The Northern Echo claims that Will Still, Paul Heckingbottom, and Sheffield Wednesday captain Danny Rohl are on Sunderland’s shortlist for managerial candidates.
Since parting ways with Michael Beale in February, the Black Cats have been operating without a full-time head coach. The former manager of Queens Park Rangers was only named in December, just two weeks after his successor, Tony Mowbray, met the same end.
The 43-year-old’s time in office was a complete and utter failure. His back was always to the wall since he was unable to acquire the fan base’s backing. Strangely, a 2-1 loss to Mowbray’s Birmingham City sealed his doom.
Sunderland chose not to act hastily and instead chose to transfer leadership to Mike Dodds for a third time in the meantime. But their performance hasn’t improved, and their season was summed up by Monday’s crushing 5-1 loss to an ineffective Blackburn Rovers team at the Stadium of Light.
It appears that the Wearsiders are merely going through the motions to end their campaign. The summer is when the hard labor will start.
They will be anxious to select a new head coach as soon as possible to give him time to shape his team before the upcoming campaign. There is ongoing speculation about who might walk through the door, with Roy Keane and Alex Neil, two former managers, being mentioned. But according to The Northern Echo, Will Still, Danny Rohl, and Paul Heckingbottom are the three contenders.
One of the favorites to take the job in December was Reims manager Still. Since then, he has discussed the matter in public on multiple times, most recently acknowledging that several clubs have expressed interest. In an interview last month, the 31-year-old stated:
“I like to be transparent and absolutely honest with everyone because it prevents gossip, the “someone told me that…” mentality, innuendos that are abhorrent in the football community, and rumors.
“Yeah, clubs call me, clubs are interested in what we do, because I’m never by myself,” I said to the directors present. That is flattering to me. I believe it would be foolish of me to not find that endearing. I won’t start lying to the public to give the impression that I’m stressed when I’m not if they ask. I said it for that reason, especially in that lighthearted manner.
Heckingbottom was in the running after Mowbray’s withdrawal and has been one of the front-runners in recent weeks. He left Sheffield United in December, although he’s still somewhat well-known in the Championship after earning a promotion with the Blades the previous year. He’s currently looking for a new job.
An intriguing addition to the shortlist is Danny Rohl. With the Owls firmly planted to the bottom of the table when he took over from Xisco Munoz in October, the German has received widespread plaudits for his work at Hillsborough. Sunderland is interested in him despite the fact that relegation still appears to be a real possibility given that he has won 12 of his 32 games as manager this season.
The Black Cats might climb up the table with a victory over Bristol City tomorrow, although they are currently ranked 13th in the Championship. Presently, the Robins are two points ahead of their league competitors in 12th place.
Author’s Perspective
After making such a terrible management choice in Michael Beale, Sunderland is keen to get it right with their next hire. They will be eager to bring in someone who can not only develop a club that can contend for promotion but also have the support of the supporters, given they have sacrificed this season in order to take their time.
Will Still is likely to get hired in England eventually, but Paul Heckingbottom has experience and qualifications at this level. It’s understandable why Sheffield Wednesday fans like Danny Rohl. With his past experience as a coach at Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, he seems to have everything it takes to be a successful manager.
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