Next Sunderland manager: 6 key questions under-fire hierarchy must consider after self-inflicted setbacks

When you hire a head coach on a two-and-a-half year contract and they depart after 63 days, it is no exaggeration to say that something has gone badly wrong.

It has been a bruising spell for Sunderland’s hierarchy, not just on the pitch but off it as well. Here, we look at the key questions that need to be asked behind the scenes as they embark on another head coach search…

Is the process behind making key decisions right?

Tony Mowbray remained hugely popular on Wearside right up to and beyond his departure, but that is not to say that there weren’t some supporters who felt his time at the club might be running its course. There were also plenty who, while frustrated with the team’s struggles in the final third, felt Mowbray deserved to continue overseeing the play-off push given the quality of the football and the general overachievement since his arrival. 

Either way, what can now surely be universally agreed is that the timing of Mowbray’s departure has not helped the club or team in either the short or medium term. Sunderland considered changing head coach in the summer and relationships never truly recovered as a result. Those relationships eventually broke down in midwinter; Mowbray’s comments about recruitment going down badly and the man himself frustrated by the way he was being questioned internally over selection and tactics. The upshot of it all was that Sunderland found themselves looking for their new head coach at a notoriously difficult time to do so, their strongest candidates therefore unattainable for either financial or logistical reasons. 

Looking back now Mowbray’s departure feels like an emotional and impulsive decision rather than a well-executed, strategic move. After all, the performance data was still pretty strong at the time of his exit and the key issues in the final third were clearly never going to be solved simply by a change in the dugout. 

The error in appointing Michael Beale was essentially borne of Sunderland backing themselves into a corner at a key time of the season. Having worked so hard to change Sunderland’s image as a club and build a reputation as an evidence-based operation, it will be a source of huge frustration that so many of the negative headlines generated in recent months have been self-inflicted. 

Is the recruitment doing enough to offer the head coach support?

The departures of both Mowbray and Beale came about at least in part because the summer recruitment has not been able to offer either a player ready to consistently impact the game in the opposition penalty box. 

Those summer (and to a lesser extent January) arrivals may yet in time prove to be excellent additions, and there remains widespread support on Wearside for the strategy of investing in young talent. If Sunderland are to push for promotion under a new head coach, however, there is an argument that a finer balance may need to be found in ensuring the head coach has what they need to achieve consistent results while integrating young players. The League One promotion side featured a lot of youngsters but in the end leaned heavily on experienced campaigners like Corry Evans and Alex Pritchard. This season, the blend hasn’t felt quite right for either head coach. It’s not about ripping up a strategy that has generally delivered consistent progress and results, but assessing whether the current struggles could have been alleviated by just a touch of pragmatism. And that certainly doesn’t mean spending huge sums in wages and fees on players with no resale value, it's just about identifying where some short-term flexibility can move you closer to your long term goals. While there has been a wider trend across the division where goals are coming from wide areas, no one who has watched Sunderland this season would argue that their promotion hopes wouldn't be bolstered by more of a focal point and a greater physicality in midfield.

Is their head coach recruitment process underestimating the importance of leadership and communication skills?

Beale was appointed on the strength of his reputation and experience as a coach, with Sunderland therefore reasoning that he was a strong candidate given their emphasis on player development. 

The days of the manager and an omnipotent figurehead in the dugout are long gone, and the skillset required for the job have changed significantly as a result. Yet it is also the case that the head coach still remains the main connection between supporters and club, and also the dominant voice in the dressing room.

Even in the era of the head coach, the success that both Alex Neil and Tony Mowbray enjoyed was in the rapport they were able to build both with the dressing room and the terraces. Their experience enabled them to shut out external criticism and manage the intensity generated by such a big club. Communication and leadership remain a vital part of the job and here Beale was too often found wanting, particularly in his explosive press conference before Stoke City’s visit that may even have brought an even earlier end to his tenure. Alignment with the club’s strategy and a willingness to work within the structure is a must for Beale’s successor, but it is vital that this does not come at the expense of genuine leadership skills. 

What went wrong on the pitch?

Sunderland’s mission statement is ‘bold, creative, industrious’ and club figures talk regularly of implementing a front-foot, attacking style of play. So it seemed bizarre to onlookers that the approach in recent weeks seemed to be to make Sunderland harder to beat.

While there were some tentative signs of defensive improvements, Sunderland’s attacking threat declined significantly and their underlying data dropped off even if Beale was finally able to get some of the summer arrivals up front on the scoresheet. 

Was the recruitment process robust enough in assessing what direction Beale wanted to take the team? And if so, why did that not come to fruition even taking into account the relatively limited training time he was able to enjoy? The answers to those questions will be key in ensuring the next appointment is right. Mowbray and the talented players added by the recruitment team have set the benchmark for what a Sunderland team can look like and the joy they can bring supporters, and regaining that simply has to be a key priority.

Can they support the head coach better and get a better balance within the coaching group?

Sunderland’s desire to create stability and continuity in the coaching group makes a lot of sense, minimising disruption when there is a change in the dugout and helping to ensure that there is a consistency throughout the club in terms of playing style.

It helps protect the pathway for academy players, and also helps talented coaches develop by exposing them to a number of different managerial styles and philosophies. You can also understand why after such an encouraging interim spell, the club were keen to promote Mike Dodds and maintain his influence on the squad. 

However, coming into an already difficult job entirely on his own left Beale looking very isolated in the most difficult moments. Is there also a risk that not allowing a future head coach a say in the make-up of the staff prevents them attracting the very best calibre of candidate? Getting the balance right is key.

Is it time to invest in the dugout, as well as on the pitch?

All of Sunderland’s previous appointments have been head coaches out of work and in fairness, it has broadly worked well. Alex Neil’s play-off record and ability to improve the organisation of a side made him an ideal candidate for where Sunderland found themselves, and Tony Mowbray was similarly perfect for stabilising the team and taking them to the next level in terms of their playing identity. 

Financial reasons were clearly a factor in the inability to land a preferred candidate in December, however, and there’s an argument that this may need to change if Sunderland are to get the calibre of head coach needed to take the team to the next level.

Of course, it is also the case that there may well be a much wider variety of coaches available in the summer as they come to the end of their contracts or leave their clubs. Which ultimately takes us back to where we started, are the club getting the timing of their key decisions right and if not, does that mean something needs to change in the way they operate? There has been a lot of good work done over a period if time and inexperience has to be taken into account not just on the pitch but off it, but this next appointment clearly makes a huge moment in this sporting project.