Grayson has a huge job ahead of him
SIMON GRAYSON is the right man at a difficult time for Sunderland. But he faces a mammoth job to turn the Black Cats around and get them out of the Championship.
That is the view of former Sunderland forward, Don Goodman, who played for the club in the old Second Division between 1991 and 1994.
Now in his TV work for Sky, Goodman knows what the demands are on teams at this level to win promotion.
Grayson has delivered that at each of his former clubs, but restoring Sunderland’s Premier League status would be his greatest achievement.
Despite coming down with parachute payments, Grayson has only been able to spend just over £1-million on new players this summer.
With clubs like Middlesbrough and Wolves spending big, Goodman questions whether the Black Cats can seriously challenge for promotion.
“The only way I would have Sunderland in the mix is down to the unpredictability of the Championship,” he reasons.
“Like Aston Villa, these two were clubs who just did enough to stay up in the Premier League for the last few years. Eventually, that catches up with you.
“Simon Grayson is a great appointment and he has done brilliantly wherever he has been.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for him. He would be immortalised if he got it right at the Stadium of Light.
“But Sunderland are not in a good state. They have spent so much money on the wrong players, had so many managers in recent years and it has not worked out.
“You now look at the market they are working in and they have to cut their cloth accordingly.
“They should be one of the biggest spenders in the Championship, but are nowhere near that because of the way the club has been run.
“Somehow they have to get promoted sooner rather than later. If you don’t get out in your first two or three years, you can end up stuck there for a very long time, like Leeds United.”
Sunderland drew their Championship opener at home to Derby and this lunchtime they travel to Norwich in search of a first league win in August since 2010.
Grayson will certainly have his players fighting for the red-and-whiteshirt, but Goodman admits the new man could do with a few wins, and quickly.
“Simon is a safe pair of hands, he knows the division intimately and will try to motivate the players,” says the man who also played for Bradford and Wolves amongst others.
“That crowd loves players that leave everything out on the field. I can vouch for that.
“But they need that touch of quality and some positive results. As a new manager at a big club, if results are bad, the crowd can turn which affects players and performances.
“Then there is a whole heap of negativity. That is the last thing Simon needs.”