vacancy despite strong links

A former Celtic footballer has been ruled out of the race to join a struggling EFL club, according to reports.

Scott Brown has been out of management since 3 September when he was sacked by League One side Fleetwood Town after 16 months.

Brown led The Cod Army to a respectable 13th place finish in his first campaign but was sacked at the start of this season after a winless start which saw his team pick up just one point from their opening six matches.

The midfielder has been linked with a host of roles since his departure from the Lancashire outfit, including former club Hibernian. But the Edinburgh based side opted to appoint former Scotland under-21 midfielder Nick Montgomery instead.

The seven-time Scottish champion has recently been linked with the vacancy at struggling League One club Cheltenham Town, in a move which would see him go in direct competition against his old club in a battle to beat the drop.

Cheltenham have picked up just one point from their opening nine games and have been managerless since 20 September when Wade Elliott left his role at the club.

The Robins sit bottom of League One and have drastically struggled in front of goal after the departure of Alfie May. Earlier this week they also set the unwanted record of being the first team in EFL history to fail to score in their opening nine games.

Brown emerged as the bookmakers favourite to try his hand at turning the tide at Cheltenham and bookies at BetVictor quickly placed him as the favourite to take on the vacant role.

But rumours surrounding his appointment have since gone quiet and reports from Gloucestershire Live reporter Jon Palmer claim that Brown is not one of the names in consideration for the vacant role.

As it stands BetVictor have placed former Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke as the odds-on favourite for the post at 1/2, while the second favourite for the job is former Crewe boss David Artell.

Brown’s odds have heavily increased in recent days and he is now valued at 8/1 making him the third favourite. Other potential candidates include ex-Charlton man Dean Holden and former Wigan boss Leam Richardson.