3 Paul Simpson replacements Carlisle United have to consider ASAP | OneFootball

The legendary Blues boss was relieved of his duties after a 2-1 loss to Tranmere Rovers.

Paul Simpson has been sacked by Carlisle United after their third loss in four matches - a 2-1 home defeat against Tranmere Rovers - to start the new season.

After a summer that openly promised a promotion push, Carlisle stumbled out of the blocks and ended up sacking their manager before the month of August had reached its conclusion.

Simpson's record as the leader of this club, overall, is one that is matched by nobody else. United have been promoted three times this century; he was the boss on all three occasions.

Few people would have expected that after the events from the featured image above, and the play-off final victory that followed it, a run of eight wins in Carlisle's next 50 league matches would follow it. But that's how things turned out.

The departure of Simpson has opened up more questions that need to be answered, none of which are more pressing than who will succeed him. These three men are the potential answers to that question.

Rob Elliot

Going for a new boss that has little experience in the EFL would be a bold move for the similarly inexperienced owners of the Blues to make. That said, Rob Elliot has shown in his time with Gateshead that he is no short-term hit.

After taking over the job after current MK Dons manager Mike Williamson left his position at the Heed, Elliot, 38, sustained the level of success that had been left by his predecessor.

Were it for an issue with the lease on their stadium, Gateshead would have been in last season's National League play-offs, and the former Newcastle United goalkeeper might already be an EFL head coach.

When Carlisle played against the non-league outfit in pre-season, they demolished Simpson's side by playing attractive, possession-based, attacking football.

It'd be a risk, but a lot of the factors that play into this decision, like location and record, albeit a slightly small one compared to others, suggest that Elliot could be a good fit for the Blues.

Neil Critchley

At the opposite end of the scale to someone like the Heed boss is someone like Neil Critchley, a vastly experienced manager in England's top four divisions.

The 45-year-old has previously been in charge of Liverpool's under-21s, Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool on two occasions.

He was most recently with the Seasiders up until a couple of weeks ago when, like Simpson, he lost his job.

Bringing in someone who has just been sacked does run the risk of causing a bit of a dull reaction among supporters, and his pedigree may make his wage packet a bit more expensive than some other options.

But the 183 games that he has managed at Championship and League One level certainly make him a candidate worthy of looking at.

Brian Barry-Murphy

Brian Barry-Murphy is the current boss of Manchester City's under-21s, so there'd be a near guarantee of the way that he'd want to play if Carlisle were to bring him in. The question would then be, do United have the players that can play in the Man City style (to an extent)?

Barry-Murphy has worked in the EFL before. The Irishman took charge of Rochdale from March 2019 to June 2021, winning just over 31% of his games.

Making someone like the 46-year-old Carlisle's next boss would certainly show where the Piataks' priorities lied, in terms of the type of person they'd want in charge.

Their ultimate goal is to get back to League One ASAP, but this would be an appointment that signals a clear change in the club's on-pitch direction.