REHAB WOULD BE COOL, CATS
Nyron feels sorry for Coleman
BACK in 2008 and with Nyron Nosworthy leading their Premier League defence, Sunderland fans had a catchy chant about the centre-half, sung to the tune of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’.
Fast-forward a decade and, struggling at the bottom of the Championship, it’s the Black Cats that could do with a spell in the Betty Ford Clinic.
Nosworthy hung up his boots two years ago and is now involved in property development. But he enjoyed the peak of his career over seven seasons at the Stadium of Light, six of them in the top flight.
Decline
The 37-year-old retains a fond place in his heart for the club that used to chant about his defensive prowess and is sad to witness their decline – but knows who he holds responsible. “Ellis Short (Sunderland’s American owner) is the main man, isn’t he?,” said the former Gillingham, Watford and Sheffield United defender. “He’s the one with the big wallet and calls the shots overall. I don’t know him too well, but I do know that for him it’s a business. “He does follow the club, but for these guys it’s all about the money, unfortunately.
“Personally, I think he might’ve been a bit too hasty with decisions over managers and now you can see where the club are – struggling.
“It’s spiralling out of control. Before you know it, the dressing room’s completely gone, there are players coming in and out and you can’t grasp something and get a level of consistency where it’s most important – on the pitch.”
Nosworthy’s spell in the North East came between 2005 and 2012 and, since then, the club have bounced from manager to manager, with Martin O’Neill being replaced by Paolo Di Canio in 2013, who promptly made way for Gus Poyet.
After Uruguayan Poyet lasted just under 18 months in the hotseat, Dick Advocaat, Sam Allardyce, David Moyes and Simon Grayson all followed before Chris Coleman took up the reins in November.
“It’s hard to watch some- times,” Nosworthy added. “I was there at the peak of my career and it’s very disappointing to see it now. When I joined Sunderland, we were starting again, coming back to the top.
“We managed to accomplish that and they have had success, but they should still be midtable in the Premier League and competing for trophies.
“You spend lots of money chopping and changing mangers. They bring in players they like, but sometimes I think you should really stick to a good manager and show faith.
Changed
“It’s time now to revamp and start again. They did it before when Mick McCarthy was manager in 2003.
“He was a good manager but they didn’t give him any money to spend and then the consortium came in, Roy Keane came in, a big-name manager, and it changed everything.”
Following Grayson’s sacking late last year, former Wales head coach Coleman was brought in to arrest Sunderland’s run of poor form.
Despite the change, the club have continued to struggle, with reports emerging last week that Short was happy to sell the club for nothing – and Nosworthy feeling only sympathy for Coleman. “I thought he was the man to do the job, to be honest. A young manager, he’s done a really good job with Wales,” added the former Jamaica international. “I thought it would be a perfect combination, but, unfortunately, the way Sunderland works right now, it’s very, very tough for him. “He’s finding it hard, which many managers have done and they’ve walked into better situations than him. “I really feel for him. When things aren’t going right, then it’s not the most understanding crowd. “They’ve seen the highs and now they’re seeing the lows again. I think it could have all been avoided.”