PHIL Brown is facing a tough decision over whether to stick with Wanderers or take over as manager of Derby County.

The Championship club want Sam Allardyce's number two as their new boss.

Sources in Derby say Brown has emerged as the favourite for the job, ahead of Yeovil manager Gary Johnson.

The Pride Park job would be a huge temptation for Brown who has been a crucial member of the Wanderers backroom team for nine years.

He harbours a burning ambition to become a manager one day but has been happy to bide his time and become a highly qualified coach while learning all he can from Sam Allardyce.

He had a successful spell as caretaker manager before Allardyces appointment in 1999, which whet his appetite to be the man at the helm.

Reports in Derby claim the Rams have attempted to contact Wanderers chairman, Phil Gartside, to make an official approach to speak to Brown, who declined to comment on the situation.

The Pride Park job represents an exciting opportunity for the man who gets it.

Derby reached the play-offs last season after showing huge improvement as the season went on.

They lost out to Preston in the two-legged semi-final and Rams fans were looking forward to another successful season under the guidance of George Burley before the Scot resigned after a number of clashes with the Derby board.

There is a long history of connections between Wanderers and Derby at managerial level.

Both Colin Todd and Roy McFarland, joint bosses at Wanderers in the mid-1990s, went on to manage Derby where they also enjoyed successful playing careers, and former Wanderers manager Bruce Rioch was also a Derby playing legend.

If Derby are successful in their bid to prise Brown from Wanderers, it would leave Allardyce with a big gap to fill in his backroom team.

That gap could grow even bigger if Crystal Palace are successful with a move to make Wanderers' first team coach, Neil McDonald, the number two to manager Iain Dowie.