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Dick Advocaat has been appointed by Sunderland until the end of the season, charged with keeping the club in the Premier League.
The appointment comes swiftly after the dismissal of Gus Poyet who was sacked yesterday off the back of an embarrassing 4-0 loss to fellow relegation contenders Aston Villa.
Advocaat told Sunderland's website: “Sunderland is a big club and I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead. We must now concentrate on Saturday as a priority and I can’t wait to get started.”
Sunderland chairman Ellis Short said: “Dick has an incredible CV and vast experience of managing at the very highest level. We have one aim only now - to climb the table and everyone is fully focused on the task ahead of us.”
Advocaat's last managerial post was as manager of Serbia, a position he left in November last year. The 67-year-old has not managed in England and his most recent spell at club level was with AZ Alkmaar, whom he left in the summer of 2014. He has enjoyed success in the British Isles, leading Rangers to back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000.
Advocaat has been handed a short-term contract that lasts for the remaining nine games the club have left to save their Premier League status. His first match in charge of Sunderland will be against West Ham on Saturday. Zeljko Petrovic, who worked with Advocaat when he was Serbia coach and also had a spell with West Ham in 2010, has been named as his assistant. Former Swansea and England under-20 goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker will also be among his staff and Sunderland academy coach Paul Bracewell will support the head coach and his backroom team for the final nine games of the season.
Show all 49 1 /49The managerial sack race 2014/15 The managerial sack race 2014/15 Paul Cook, Chesterfield (May 12) The failure to secure a League One play-off berth led to Cook paying the price. However, he has already been snapped up by Portsmouth.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Lee Clarke, Blackpool (May 9) Clark took over the reins at doomed Blackpool in October 2014 but he was unable to slop their alarming run of poor results, and the club were relegated from the Championship as the end of the season. Clark decided to resign from his role.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Micky Adams, Tranmere Rovers (19th April) Adams lasted less than a season in charge of Tranmere having taken over in October 2014. 3-0 defeat to Oxford left Rovers two points adrift of safety.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Andy Awford, Portsmouth (April 13) Awford lefts Portsmouth by mutual consent after securing just two wins form their last 10 matches. The 3-1 defeat at Morecombe proved to be his final match in charge.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Malky Mackay, Wigan Athletic (April 07) Mackay's arrival at the DW Stadium was surrounded in controversy following his Cardiff City exit, but ex-chairman Dave Whelan stuck by him. It proved to be more than just a bad decision, as Mackay secured just 19 points from a possible 72 since arriving in November, and the 2-0 home defeat against Derby proved to be his last act as Wigan manager bofe getting the sack a few hours later.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Shaun Derry, Notts County (March 23) Derry managed to keep Notts County in League one having taken the reins in the 2013/14 season, but six defeat in eight games proved to spell the end for the former Notts Country player.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Gus Poyet, Sunderland (March 16) Poyet only lasted two days after an utterly humiliating defeat at home to Aston Villa. Sunderland were 4-0 down at half-time to a side who had only scored four goals away from home all season. Poyet lasted just 18 months in the job with the team a point above the relegation zone.
The managerial sack race 2014/15 Ian Holloway, Millwall (March 10) Holloway had spent little more than a year in the job at the Den and was sacked after a 4-1 home defeat to Rotherham that left the Londoners second bottom in the Championship, eight points from safety.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Lee Johnson, Oldham (February 25) The Oldham boss resigned to move to fellow League One side Barnsley, despite the club being seven places below the Latics.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Steven Pressley, Coventry City (February 23) The Scot was sacked after 100 games in charge but the Sky Blues were down in the relegation zone in League One when he finally got the chop.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Darren Ferguson, Peterborough (February 21) The second spell of Sir Alex's son didn't go quite as well of the first, with Peterborough struggling in 15th spot in League One. Ferguson was sacked after a run that saw him win just one in five matches.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Danny Wilson, Barnsley (February 12) Wilson was sacked by Barnsley along with his assistant Chris Hutchings with the club currently in no-mans land in the Championship. With Barnsley 17th in the league, seven points above the relegation zone but the same off the play-offs, a decision was made to sack Wilson citing their current position as "unacceptable".
