Wes Brown identifies Sunderland "problem" amid Will Still links | OneFootball

Michael Beale's time at Sunderland ended after two defeats to Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City, leaving the Black Cats in search of a successor - and Will Still's name refusing to go away.

Beale took over from Tony Mowbary at the Stadium of Light back in December, and managed just four wins from his 11 games in the Championship.

During his 12 games in charge in all competitions, Sunderland drew a further two and lost six times.

Mike Dodds is set to be in the caretaker hotseat until the end of the season, although they could opt to make an early appointment should the right candidate come forward.

Beale was an unpopular appointment with Black Cats supporters, and he failed to win over the doubters during his two-month spell at the helm.

The sacking means that he has been sacked twice in the space of just over four months, having also been relieved of his duties with Rangers in October.

Sunderland currently sit 12th in the Championship table, and they are unlikely to make the play-offs this season, meaning their attentions have turned to planning for next season, and they will be keen to get the crucial appointment right this time.

Dodds is in interim charge but the club have had four permanent managers in two years.

Sunderland's interest in Will Still of Reims was well-documented at the time of Mowbray's departure, but was quickly quashed when a report from French outlet Score.fr claimed that there was little chance of him leaving his role with the Ligue 1 outfit in December.

However, HITC report that Still remains as the Black Cats' first choice target, and the club have held a long-standing interest in the 31-year-old having made an approach for him following Mowbray's exit in December.

There are just under 18 months remaining on Still's current contract with Reims, securing his future with the French club until the end of next season, but also leaving him potentially vulnerable to approaches in the summer.

Wes Brown is most well known in English football for his 14-year spell at Manchester United, but he also spent five years with Sunderland from 2011 to 2016, making 87 appearances in that time.

Speaking to Football League World, via Lucky Block, Brown said on the Black Cats' manager situation and being interested in Still: "I mean, he's very good, but Sunderland have never failed to get in good managers.

"It's a top club, the supporters are great, and even before and after I was there they were managing to get some really good managers.

"So, I don't think that's the problem. The problem is maybe sticking with them a bit longer, [seeing] if you can start getting a bit of consistency, and, at the moment, I think we've seen over the last three years that that's not happened. "Unless you're Pep Guardiola, I don't think that's going to happen. It (a high turnover of managers) is just a thing that's a lot more common now in football. "Everyone wants a quick result, and sometimes you have the right person there, and it's just going to take a little bit of time.

"I don't think they'll have any problems getting a decent manager in."

Sunderland should have no issues in finding a head coach if Will Still snubs them

Sunderland have been on the cusp of something great in the Championship for the last two seasons, and have the youngest squad by average age in the league.

That means they have future proofed themselves well, as well as having some promising young players who could quickly be developed into players who are too good for the second tier.

All of that, combined with the size of the club, the fanbase, and the potential it has will be extremely attractive for many managers, as Brown alludes to.

Will Still be tempted with a move to the Stadium of Light over the summer? That of course remains to be seen, but if he doesn't fancy it, then there will likely be a sea of other candidates lining up to give the job a crack.