The questions Kyril Louis-Dreyfus must answer as Sunderland's chaotic head coach search comes to a conclusion

But when, as now seems certain, Alex Neil is named as Sunderland’s new head coach there will be recognition that it is a logical progression from Lee Johnson.

Neil has won promotion from the Championship, and did so by sparking an instant reaction from an underperforming Norwich City side who then surged through the play-off campaign.

Though his time at Preston North End ended ultimately in disappointment, he undoubtedly progressed the squad he inherited when Simon Grayson left for Wearside.

That they on three occasions pushed for a play-off place was a strong return for the limited budget he was handed.

Neil favours a 4-2-3-1 system that will neatly fit the squad that has been constructed on Wearside and most importantly, he has a reputation for being one of the best coaches of a high press in the EFL. That is key for Sunderland, as it is the cornerstone of the playing philosophy Kristjaan Speakman wants implemented.

There is also a belief that Neil’s no-nonsense, down-to-earth and tough approach will be one that fans welcome when they get to know him.

As the dust settles on his appointment, the questions will not so much be about the end point of this managerial search, but the process itself.

It is imperative that those questions are answered, because it has been two weeks which have left Sunderland fans feeling as they have once again been sold down the river.

Put simply, the fault lines in Sunderland’s muddled ownership structure have been entirely exposed.

Much of the criticism has been laid at the door of the Sporting Director, and clearly there have been significant errors made.

Neil will inherit a squad with some significant defensive deficiencies, and with few options to rotate and try new combinations.

Speakman has also understandably drawn the ire of those watching on for saying that no successor was lined up for Johnson as it would have been ‘disrespectful’ to the former head coach.

As the club’s automatic promotion prospects were all but torched in two humiliating defeats, it looked naive at best and incompetent at worse.

It looks increasingly odd now, because as a free agent, Neil could have been in situ almost immediately, and Sunderland’s top-two hopes might now be better than ever.

Before judgement is passed on that, though, Louis-Dreyfus should answer who made the ultimate decision to sack Johnson and, most importantly of all, when.

If this structure functions as it should, then the Sporting Director should make recommendations upwards to the board.

Did that really happen in this case? Did Speakman really recommend that Johnson was sacked the night before deadline day, when not only was the succession plan not set, but when there were few internal candidates to steer the ship in the interim period?

If he did, then his future may well rest on Neil producing a miracle over the last 15, possibly 18 games of the campaign.

But if impulsive, panicked decisions are being made above his head, then he is being hamstrung and more issues will surface in the future.

At times there felt like there were two managerial searches happening at Sunderland.

One was being spearheaded by Speakman, who was speaking to many of the candidates who you might consider logical if the club were maintaining its long-term philosophy.

There was Neil and Grant McCann, and also coaches like Jody Morris and Enzo Maresca.

All the while, it became clear that there was significant support at board level for the return of Roy Keane.

It might have been an inspired appointment, and it certainly would have galvanised a support who were rightly becoming increasingly alarmed by a lack of leadership and resilience in their team.

The ‘process’, though, became muddled the moment this interest became known publicly.

It felt like a targeted decision and it made a mockery of the process, with Speakman carrying out his work even when a preferred candidate had seemingly been established above him.

It ended in the borderline farcical situation where Sunderland were, over a week after letting Johnson go, were only just getting to the latter stages of their pursuit of Keane.

Nearly two weeks after talks began, it was established that he would not, after all, be taking up the post.

It should never have taken so long, and it spoke to the confusion behind the scenes.

Was this a search for an immediate spark, or for the long-term successor to deliver the philosophy?

If the answer wasn’t clear (and the shortlist eventually produced said it absolutely wasn’t), then that was because this process revealed that there are too many voices battling for prominence.

Did anyone really think Keane would leave Sky Sports for a short-term deal, to be cast aside if he did not produce a miracle and reverse fortunes overnight?

If he was the candidate Louis-Dreyfus wanted, then it would have required a significant change to the project and the philosophy.

That may well have been the right course of action, only time will tell. The point is that it tells you how chaotic this process was, and why the complex ownership picture threatens Sunderland’s progress.

It’s time for Louis-Dreyfus to step up.

The Chairman knew what he was doing when in his first interview he spoke of the ‘asset-stripping’ that had previously occurred at the club. He did not mention names, but the inference was absolutely clear and not open for interpretation.

He was telling supporters that he was making a clean break from the Madrox era, and that things would be done differently now.

It made him popular, bought him time and trust, but what has played out in reality since has raised significant questions.

It began with the changes to the board that followed, the re-appointment of Juan Sartori and the arrivals of figures close to Madrox.

And while there has been significant reinvestment in some areas of the club (even funding the club through COVID-19 was undoubtedly an onerous task), the pitch problems (now, long overdue, being addressed in part) exposed that the level of attention to infrastructure was not as expected.

These nagging concerns have been laid bare in this chaotic fortnight.

Why were members of the previous controlling ownership group said to be in dialogue with potential candidates? Even if there was no formal role, this was a chaotic search that suggested many voices at play.

For all they do not hold significant day-to-day roles, they still have a say in key decisions? Did they therefore have a role in the decision to part company with Johnson at such a questionable moment?

Communication from Louis-Dreyfus since those first words through club channels has been almost non-existent.

There have been very brief chats with talkSPORT, but nothing of substance while discussions with supporters have rarely occurred directly.

We know why this is fundamentally the case. The deal agreed to bring him to power at Sunderland was wrapped up tightly in non-disclosure agreements, and Louis-Dreyfus has shunned scrutiny because he knows he cannot cannot answer questions about shareholding or structure.

Even if Neil represents a strong appointment, what has happened over the last two weeks deserves a full and proper explanation, so clearer conclusions can be drawn and a better appraisal of Speakman’s role determined.

Supporters also deserve some sense of what lessons have been learned, and how Louis-Dreyfus intends to avoid a repeat in future.

The time is also now for him to fully outline how decision-making works, and how the relationship with Madrox (who as of late last year had still not repaid the parachute payments borrowed in full, according to the club’s Chief Operating Officer) is to develop going forward.

The season is not lost by any stretch, but the broadly positive conclusion to this process should not mean anyone loses sight of just how frenetic it became at times.

It’s time for Louis-Dreyfus to start making good on that promise of a new era, and that starts with honesty.

How does the ownership structure actually break down? How are decisions made? What is the vision for the future of the ownership structure and how will the departure of Madrox, if there is one, be managed?

Just a few starters for ten.

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