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Justin Edinburgh, Newport County (February 7) Edinburgh decided to jump ship and take the Gillingham manager job, having guided Newport to the Football League for the first time in 25 years.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Gary Johnson, Yeovil Town (February 4) Johnson's three-year tenure at Yeovil came to an end despite securing three promotions during his two spells as manager. But with Yeovil bottom of League One and four points from safety, Johnson was axed with his assistant Terry Skiverton taking temporary charge of the side.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Stuart Pearce, Nottingham Forest (February 1) After a 1-0 loss to Millwall, Nottingham Forest announced that they had sacked club legend Stuart Pearce, citing six losses in the last seven games and a free-fall down the Championship table as the reason why.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Bob Peeters, Charlton Athletic (January 11) A run of nine matches without a win in all competitions saw Charlton sack Peeters after just eight months in the job. A 1-0 home defeat to Brighton proved to be the final nail in his coffin.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Neil Adams, Norwich City (January 5) Neil Adams resigned as Norwich manager with them 7th in the Championship after a 2-0 defeat to League One side Preston in the FA Cup third round.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Alan Pardew, Newcastle (January 3) After a turbulent, rollercoaster ride as Newcastle manager, Pardew decided to jump before he was pushed as he left St James' Park to replace Neil Warnock as Crystal Palace. Few thought that Pardew would resign before he was sacked, but the allure of a return to the Eagles proved to be the deciding factor in his exit.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Peter Taylor, Gillingham (December 31) Taylor only lost two of his last nine matches in charge of Gillingham but with the club 20th in League One, his 14 month reign was brought to an end. Back-to-back home defeats to Chesterfield and Bristol City were too much for the board to take.
The managerial sack race 2014/15 Alan Irvine, West Brom (December 30) The Premier League didn't have to wait long for its second departure of the season with West Brom choosing to act. Irvine was only appointed in the summer but was always up against it with many fans feeling that he wasn't the calibre of manager required at the Hawthorns. Seven defeats in his final nine games meant the Scot left the club in 16th place, a point above the relegation zone.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Neil Warnock, Crystal Palace (December 27) Warnock became the first Premier League casualty of the season after the Crystal Palace board decided it was time for a change when the club slipped into the bottom three. Warnock had only started his second spell at Selhurst Park at the start of the season following the exit of Tony Pulis, but when he managed to collect just one win in 12 outings the writing was on the wall.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 John Gregory, Crawley (December 27) Gregory stood down as manager of the League One club in order to undergo heart surgery. With a lengthy period of recovery required, Dean Saunders was put in charge on an interim basis.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Sami Hyypia, Brighton (December 22) The former Liverpool defender resigned just before Christmas after failing to prove he had what it took at Brighton during his six months in charge. The Finn oversaw just three wins in 22 Championship match and left the club 22nd in the table.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Nigel Adkins, Reading (December 15) The former Southampton manager took charge in March 2013 but was unable to save the club from relegation from the Premier League. The Royals have been harbouring ambitions of a return to the top-flight since, but after 15 games of the current season they found themselves 10 points adrift of the play-offs and decided Adkins wasn't the man to get them there. A 6-1 thrashing at Birmingham City, the club's worst league loss in 15 years, was the final nail in the coffin.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Paul Murray, Hartlepool United (December 8) Murray lasted just six weeks at Victoria Park. A poor start to their League Two campaign was compounded when they lost to non-league Blyth Spartans in the FA Cup. That would be his last match in charge and saw him depart the club with just one win from the seven games he oversaw.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Mauro Milanese, Leyton Orient (December 8) Another who managed to last just six weeks. The Italian lost five of the eight games he took charge of, which simply wasn't good enough for the O's. That the League One team were also dumped out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and FA Cup during his brief spell in charge didn't do him any favours either.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Paul Cox, Mansfield Town (November 21) The League Two side parted company with Cox after the manager had been in charge for three-and-a-half years. The 42-year-old led the Stags to promotion back into the Football League in 2013 after a five-year absence.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Mark Yates, Cheltenham Town (November 25) Mark Yates spent just five months with Cheltenham Town before he was given the boot. The 4-1 defeat at home to Wycombe on Saturday proved to be the final nail in his coffin, and he leaves the club in 18th position in League Two with 22 points from 18 games.