Monsieur Salut writes: as perhaps the least surprising outcome of the worst Sunderland season since, well, the last worst Sunderland season (think McCarthy), David Moyes is no longer our manager.
Some will say he should never have been our manager. I am honest enough to say I welcomed his appointment, much as I would have wished Big Sam had stayed.
I supported him, albeit sometimes tepidly, as the season wore on and I even believed he might be the long-term answer, even from the Championship, to our club’s long-term malaise. But my support weakened and I have found it harder and harder to stick to that view. And his wretchedly downbeat ways and sayings made him very difficult to warm to. I would like, however, to be reassured that his resignation was not driven by the sort of penny-pinching approach to life below that will make life below seem a permanent existence …
From Forza Football, we learn that a minority – “over a third” – of Sunderland fans had confidence in Moyes before he resigned, according to a survey of more than 800 supporters [that is not a huge poll sample but I know about these things and it is a respectable one – Ed]..
“To put this into perspective,” says Forza Football, “Moyes’s average confidence for this campaign was 52 per cent, demonstrating how fans increasingly lost faith in the Scot towards the end of this disastrous season. However, it is telling that only 17 per cent of fans have confidence in both Ellis Short and the squad, suggesting that Moyes wasn’t the man they’re blaming for the club being relegated to the second tier of English football.”
Here, then, is the club’s statement. Pete Sixsmith is already writing the obituary so watch this space …
Sunderland AFC has announced that David Moyes has resigned from his position as manager of the football club.
David advised the chairman and chief executive of his decision to leave the club at a meeting in London this morning (Monday 22nd May 2017).
Speaking about the decision, chairman Ellis Short stated: “I pursued the services of David Moyes for a considerable period prior to his appointment last summer, which makes the announcement of his departure difficult for everyone concerned.
“Having worked tirelessly throughout the campaign to avoid relegation from the Premier League, David has chosen to leave the club without compensation, which is testament to his character.
“In the days ahead we will take some time for reflection, and then focus on recruitment and pre-season as we prepare for our Championship campaign. We wish David well in the future.”
David Moyes said: “I would like to thank Ellis Short and the Board for giving me the opportunity to manage Sunderland and the fans for always being so passionately supportive of their club.
“I wish the players and my successor well in their efforts towards promotion back to the Premier League”.
Better he goes now, than goes later in the summer – or even worse part-way into next season after a bad start. At least the new boss has the whole summer and pre-season to prepare.
Whilst I called for Moyes to go I had understood he would stay and oversee a huge clear-out. Now all we need is a new manager who will assess the playing staff before making any decisions. Probably faced with a limited budget we might end up keeping some of the players we would dearly like to depart.
What changed Moyes’s mind? –Fan pressure? No money to spend? A complete revamp of the coaching staff? Keeping players not fit to wear the shirt?
I hope Bain’s Scottish connections don’t lumber us with Big Eck or Strachan or Lennon.
That said I would not be adverse to a McCoist/Smith pairing.
With any two of the following as first team coaches–Kevin Philips, Alex Neil, Michael Appleton, Steve Cotterill, Lee Clark
This is pathetic. Who on earth – of any calibre, at least – is going to take on the job knowing what a revolving door the SoL is? Moyes was on a hiding to nothing from the moment he came. He should have been given the chance to rebuild the team and get us back into the Premiership at the end of next season. That would have been fair to him, fair to the squad, fair to the supporters. As it is, we can look forward to a second-rater coming in to do a second-rate job. Thanks for nothing, Ellis Short.
Says it all when highlight of the season is Moyes going but things won’t improve until Short follows him. We need investment & a person at the top who understands football or surrounds themselves with people who do