The Northern Echo reporter Scott Wilson has said that is ‘utterly unforgivable’ that Sunderland haven’t appointed a new manager ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Cheltenham.
The lowdown
It has been nine days since the Black Cats sacked Lee Johnson following a 6-0 defeat away to Bolton Wanderers, and they don’t appear to be on the verge of announcing his replacement just yet. According to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, they are due to hold a second round of interviews this week.
Mike Dodds is set to remain in caretaker charge for the time being, having overseen a 2-1 defeat against bottom-of-the-table Doncaster Rovers at the weekend.
The latest
In a snippet of his The Northern Echo column that he posted on Twitter, Wilson wrote that it was already a ‘bad decision’ to go into the game against Doncaster without a manager in place.
Hearing that a ‘temporary managerial structure’ is still in place for Tuesday’s game at Whaddon Road, he has been left aghast.
He stated on Twitter: “Heading into Saturday’s game with Doncaster Rovers without a manager was a bad decision. Journeying to Cheltenham tomorrow with a temporary managerial structure still in place rather than a new boss would be utterly unforgiveable.”
The verdict
If Saturday’s shock defeat is anything to go by, Sunderland’s slide could continue as they weigh up their options. Back-to-back losses have seen them slip to fourth place, with their automatic promotion prospects now thrown in doubt.
Leaders Rotherham United are now eight points ahead of the Wearsiders, and although the gap to second-placed Wigan is only two points, it’s worth stressing that the Latics have a full four games in hand.
Sunderland’s hierarchy must find the balance between sufficient deliberation and the pressing need for stability, with the automatic promotion chase in danger of getting away from them.
In other news, Luke Edwards dropped a lunchtime update on Roy Keane’s chances of getting the manager’s job