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Uwe Rosler, Wigan (November 13) With the Latics in the Championship relegation zone after just one win since August, owner Dave Whelan felt he had to act. A 3-1 defeat at local rivals Bolton, which saw Wigan concede three times in 11 second-half minutes, left Rosler 'embarrassed'. Wigan pinched the German manager from Brentford 11 months ago to replace Owen Coyle.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Jose Riga, Blackpool (October 27) The former Charlton manager was given four-and-a-half months in charge of the Championship club, but over that time he failed to make much of an impression. 14 games into the season, the Seasiders had accumulated six points and occupied bottom place in the league. The board decided it couldn't go on. The club contained just eight players when the season started, making Riga's job incredibly difficult.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Darko Milanic, Leeds (October 25) Trigger-happy owner Massimo Cellino parted company with Darko Milanic after six games in charge - the same number as his predecessor at Elland Road. His short reign was brought to an end almost immediately after Leeds were beaten 2-1 by Wolves. 'I want to apologise to the supporters, they deserve better results,' Cellino said. Milanic's failure to win any of his six games in charge and a perceived negative attitude cost the 46-year-old.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Lee Clark, Birmingham City (October 20) Two wins in 12 league games that saw the club hovering above the Championship relegation zone saw Clark lose his job. The former Newcastle and Fulham midfielder took over the reins in June 2012 but failed to take the club forward. It needed a dramatic late escape last season for the Midlands club to avoid relegation as an injury-time goal on the final day kept them up. One home win since October 1, 2013 played a large role in the former Huddersfield manager's struggles.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Rob Edwards, Tranmere Rovers (October 13) Edwards was only given 14 games at the helm, but the fact he could only win two of them meant he was deemed not right for the job. Before being sacked, Tranmere went on a seven game winless run that left them bottom of the League Two. It wasn't what the club had hoped for following relegation the season before.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Nigel Worthington, York City (October 13) With one win all season and off the back of a defeat to Newport County, Worthington resigned his post at the League Two club. The former Northern Ireland manager took over in March 2013 and managed to steer them away from relegation and to a 17th place finish. In his only full season at the club, he guided them to the play-offs where they lost in the semi-final to Fleetwood Town. He left the club in 22nd.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Russ Wilcox, Scunthorpe United (October 8) After being promoted from a caretaker role to full manager on Christmas Eve of 2013, Wilcox would take Scunthorpe on an incredible 28-game unbeaten run before finally losing a match in April. Despite that loss, Scunthorpe were promoted to League One. However, they struggled in the third tier, losing eight of their first 11 games. When they were beaten by Notts County in the Johnstone's Cup Trophy, that was enough for the board to give him the boot.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Billy McKinlay, Watford (October 7) Having stepped in following health issues concerning his predecessor Oscar Garcia, McKinlay managed to last just eight days at the helm. During that time, he managed to get two games under his belt, and performed admirably - picking up four points and taking the club to third in the league. However, it seemed the hierarchy at Vicarage Road fancied something different, so replaced him with Slavisa Jokanovic, their fourth manager of the season.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Colin Cooper, Hartlepool (October 4) Having taken over at Hartlepool in May 2013 for his first job in management, Cooper was able to save the club slipping to consecutive relegations. But after a 3-0 defeat to Carlisle United that left the club bottom of League Two, the former Middlesbrough player quit immediately after the final whistle.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Dougie Freedman, Bolton(October 3) After almost two years in charge Freedman and Bolton parted ways by 'mutual consent'. The change came following a 4-0 defeat to fellow Championship strugglers Fulham and amid much speculation after a poor run of results that had left the Trotters just a place off the bottom of the table.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Oscar Garcia, Watford (September 29) Having replaced Beppe Sannino, Garcia's time in charge at Vicarage Road was cut short. Soon after his appointment, the former Brighton manager suffered health problems, including chest pains. When doctors told him he needed to rest for an extended period, he was forced to resign.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Russell Slade, Leyton Orient (September 24) Amid speculation over a possible move to Cardiff City (where he was eventually appointed), Slade handed in his resignation. The 53-year-old found himself in demand after winning the League One manager of the year award for the 2013/14 season. Slade had been in charge of Orient since 2010.