Sunderland supporters had already turned their thoughts towards who will succeed Alex Neil long before his appointment as Stoke City manager was confirmed.
The former Norwich City boss has been in talks with the Potters over the last two days and was at Ewood Park to watch his new employers claim a 1-0 over Blackburn Rovers.
The side Neil has now left behind fell to a narrow defeat at home against Norwich as his assistant Martin Canning took charge of first-team duties with the help of Mike Dodds, Michael Proctor and Alessandro Barcherini.
Speculation over who will replace Neil in the Stadium of Light hotseat had dominated the build-up to the game as soon as news of his discussions with Stoke had broken.
And they have continued throughout the weekend with several out-of-work managers all linked with the vacancy before the official confirmation of Neil’s exit arrived on Sunday afternoon.
The Echo takes a look at some of the names that are reportedly in the frame to become the Black Cats new manager in the near future.
