McKinlay, Stockdale in charge at Sunderland
BILLY McKinlay and Robbie Stockdale have been placed in interim charge of Sunderland after Simon Grayson was sacked.
The Black Cats, currently in the Championship relegation zone, are searching for their 11th permanent manager in less than nine years having axed Grayson following Tuesday’s 3-3 home draw with fellow strugglers Bolton.
Ahead of the Tees-Wear derby with Middlesbrough on Sunday, ex-Boro defender Stockdake and former Watford boss McKinlay have been installed as joint caretakers.
Stockdale is the first-team coach at the Stadium of Light while McKinlay was recently brought on board by Grayson having previously worked on staffs at Fulham, Watford and Real Sociedad.
McKinlay had an eight-day stint in charge of the Hornets in 2014 and his team took four points from two games before he was surprisingly replaced by Slavisa Jokanovic.
In confirming their new caretakers, Sunderland also announced on their official website that “a further announcement regarding the vacant manager’s position will be made in due course”.
Sunday’s encounter with Boro is the final one before the international break so Stockdale and McKinlay’s tenure could be a short one.
Grayson’s exit, after just 18 games in charge, was confirmed barely 24 hours after he claimed he deserved a chance to put things right after having “the balls” to leave Preston and take the job in the first place.
However, the cash-strapped club have made a change given they are currently in danger of becoming just the third team in the Premier League era to suffer successive relegations out of the top two tiers.
Chief executive Martin Bain said: “Simon and his team have worked tirelessly to achieve the best for the football club during their time here.
“While we had hoped that Simon’s experience in the Football League would help us to a successful season, results have not been good enough for a club of this stature.
“In order for us to improve upon our current position, we believe a fundamental change is necessary.”