“Give them credit” - Darragh MacAnthony makes Sunderland claim as he discusses their managerial situation | OneFootball

Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony insists that Sunderland’s hierarchy deserve praise for the quick call to sack Michael Beale, as he outlined the difficulties that come with appointing a head coach.

Sunderland manager latest

The Black Cats have had a turbulent campaign so far, with the club surprisingly sacking Tony Mowbray and turning to Michael Beale.

The former Rangers chief failed to make the impact expected, so he was dismissed just two months later, with Mike Dodds placed in charge of the remainder of the campaign.

However, with the side eight points away from the play-off places, it looks as though another year in the Championship is on the cards, and there will be big pressure on Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman to get the next appointment right.

Darragh MacAnthony on Sunderland managerial situation

One man who knows about the scrutiny that comes with bringing in a new boss is Posh owner MacAnthony.

And, speaking to the Hard Truth podcast, he explained why Sunderland’s hierarchy need praise for realising their mistake quickly, along with the challenges that come with finding the right fit for the club.

“I think Sunderland made the right call, that just wasn’t the right fit. It will be interesting to see what they do next. I know they’ve got the assistant in until the end of the season.

“It’s a shame, because Sunderland were having a really good season, but I’m not sure they’re going to make the play-offs now with all that’s gone on.

“They’re a massive football club, a massive football club. They have an identity like us, where they play a certain way, and I think that’s where they’ve had a problem with the manager. It’s tough. If Darren (Ferguson) left for a bigger club, I’d have to start again, and doing what we do, and the way we want to play, it’s not easy. They’re all tough things.

“I’m going to give them credit for making a quick decision, because it needed to be quick, it just didn’t work. It was a bad call in the first place, and they’ve got to hold their hands up, sometimes you get it wrong.”

Sunderland must get summer appointment right

This is an interesting insight from MacAnthony as he reveals the challenges of getting a coach that fits in with the philosophy of the club, which is a clear one at Sunderland.

His point about making the quick call over Beale is also correct, because we’ve often seen clubs persist with a manager when they know it isn’t working. In this case, it was an admission from Sunderland that they got it badly wrong, but it was for the benefit of the club at the time.

However, all this has done is increase the spotlight that’s on the hierarchy, and Sunderland fans will rightly feel they’ve missed a great opportunity considering where they were when Mowbray was in charge.

So, sympathy will be in short supply this summer, and there will rightly be expectancy that they bring in a suitable candidate ahead of next season.