Coleman ‘the right man for the job’
WALES and Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen has backed Chris Coleman as the right man to turn Sunderland’s fortunes around.
Coleman had provided the Black Cats with an immediate lift after their disappointing start to the campaign, a hardfought defeat at Aston Villa followed up by victory at Burton Albion which lifted them off the bottom of the table.
However, hopes of a quick-fix were brought crashing back down on Saturday as the Welshman lost his first home game at the Stadium of Light 3-1 to Reading.
Yet after making 34 of his 40 Wales appearances under Coleman in the last five years, Allen has backed Coleman to get it right on Wearside.
He said “We all wish him the best of luck at Sunderland and I think if anyone can turn that club around and steer them in the right direction he is the man to do that.
“It is sad to see him move on. It hardly ever happens that all the players are disappointed to see a manager move on, that says everything you need to know about the job he has done.
“It was a shock and a huge disappointment, he has done an incredible job and had great success.”
Allen and Wales will now have to await news on who will replace Coleman.
Big names such as Ryan Giggs, John Hartson, Craig Bellamy and Tony Pulis have all been mentioned in the running.
Allen believes Coleman deserves credit for making the job of Wales boss an appealing one.
He reiterated on Coleman’s departure: “We are all hugely gutted.
“It is not often a manager goes and absolutely every single player is sad to see him go and I think that is testament to the job he has done for us and the impact Chris has had on all of us.”