Owner of Peterborough United Darragh MacAnthony highlighted the challenges involved in selecting a head coach, but he maintains that Sunderland’s management should be commended for their prompt decision to fire Michael Beale.
Sunderland manager latest
The Black Cats have had a turbulent campaign so far, with the club surprisingly sacking Tony Mowbray and turning to Michael Beale.
The former Rangers chief failed to make the impact expected, so he was dismissed just two months later, with Mike Dodds placed in charge of the remainder of the campaign.
But, given that the team is eight points out of the play-off spots, it appears like another season in the Championship is certain, and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman will be under a lot of pressure to make the correct choice for their next signing.
Darragh MacAnthony on the managerial situation at Sunderland
Posh owner MacAnthony is one individual who is aware of the scrutiny that accompanies the appointment of a new boss.
In an interview with the Hard Truth podcast, he also discussed the difficulties in selecting the best candidate for the team and why Sunderland’s management should be commended for their prompt recognition of their error.
“I think Sunderland made the right call, that just wasn’t the right fit. It will be interesting to see what they do next. I know they’ve got the assistant in until the end of the season.
“It’s a shame, because Sunderland were having a really good season, but I’m not sure they’re going to make the play-offs now with all that’s gone on.
“They’re a massive football club, a massive football club. They have an identity like us, where they play a certain way, and I think that’s where they’ve had a problem with the manager. It’s tough. If Darren (Ferguson) left for a bigger club, I’d have to start again, and doing what we do, and the way we want to play, it’s not easy. They’re all tough things.
“I’m going to give them credit for making a quick decision, because it needed to be quick, it just didn’t work. It was a bad call in the first place, and they’ve got to hold their hands up, sometimes you get it wrong.”
Sunderland must get summer appointment right
This is an interesting insight from MacAnthony as he reveals the challenges of getting a coach that fits in with the philosophy of the club, which is a clear one at Sunderland.
His point about making the quick call over Beale is also correct, because we’ve often seen clubs persist with a manager when they know it isn’t working. In this case, it was an admission from Sunderland that they got it badly wrong, but it was for the benefit of the club at the time.
| Championship Table (As it stands March 1st) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 6 | Hull City | 34 | 7 | 55 |
| 7 | Norwich City | 34 | 8 | 52 |
| 8 | Preston | 34 | -5 | 52 |
| 9 | Coventry City | 34 | 11 | 51 |
| 10 | Sunderland | 34 | 7 | 47 |
All this has done, though, is draw more attention to the hierarchy, and supporters of Sunderland will understandably feel that, given their position throughout Mowbray’s tenure, they have lost out on a significant opportunity.
Thus, sympathy will be in short supply this summer, and it is reasonable to assume that they will bring in a qualified candidate in advance of the following season.
