Amid a lengthy search, Sunderland’s new head coach really needs to be installed soon

Amid a lengthy search, Sunderland’s new head coach really needs to be installed soon

The 2023/2024 season may have ended only seven days ago,

but as we reflect on a campaign that began optimistically and ended badly after six months of poor decisions and shocking on-field performances,

it’s safe to say that we’re now in the’silly season’ stage as Sunderland’s search for a new head coach drags on,

nearly three months after Michael Beale was handed his cards.

Jermain Defoe’s statement that ‘Jack Clarke would stay at Sunderland

if I was head coach’ is a crowd-pleasing nonsense that no serious candidate would come out with.

Will Still’s departure from Reims is interpreted as a sign that he’s heading to Wearside,

and the likes of René Marić and Bo Svensson, the names have been many and the speculation has been furious.

Personally, very few of the names associated with the role have inspired me,

not least because taking the Sunderland job at this stage,

with morale and confidence low, is no job for a rookie,

but the fact that the vacancy remains open does not imply that the process was efficient.

I understand the viewpoint that “the season is over and there’s no need to rush,”

but the fact that the search for a permanent replacement for Beale appears to have been carried out as

Mike Dodds steered the team through the remaining games means there’s no excuse for making the wrong appointment.

Time has been on the club’s side since the former Rangers manager was fired,

and it is not unreasonable to expect a decision to be made as soon as possible–not least to offer players and

fans with some much-needed clarity ahead of what might be a difficult summer.

Holes in the club’s much-touted’succession planning’ system were brutally exposed following Tony Mowbray’s departure,

and we can only hope that they are being addressed behind the scenes.

The sooner everyone knows the name of the new man, the sooner we can begin to make solid plans for 2024/2025,

a season when the expectations will be higher than ever and

the new boss will have to try to make up ground  lost during the campaign that’s just ended

At the risk of sounding unduly pessimistic, and I’ll be pleased to be proven wrong with the passage of time,

it’s tough to imagine Sunderland breaking into the top six next season without

the best summer’s worth of recruitment in a long time and the appointment of a head coach to match.

The deterioration in 2023/2024 was so severe that simply getting things back on track and

reclaiming our identity should be our top goals before even considering a playoff run.

As Lars Knutsen of Roker Report noted yesterday,

there is an urgent need for the club to demonstrate flexibility and

a willingness to change the limits as they seek to hire a coach who can get us rolling again.

Sticking steadfastly to a method that failed so miserably in 2023/2024–

both in terms of coaching and recruitment–would be an act of self-sabotage that could jeopardise

our preparations for the next season and will not help the club repair the trust that has been so severely harmed recently.

One thing is certain at this point: if Sunderland botches this appointment and ends up with someone who was seventh,

eighth, or ninth on their list, they will be unable to avoid the criticism that will be directed their way.

This is not comparable to the summer of 2006, when the club’s ownership changed hands following relegation from the Premier League,

and new chairman Niall Quinn was compelled to place himself in temporary command as

he searched for the ‘world-class name’ who would eventually take the reins.

Sticking with a strategy that failed so badly in 2023/2024–both in terms of coaching and recruitment–

would be an act of self-sabotage that could endanger our preparations for the following season and

will not help the club rebuild the trust that has been so seriously injured recently.

One thing is certain at this point: if Sunderland botches this appointment and ends up with someone who was seventh,

eighth, or ninth on their list, they will be unable to avoid the criticism that will be levelled at them.

This is not comparable to the summer of 2006, when the club’s ownership changed hands following relegation from the Premier League,

and new chairman Niall Quinn was forced to place himself in temporary command while he looked the ‘world-class name’ who would eventually take the reins.

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