"The owners know him inside out" - Tip made on Dave Challinor's future at Stockport County | OneFootball

FLW's Stockport County fan pundit can see Dave Challinor staying at the club for the next decade.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stockport County boss Dave Challinor has been hugely successful during his time at Edgeley Park.

The 49-year-old was appointed as manager of the club back in November 2021, after he made the decision to leave Hartlepool United despite the fact that they were in a higher division at the time.

The Hatters were ninth in the National League at the time of Challinor's arrival, but they went on to win the title and secured promotion back to League Two after more than a decade in non-league.

Following play-off final heartbreak during their first season back in the Football League, Stockport lifted the League Two title at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, and returned to the third tier of English football for the first time since 2010.

Stockport now find themselves competing for promotion to the Championship during their first season back in League One, so it is no surprise that Challinor is thought of so highly at Edgeley Park.

Fan pundit tips Challinor to stay at Stockport long-term

We asked our Stockport fan pundit, James Cropper, whether he thinks Challinor is in it for the long haul, and if he can see him still being at the club three years from now.

"To answer the question of whether I think Dave Challinor is in it for the long haul - definitely," James said.

"I would definitely say so. He has already been in it for the long haul, having taken us from the National League to League One.

"Last season he was approached by Charlton about their vacancy, and I don't know what happened there, but I imagine he declined.

"He has built a really solid team for League One, and I can definitely see him being our manager in three years' time, simply because I feel like I can sense in the interviews that he loves the club.

"When we lose, you can sense that he is properly angry, and he is happy when we go on a winning streak.

"I can sense him being in it for the long run just because of how loyal he is, and how much time and effort he has put into building this squad, because this squad is pretty much entirely made up of his players.

"I don't sense there being a properly good opportunity for him to go away, because we have such ambitious owners that I feel like this is the perfect place to be.

"The owners know him inside out. I don't think they would ever sack him, so I can definitely see him being our manager in three years' time.

"I can see him being our manager in 10 years' time! I do think he is in it for the long run."

Challinor could attract interest from the Championship

While Challinor seems to be settled at Stockport, having now played for and managed the club for a number of seasons, it would come as no surprise if he caught the eye of a Championship club, given his track record of winning promotions.

Of course, there is every chance that he could become a Championship manager with the Hatters, but if they do not go up this season, he may well be offered an opportunity in the second tier at some point next term.

Stockport supporters must have faith that Challinor will stay at the club, especially after nothing came of his interview with League One side Charlton Athletic when the Hatters were in League Two last season.

However, he showed when he joined Stockport from Hartlepool that he is not afraid to leave a job he feels passionate about if the right opportunity presents itself, so it will be interesting to see whether James is right in his prediction that Challinor will still be at Edgeley Park in three years' time.