Before the end of the season, Sunderland is asked to name a manager who is “unbelievable.”
A month has passed since Sunderland fired Michael Beale and said that interim head coach Mike Dodds would lead the team until the summer.
The news thrilled the supporters, especially because Dodds had already defeated West Brom and Leeds United this season.
But since Beale’s departure, the Black Cats have only managed one point out of a potential 13, suggesting that the situation has maybe gotten worse.
Although the Wearside team is currently nine points above the relegation zone and is not likely to tumble to League One, a bottom-half finish seems increasingly plausible.
Since it doesn’t appear like Sunderland will win any games anytime soon, analyst Carlton Palmer has advised them to find a long-term successor right away rather than waiting until the end of the season.
“Sunderland put interim boss Dodds in after sacking the manager, and the question is, do they speed up appointing a coach?” the former midfield player remarked in an interview with Football League World.
“Since there is no chance of Sunderland being relegated with 48 points, in my opinion, they should keep the manager in place until the end of the campaign, unless they can immediately hire the coach of their choice.
“They should bring in the coach as soon as possible to allow him time to evaluate the team if that is what they desire.
Doing that, in my opinion, would make more sense if the coach they choose is already available.
“They won’t be demoted if they wait until the summer and bring in the coach they want.”
Palmer had one manager in mind for Sunderland, Paul Heckingbottom, who was let go by Sheffield United just before Christmas, still available.
“Get someone in, evaluate the team, and determine what you’ll need for the upcoming campaign.”
“It hasn’t worked out for Dodds, which is unfortunate. I believe they were hoping that it would have and that they could continue with him into the next season, but that hasn’t worked, so it’s time to move on to plan B.”
Though Paul Heckingbottom’s appointment to succeed Michael Beale last month would have been a good idea, I don’t really see the need for it at this time.
Since he won’t really have much of an opportunity to make a difference for the rest of the season, I think it would just be a little of a panic appointment.
Since we have no intention of rising or falling, we might as well take our time in search of a good candidate who shares the club’s philosophy and transfer guidelines.
Even if it is excruciating to watch the awful football we are playing every week, Heckingbottom isn’t going to change anything for the time being and isn’t likely what manager Kristjaan Speakman wants anyhow.
Will Still appears to be the most interesting option for the Black Cats, so let’s wait it out and look to him in the summer. If we choose to take that route, Heckingbottom will probably still be available at the conclusion of the season.
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