Betting suspended on Venables for Republic job

Ladbrokes have suspended betting on the next Republic of Ireland manager following a string of weighty bets on Terry Venables.

The former Tottenham and England boss was an 11/2 shot to become Brian Kerr’s successor at the start of the day’s trading.

But, after laying a number of wagers at that price and then at 7/2, the firm pulled down the market to prevent further losses.

Spokesman Robin Hutchison said: “It may be a red herring – but weight of money would suggest it’s a done deal.

“Next manager markets are volatile at the best of times and a few quid can change the betting quite quickly.

“But we tried to stay on the right side of this one as quickly as possible - and may just have failed.”