No manager, no signings and no clarity on where club is heading...
BUT COULD MICK MCCARTHY BE THE MAN FOR SUNDERLAND SALVAGE JOB?
WITH just two weeks until preseason and the prospect of crash-landing in the Championship staring them in the face, the state of play at Sunderland is becoming increasingly alarming.
No manager, no signings and no clarity on where they go next, the Black Cats lack the resolve and the organisation that most of their new secondtier rivals have ahead of a campaign that is approaching with alarming speed.
The farce of the Derek McInnes saga was another hammer blow for the club’s credibility.
Sunderland’s statement at least threw some light on the situation but if a takeover was close, why go to the efforts they did to approach McInnes in the first place?
And now they have paused the managerial search, what hope do they have if a takeover doesn’t materialise?
They are starting at a distinct disadvantage on rivals who have been planning for the Championship for months. Aston Villa’s signings were made in January with an eye on this season. F
ulham intend to keep most of their big hitters. Middlesbrough have appointed Garry Monk, who enjoyed a fine season with Leeds.
The planning of Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and Hull is all in advance of Sunderland – who lack experience of the Championship, having not played at the level for over a decade.
What is the answer? Well difficult times call for different sort of logic.
Sunderland’s thinking when it came to McInnes appeared to be that he was Walter Smith’s top choice. But their season is approaching crisis point and they need someone who is familiar with fixing broken clubs in dire straits.
With the situation becoming desperate, Sunderland could do much, much worse than turn to Mick McCarthy for what is increasingly looking like a salvage job.
Before the howls of outrage, consider this: the sell on offer in a week or three could be that a new man has no money, no squad and all of his players are up for sale. Oh, and throw in an owner desperate to sell the club who hasn’t been able to.
It is not exactly the blueprint to get managers licking their lips, is it? McCarthy - who would be willing to talk to Sunderland and feels there’s unfinished business on Wearside – would roll his sleeves up and get on with it.
After Sunderland have been saddled with so many managerial chancers who seemed to think the club was lucky to have them, McCarthy would be a breath of fresh air.
His CV matches any manager in the Championship but he knows the size of Sunderland. He would be proud to represent the club, not there with a grimace – as the risible David Moyes was.
McCarthy has done this before. He builds teams in the Championship that cope on miniscule budgets. He will inject character and personality into the team. His recruitment is usually excellent on a fraction of the money given to many of his Sunderland successors.
It’s understood that McCarthy’s name was given to Martin Bain by someone in a senior role at Sunderland before he eventually went for McInnes. It was thought about and it may be where they return if
the takeover doesn’t go through.
Supporters may think they aspire to more. A personal wish would be for Sunderland to at least consider someone new like a David Wagner – thinking outside the box. But their delays have slimmed down the potential for a move like that to work. Wagner had a long time to fashion his miraculous promotion at Huddersfield. Whoever gets the Sunderland job will get weeks rather than months.
McCarthy could do that. At Wolves, he took over a club with eight senior players. It was on its knees after Glenn Hoddle walked out: contemplating relegation rather than the play-off place that they achieved.
What happened was a sea change in attitude that owed much to McCarthy’s sheer bloody mindedness, his man management and his ability to lead from the front. McCarthy is a fighter. For a shortterm rescue, he looks an ideal candidate.
McCarthy’s time at Ipswich is coming to an end, with just one year left on his deal. He’d be interested in the Sunderland role and his experience and know-how means he shouldn’t be discounted if the Black Cats’ takeover falls through and they find themselves rudderless on the eve of the season.
McCarthy loves proving people wrong. Whoever takes over at Sunderland will have to do just that if the takeover doesn’t happen.