BBC pundit and former Sunderland man Kieron Brady has revealed why he thinks managers are ‘deterred’ by the Black Cats job.
Sunderland fans are waiting anxiously to find out who their next manger will be, following three months without a permanent boss in place.
Michael Beale was sacked in February after he replaced Tony Mowbray in the December prior, with Mike Dodds then stepping up to interim boss for the final 13 games of the season.
The Black Cats won just twice under Dodds and went on to claim a 16th place finish. Since the end of the season, no names appear to be leading the race to become the next Sunderland manager.
Previous reports suggested that the delay in Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus hiring a manager was down to the officials at the Stadium of Light taking the time to reflect on the 2023/24 season, and the mistakes in managerial decisions.
But Brady believes that the delay might be due to something else.
Kieron Brady offers worrying verdict on Sunderland manager hunt
Speaking on Total Sport, Brady suggested that managers have been deterred by the Sunderland job following the events of the 2023/24 campaign.
Brady said: “Football managers, and potential coaches and managers, they talk to each other.
“And I think there’s a chance that the delay in Sunderland having someone in-post at this moment, is partly because; some managers, some potential coaches and managers are deterred by what they see.
“If I was approached to be Sunderland manager, not that it would happen, in all likelihood, I would go on the phone and speak to Michael Beale.
“I would speak to Tony Mowbray. We all know because we in this studio heard Tony Mowbray, often enough, in fair imply, or maybe even occasionally be much more clearer, that it was very restrictive [at Sunderland].”
Brady concluded: “It’s ironic in a sense, that the youth of Sunderland prospered so much, but really it was the experience of a manager that was the catalyst.”
Sunderland can’t hire one type of manager this summer
Brady certainly makes some very interesting points, especially about how managers talk to each other and talk to people who’ve held the position, and get an insight into the job.
That may well be the case with someone like Paul Heckingbottom, who’s been linked with Sunderland, who’s been in the game for a long time, and who may well have the likes of Mowbray or even Beale in his contacts book.
So for Sunderland, it looks like their decision-making in 2023/24 and the ‘model’ and its stubborn focus on youth has ruled them out of hiring a manager with experience.
The likes of Heckingbottom may not take one look at the Sunderland job, its expectations and the tools at hand, as he may think it’ll only end unnecessarily; like it did for Mowbray.
So for Sunderland, it looks like they’ll have to take a punt on a manager who’s willing to take a punt on the club itself; someone young and fresh in the game like Will Still.
That’s apparently been the type of manager Sunderland have wanted all along, though whether that’s through choice or by force remains to be seen.
It’s certainly a difficult job and the delay in hiring someone suggests that Sunderland have spoken to people and been knocked back, which for a club of Sunderland’s stature, speaks poorly about the owners and the current state of affairs.