Former Carlisle United boss Chris Beech is among the bookies' favourites to be the next Rochdale manager.

Ex-Spotland No2 Beech is a familiar name in the early betting after Dale sacked Robbie Stockdale yesterday.

Beech is second favourite at 8/1 with BetVictor behind favourite Graham Alexander, who is 2/1.

The former United head coach has been out of the game since his sacking at Brunton Park in October last year.

READ MORE: Carlisle United rivals sack head coach

He has been reportedly in the running for vacancies at clubs including Barnsley and Fleetwood Town since then.

A connection with Rochdale is obvious given Beech's history at the club.

He was a player there before a long coaching stint with the youth set-up and then the first-team alongside Keith Hill.

Beech went on to manage Carlisle from November 2019, steering the Blues to League Two safety in his first season.

He then led the Cumbrians to the top of League Two midway through 2020/21 before United fell away to mid-table in a Covid-hit campaign.

A poor start to last season then cost Beech his job as United turned to Keith Millen in the autumn.

Rochdale yesterday parted company with Stockdale and assistant Jimmy Shan after just four league games of the new season - all defeats.

Stockdale, who had been in charge for just over a year, became the first managerial casualty of the 2022/23 campaign.

They take on Carlisle at Brunton Park on September 3.

Other names in the bookies' reckoning include Paul Tisdale, Keith Hill, Mark Cooper and David Artell, with former United boss Keith Curle a 25/1 outsider.