“The one everyone wants” – Sunderland told to make “ambitious” summer managerial appointment

Following their decision to fire Michael Beale last month, Sunderland is currently looking for a new permanent manager.

Although Mike Dodds has been appointed as the team’s interim manager until the conclusion of the season, it is becoming less and less likely that he will stay in that role permanently.

Since assuming leadership of the squad in February, Dodds’ Black Cats have dropped his four games in that role.

Dodds had impressed in December when he was interim head coach, winning two of his three games prior to Beale’s arrival.

But names like Will Still, Steve Cooper, and Paul Heckingbottom have been linked with the permanent head coach position at the Stadium of Light.

FLW’s Sunderland fan pundit Jack Austwicke believes that Still is the strongest candidate the club could realistically look to appoint. “Immediately, it springs to mind Will Still’s the only name on everyone’s lips,” Austwicke told Football League World.“The one everyone wants, the big name, the one we were linked with, and really the ambitious one that would be Will Still.

“He said he’d like to come down to the Championship, and what better club to come to than, in my opinion, the biggest club in the Championship.

“Why not and go for it? We’ll have had four months by the time we appoint him to really try and convince him about this project and they have to get this one right.”

Sunderland league position

Dodds’ time as interim head coach has seen the team fall well behind their rivals for a top six finish.Sunderland are now 12th in the Championship table, 11 points adrift of a play-off place with only nine games remaining.

The club has lost its last five games in a row, with the bottom three now only nine points away.

Next up for the Black Cats is a home game against QPR on 16 March.

Will Still is the obvious standout candidate for Sunderland
The work Still has done in Ligue 1 has seen him earn a lot of praise, bringing Reims into European contention.

If he is willing to take the step down to the Championship, then he would be a very exciting and ambitious appointment by Sunderland.

The 31-year-old is a promising, upcoming coach and has the potential to reach the very top of the game, which appears in line with the Black Cats’ strategy under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus – with the Wearside focussing on signing young talent with high ceilings under the Frenchman.

Still reportedly held talks with the Sunderland hierarchy when they were looking for a replacement for Mowbray but for whatever reason, he ended up staying in Ligue 1 and the Championship club opted for Beale.

They may now regret that choice and it remains to be seen whether they will be able to get Still in the summer but he does appear the obvious candidate.