Portsmouth's relegation rivals Swansea City make manager decision as update provided on Blackburn Rovers pursuit of Blues favourite

Pompey's Championship rivals Swansea City are 'likely' to ride things out with interim manager Alan Sheehan after parting ways with Luke Williams.

Tom Coleman, the Swansea City correspondent for WalesOnline said in a post on X on Tuesday morning that Sheehan who is in the hot seat for a second time in his coaching career will be given a 'few games' whilst they weigh up their next move. Swansea parted ways with manager Luke Williams on Monday following a run of seven defeats in nine Championship matches.

Their poor run of form has seen them slump down the table and whilst they have an eight point advantage over Derby County who occupy the third and final relegation spot, they can not rest on their laurels. Only a point separates them and the Blues who have been in the relegation mix for the majority of the campaign and no one at Fratton Park thinks they are out of the woods yet given the unpredictable nature of the Championship.

Swansea City manager search

Des Buckingham who was relieved of his duties as head coach of Oxford United in December emerged as an early front-runner for the job at the Swansea.com Stadium but a move for him has been ruled out. In a report from WalesOnline, they said whilst he has admirers in that corner of the world, he is not a contender for the role at this moment in time.

Alan Sheehan will be in the dugout when the Swans host Blackburn Rovers who are also without a manager. He will be assisted by coach Kristian O'Leary and goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson. Sheehan was in charge of the Welsh club before the arrival of Williams and had a record of three wins, two draws and two defeats during a caretaker spell which lasted just under a month.

Swansea are likely to 'take their time' in their search to replace Williams. They have 13 games left in their campaign and he could oversee the team for the next few weeks at least. Before deciding to appoint Williams, Sheehan put himself forward as a potential candidate for the job last year.

Former Coventry City coach George Boateng is said to be on the radar for the job whilst Rob Edwards and Ryan Mason have also been spoken about by some quarters of the media. Sections of the Swansea fan base have called for the return of Russell Martin who was sacked by Pompey's fierce rivals Southampton but a return is considered 'hugely' unlikely.

Blackburn Rovers Gary O’Neil latest

It was reported by the Lancashire Telegraph on Tuesday that Gary O'Neil was due for talks at Ewood Park. The 41-year-old has only been out of work for two months after being sacked by Wolves and it seemed that this week would be an opportunity for Rovers and him to meet up to see if they were the right fit for one another.

If O'Neil was to have got the job then he would have been in line to make a return to Fratton Park albeit as an opposition manager. Pompey are due to host Blackburn on March 29 which by then Blackburn will have surely appointed a new manager.

It appears however that O’Neil may not be heading to Blackburn after all if reports are to be believed. Alex Crook, a reporter for talkSPORT informed his followers via a post on X on Tuesday evening that he was told that O’Neil to Blackburn was a no. The local press in Lancashire have yet to report whether talks have taken place between the two parties but from one national media outlet it looks like the former Pompey midfielder won’t be making a return to management just yet.