There is Still a chance Will could take Cats hotseat

THERE is no doubt the next Sunderland managerial appointment has to be the right one.

Sunderland chiefs may well be reflecting on what poor judgement it was to sack Tony Mowbray on December 9 last year with the club in ninth position in the Championship.

Bringing in Michael Beale was also a mistake given he only lasted 12 matches and the fans didn’t want the appointment from day one.

Here we are at the end of March with the club in 12th position and miles off the play-off places – 13 points off to be precise.

A clash at Cardiff City on Friday followed by a home clash with Blackburn Rovers on Monday are the immediate priority.

City might still think they have an outside chance of making the play-off spots.

Blackburn need points to ensure they stay above the drop zone. For Sunderland, it seems inconceivable they could get dragged into trouble and so they are merely ticking off the final games.

The Black Cats’ season is petering out with nothing to get excited about under interim head coach Mike Dodds.

Six defeats in a row followed by a bore draw against QPR are not results to get the pulses racing. The fans will want to hang their hat on something positive soon and the prospect of Reims boss Will Still joining remains a possibility.

Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman have bought themselves time to make the right appointment. Still would be the ideal choice. Aged 31, he was born in Belgium to English parents and has made a name for himself at such a young age.

People started to sit up and take notice of him when he guided the club to a 19-game unbeaten run last season, having this season stabilised the club in the French top tier.

Reims are ninth, five points off Nice in fifth spot with eight matches to play. Incredibly,

Reims were fined after every game in Still’s early time at the club because he does not have a coaching licence.

He recently appeared on talkSport where he revealed that is no longer the case because he has started his coaching studies.

He told Alan Brazil: “That fine has finally come to an end as the Pro Licence course that I’m on has started. I’ve not finished it, but I’ve started it and I’m enrolled in it, so it’s ongoing.”

That has to be a plus point where Sunderland are concerned. There are said to be other clubs interested in hiring Still in the summer, including West Ham United.

But he gave a strong indication that there has been no commitment and he is open-minded, meaning Sunderland still have a chance to get their man.

Still being a boyhood Hammers’ fan doesn’t necessarily mean a jump into Premier League football with them is a wise thing to do.

He is young and seems to know his own capabilities, and he may consider joining a club like Sunderland as an ideal platform for stepping up in the future.

The difficulty Sunderland have at the moment is not knowing which players will be leaving the Stadium of Light this summer.

It makes sense for the club to make sure a new man is in place as soon as possible so that players know where they stand and who they are going to be wedded to next season.

The Still effect could make a difference to the likes of Jack Clarke, although it is likely the lure of the Premier League will be too tempting.