Whether it be fighting for promotion of fighting to stave off relegation Sunderland managers always have an expectation upon them.
But which Sunderland managers have exceeded those expectations and which haven’t?
Here we take a look back over the previous 29 permanent Sunderland managers since Bob Stokoe’s side famously lifted the FA Cup in 1973 and rank them based on their win percentage.
The list does not include those who have been in interim charge.
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1. Howard Wilkinson – October 2002 – March 2003 – 14.81%
Plenty of Sunderland supporters will have forgotten about the duo of Howard Wilkinson and Steve Cotterill. It was never going to be easy following Peter Reid’s tenure but Wilkinson never came close winning just four of 27 games in charge – a far cry from his halcyon days at Elland Road. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images) Photo: Ben Radford
2. Niall Quinn – July 2006 – August 2006 – 16.67%
The former Sunderland striker will be remembered much more for what he did on the pitch or within the boardroom at the Stadium of Light than what he did in the dugout. The Irishman took charge of six games at the beginning of the 2006-07 campaign, winning just one, before bringing in Roy Keane as his replacement – which wasn’t a bad decision. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images) Photo: Ben Radford
3. Simon Grayson – June 2017 – October 2017 – 16.67%
Grayson’s arrival was met with muted anticipation following relegation from the Premier League but he came with experience of handling a big club having been in charge of Leeds United for over three years. Despite four points from his first two games in charge Grayson won just three of his 18 games in charge at the Stadium of Light and was dismissed after just four months at the helm. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images) Photo: Nathan Stirk
4. Chris Coleman - - November 2017 – April 2018 – 17.24%
Seen as something of a coup for Sunderland, Black Cats fans immediately took to the Welshman’s likeable personality. But a win over Burton Albion in his second game in charge was largely as good as it got for the man who guided Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 as he was unable to prevent the Wearsiders’ slide into League One. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images) Photo: Nigel Roddis