Ex-Leeds United manager didn't know assistant before appointing him at Sunderland

Former Sunderland owner Sir Bob Murray has revealed that Howard Wilkinson and Steve Cotterill didn't actually know each other before the pair took the reins at the Stadium of Light.

Former Leeds United man Wilkinson was appointed as Sunderland's manager following the sacking of Peter Reid in 2002. Wilkonson then handpicked Cotterill as his assistant despite not knowing the ex-Wimbledon and Burton Albion player.

The move proved to be a disaster with Wilkinson and Cotterill failing to drag Sunderland out of the mire of a relegation dogfight in the Premier League.

The pair arrived in October but had been sacked by March as Sunderland eventually ended the season at the bottom of the Premier League with a then league-history-worst total of 19 points. Wilkinson and Cotterill won two league games out of a possible twenty 

"I made a really bad decision," Murray told The Echo when asked about the decision to appoint Wilkinson and Cotterill as manager and assistant. "It was a horrendous decision with Howard Wilkinson but I did it because I needed to change it.

"Howard was technical director at the FA, he had been caretaker of the England team and he had won the title with Leeds United.

"I asked him who he wanted to bring with him to Sunderland and he said (Steve) Cotterill and I didn't know that they didn't know each other. The whole thing was a terrible idea. When I say I would do it all again, I wouldn't appoint him as manager," Murray concluded.