Ex-Cobblers 'game-changer' sees his odds cut for Hatters post

Former Northampton Town manager Jon Brady has been installed as the joint favourite with Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens for the managerial vacancy at Kenilworth Road.

The 50-year-old had a playing career that started at Wycombe Wanderers, before joining Hayes where he was part of a Missioners side who won the Isthmian League title in 1996, then joining Rushden & Diamonds two years later, helping the club become Conference champions in 2001. After a brief spell at Woking, Brady moved to Chester City, before he was released to join the coaching staff at Arsenal, although returned to enjoy playing with stints at Hereford United, Cambridge United, Kidderminster Harriers and Kettering Town.

Having hung his boots up, the former Australia U17 international, born in New South Wales, was appointed as Brackley Town manager in March 2009, spending six years at the helm. After stepping down, Brady then moved to Northampton Town as U16s coach in 2016, quickly promoted to U18s coach just 12 months later and was then placed in temporary charge of the first team in February 2021 when Keith Curle was sacked.

He remained in charge until the end of the campaign, as despite the Cobblers suffering relegation to League Two, was given the job full time in May 2021. The following season saw Town beaten in the play-off semi-final by Mansfield, but Brady did lead the club back into the third tier in the 2022-23 season, as they finished in third place. Having ended 14th in League One, the boss then decided to resign from the club in December 2024, with Northampton just outside the relegation zone.

Since then he has remained out of work, and was 33/1 to replace Matt Bloomfield as Luton manager after the ex-Wycombe chief was sacked on Monday, before those odds dropped dramatically to 2/1 this afternoon, taking him level with Wellens and above previous favourite Jack Wilshere. In an interview with the Independent this week, Brady felt it was a brave call as he looked for a new challenge, saying: “I’ve never taken shortcuts. I’ve taken the long road to sharpen every tool: leadership, psychology, tactical and technical detail and soft skills. It took real courage to resign when I did, and I stand by that decision.

"I believed I’d earned the right to go after something bigger. The next club that hires me isn’t just getting a manager. They’re getting someone who can transform a culture, unite fans, and is proven to win games of football. A game-changer. Transitionally, we’d rip teams apart. By the time I got into League One, we dominated possession.

“Not fulfilling my own potential still drives me. I believe having my experiences allows me to connect to a player much more deeply, first by finding out their background and what they need. Some of them are blocked off from improving. You need to find what unblocks them. That’s how you improve players: you build a culture that allows for empowerment and growth. My passion is for improving individuals… to helping others play beyond what they think is possible.”