This will be short and to the point. Gus Poyet, as the world and perhaps even Roy Keane’s doing, now knows, has gone.
Have your say below on who should come in, on what basis and with what hope. Let’s pray an early announcement makes that exercise academic … there is no time to lose.
Here, then, is the SAFc statement:
Club parts company with head coach
Sunderland AFC have parted company with head coach Gus Poyet this afternoon.
The club would like to place on record its’ thanks to Gus and wishes him well for the future.
Chairman Ellis Short said: “I would like to thank Gus for his endeavours during his time at the club, in particular last season’s ‘great escape’ and cup final appearance, which will live long in the memory of every Sunderland fan.
“Sadly, we have not made the progress that any of us had hoped for this season and we find ourselves battling, once again, at the wrong end of the table. We have therefore made the difficult decision that a change is needed.”
An announcement will be made in due course regarding the head coach position.
And here, courtesy of Martin Emmerson, is the managerial story – caretakers included – of the past 20 years:
Gus Poyet 08 Oct, 2013 16 Mar, 2015
Kevin Ball 23 Sep, 2013 08 Oct, 2013
Paolo Di Canio 31 Mar, 2013 23 Sep, 2013
Martin O’Neill 06 Dec, 2011 30 Mar, 2013
Eric Black 01 Dec, 2011 04 Dec, 2011
Steve Bruce 03 Jun, 2009 30 Nov, 2011
Ricky Sbragia 05 Dec, 2008 24 May, 2009
Roy Keane 30 Aug, 2006 04 Dec, 2008
Niall Quinn 25 Jul, 2006 30 Aug, 2006
Kevin Ball 07 Mar, 2006 31 May, 2006
Mick McCarthy 12 Mar, 2003 06 Mar, 2006
Howard Wilkinson 10 Oct, 2002 10 Mar, 2003
Peter Reid 29 Mar, 1995 07 Oct, 2002
Colin Randall
Thank goodness common sense has finally surfaced. I just hope that it is not too late.
There are now two priorities :
1. Ensure PL status next season
2. Recruit a credible long term manager – someone who can put an end to our joke club reputation, and restore the club image – as well as getting a few decent results.
The last four appointments have been awful. Please put some [ informed ] thought in to the next one.
Great posts from both Ifos and Scotter on this. Nobody can seriously believe that Bridcutt and Buckley weren’t his signings, nor Vergini and Scocco either.
There’s a lot wrong with this club and it starts at the top.There has to be some chemistry between the Congerton role and the coach. As everyone says, the absence of a football person at the top is causing all sorts of problems.
Where has the fallacy that Poyet had no say in the buying of players come from? It’s been said over and over again that Poyet identified the players and Congerton carried out the negotiations; that’s what Poyet was referring when he said he had no control, because budgets are worked out and Congerton sticks to it to avoid a manager paying ridiculous money, so he had no control over price, contracts, etc. but the players approached and bought were done so with his consultation. Can we please stop giving his incompetence some kind of justification. Bridcutt, Buckley, Coates, van aanholt, Alvarez, etc all brought in with his blessing; the fruitless chase for borini, his decision.
He spent most of this season peddling excuses, and that one seems to have stuck.
I think young Gus has been working on his exit strategy for some time. He might not be a good manager but he is one shrewd cookie.
One only has to look at his actions and statements over the last 3 months to piece the bones of a plan together. How can I alienate everyone (even Steve Bruce)?
The key question is WHY and that should be of interest to any prospective manager.
I would say lack of support from a Board of Directors that contains not one football person. A senior non-exec in the shape of an elTel, ‘arry, Niall or Reidy is desperately needed to be the day to day support for the manager.
Being a coach not a manager, with transfer decisions been given to Congerton, is not ideal.
Lack of funds and the facile renewal of contracts to players who should be shown the door,
The squad of players has lacked quality, pace, commitment and character. Half of them lack the intelligence of my cat.
So it’s not just a new manager.
I would gladly have welcomed Keane back untill the end of the season at least but that seems to be a non starter . My choice McClaren , Lennon or Alladyce . No to Advocaat , 67 is too old to be taking your first job in the premier and apologies to anyone who thinks that’s ageist .Ask yourself this though ,would you like a 77 yr old or an 88 yr old running our club , if the answers no , then that’s ageist also .
