For me, Adkins is the one of the available managers that has on his CV a job comparable to the one at Bramall Lane.
Southampton had a heavier fall from grace than us, having had a much longer spell in the Premier League. They were in a right state when they were relegated to League 1 in 2009, and then had a new owner with cash. Pardew was appointed with promotion the expectation. They won the JPT, but finished 7th. Pardew was allowed to stay through the summer, and was then sacked at the end of August. What was Adkins inheriting there?
- a club with high expectations from the fans
- a club that had promotion as a clear aim from the board
- no opportunity to recruit due to the timing of his appointment
A high pressure job, not unlike United's, that Adkins dealt with perfectly. Here he'd have the benefit of time to recruit too. I'm not sure any other available candidate can claim to have as clear an example of what's required for this job on their managerial CV.