Irrespective of the nature of Saturday’s embarrassment, this could be a blessing in disguise. Had we lost 2-0 then he may still be in a job. We might be grateful for the thrashing in the end because despite that has gone before, it will not take a miracle worker, or tactical genius to prevent relegation. It just won’t.
Having said that, there’s far more wrong at this club than just the manager. There’s a real need for a clear out and a lot of money needs to be spent to prevent any efforts at improving the club’s fortunes running into Groundhog day by the same time next season. PDC has said it and tried it, as has Poyet. T
he culture at this club has to change and the fortunes of the team may have to suffer further before it gets better. There’s a real need to give the best youngsters a chance to show what they can do, and in the longer term to demonstrate that the Academy isn’t just an overgrown kindergarten.
Congerton’s appointment was a huge step in the right direction, but he needs to be backed with cash to bring the players in. It’s important that Congerton and the new manager have mutual confidence in one another, otherwise nothing will change. There might have to be a lot more pain before there’s any real gain. Advocaat fits the bill for me. Huge experience and knowledge of players from across Europe and beyond. Firm hand the tiller and someone that the fans will respect, as well as this crock of overpaid primadonnas.
Thumbs up from me. Good post.
Thumbs down from the Smogster though?
🙂
Peter Reid monkey’s heed ? You lot are a laugh a bloody minute. Peter Reids neither use nor ornamental as they’ll very soon find out in India lol
Go drown yourself you useless boro moron!
First law.
Don’t feed the troll.
Well another one bites the dust! I didn’t think he was up for the job and with what he has achieved in his short stint as coach it looks like I was right.He was not alone in this terrible time,the club itself with this system of someone else bringing in players stinks,the coach can do that and save money by getting rid of this make believe position.On the playing side we have too many non premier league players,how many of this current squad would get a game for any of the top six,maybe two,Pantilimon and Cattermole,both are good premier league players and maybe Johnson is he got his head out of his arse,the rest are all Championship players and lower.We signed most of them from relegated teams a few years ago and some from Man Utd,but they were not regular first team players,only squad players,mostly playing if a first team regular got injured etc.We bought Defoe,yes he will score goals,but he needs to be given the right service,which is not there,so he’s dragged down to their level,as for the rest,WHO KNOWS!!!!! I can’t see them surviving this time and as for a new manager,any good manager wont touch this lot,so its the ones that have been fired or some ex foreign star wanting a big pay day!I dont think Dick Advocatt is the answer,for a short term till the end of the season maybe Peter Reid,he would sure liven this load of deadbeats up a bit and if by some miracle we stay up,appoint a new manager in the summer….Trying hard to keep the faith,but if Petes worried i’m worried?
Difficult one to call, but really who is going to have a chance with this squad of players!!!
Poyet’s not the first and may not be the last to fail with this squad, ignoring the new arrivals, none of which appear to be up to the job any more than the resident flops (Pantilimon excepted).
13 Managers in 20 Years is not a good statistic for a Club trying to seek stability and I suppose goes to show how haphazard getting the right fit is. The Big question is do we get a manager who is a good fit for the Club and suffer the possibility (very real possibility) of relegation to allow us to re-build or do we get a manager to fit the current playing staff?
Possibly should go for a short term appointment to try to save PL status (if its worth saving having to watch paint dry) and then get a younger, aspiring candidate to clear out the dead wood (yet again, but drastic surgery this time) and rebuild from the Championship where we might a least get some entertainment value.
As to who we get its a bloody lottery,may be we should just scrap ‘Guess the Score’ and instead run a ‘Guess the Manager’ each week due to our high turnover in said department.
I would go for Dick Advocaat short term with possibly Neil Lennon longer term, may be working under DA to begin with.
Real Zaragoza next?
Worked that out well. Compensation too?
Stultifying negativity with NO entertainment value -that’s his legacy.
I just hope that in the remaining matches we take risks whatever the outcome. An all guns blazing relegation given that it’s too late to avoid the drop.
The points are just not there with this bunch of players.