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Felix Magath, Fulham (September 18) After overseeing Fulham's relegation to the Championship, Felix Magath was given the boot by the west London club's chairman Shahid Khan following their dismal start to the season. Stories quickly emerged about his reign, including one that saw him tell captain Brede Hangeland to rest a piece of cheese on his thigh to help his injury.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Cardiff City (September 18) The baby-faced assassin lasted less than nine-months in charge of Cardiff City during which time he presided over a relegation from the Premier League and then a woeful start to the Championship season. During his time in charge after replacing Malky Mackay the former Manchester United striker won just nine of his 30 matches in charge. He left the club with the Welsh outfit 17th in the Championship.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Micky Adams, Port Vale (September 18) A three-and-a-half year reign in his second spell at Port Vale came to an end following a miserable run of six straight defeats. The 52-year-old made the decision to leave after discussions with club chairman Norman Smurthwaite. 'It is with great sadness that I have decided to leave Port Vale,' he said. During his spell he got Vale promoted from League Two and kept them in League One the next season.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Joe Dunne, Colchester United (September 1) One point from a possible 15 and a quick exit from the Capital One Cup was enough for Colchester to send Dunne packing. The former U's player never managed to get much out of the team in his first managerial role, winning a total of 27 games from his 95 in charge.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Graham Kavanagh, Carlisle United (September 1) A 5-0 defeat to Cambridge is never a good thing, but for Kavanagh it meant the end of his Carlisle reign. With five games of the new League Two season played he had managed to collect just two points. Kavanagh had taken charge in September 2013 and oversaw the club's relegation from League One.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Giuseppe Sannino, Watford (August 31) In a shock move, Sannino resigned from his post at Vicarage Road despite an excellent start to the season that had seen the Hornets win four of their opening five games. The Italian decided he'd taken the club as far as he could apparently. Sanino had been in charge since December 2013 having replaced his fellow countryman Gianfranco Zola. 'For myself and for the club it’s the right time for me to leave,' he said. His departure was the third Championship manager to depart before August was out.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Dave Hockaday, Leeds United (August 28) Hockaday was given just six matches to prove himself having been appointed over the summer. It wasn't enough. The club's notoriously trigger-happy owner Massimo Cellino decided he'd hired the wrong man for the job. In those six games, the former Forest Green Rovers manager who was a surprise choice for the position in the first place, won two and lost four.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Tony Pulis, Crystal Palace (August 14) Pulis didn't even have the chance to manage a game before he was gone. Amid a breakdown in his relationship with co-owner Steve Parish, just 48-hours before Crystal Palace's first match of the season, it was announced Pulis was leaving by mutual consent. It was a bizarre turn of events considering Pulis' arrival in November 2013 with the club bottom of the table was followed by an 11th place finish and a manager of the year award for the Welshman.
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The managerial sack race 2014/15 Mark Robins, Huddersfield Town (August 10) Someone always has to be the first and for the 2014/15 season it was Mark Robins who lasted just one game of the season. When Huddersfield lost 4-0 at home to Bournemouth it was enough to convince the board he wasn't the right man. Doubts had been circulating after a dreadful end to the previous campaign that saw the Terriers win two matches in 13. Robins took charge in February 2013 and managed to keep Huddersfield in the Championship, before a 17th place finish the season after that.
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Sunderland have won just four of their 29 league games this season and are the second lowest-scoring team in the division, having mustered just 23 goals in a miserable campaign.
Poyet took over at the Stadium of Light after dressing-room disquiet led to the sacking of Paolo Di Canio, who in turn had been rushed in to preserve Sunderland’s Premier League status in March 2013, when there were seven games remaining. Poyet helped lead the club to safety, took Sunderland to a League Cup final and beat Newcastle on three successive occasions. However, his relationship with the board had never fully recovered after a bust-up following a heavy defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last season.
He also saw the disintegration of his relationship with the fans when he was critical of their desire for the team to play attacking football during a home defeat against Queen’s Park Rangers. For that the travelling support during the FA Cup defeat to Bradford mocked him. He wrote a letter of apology but it was indicative of his increasing isolation.
Poyet was never comfortable in the role of head coach and took great delight in revealing it had been his involvement in the January signing of Jermain Defoe that had been crucial, rather than Lee Congerton, the sport director.
The sacking of Poyet, who signed a new two-year deal at the end of May, means the appointment of Advocaat is the seventh manager Short has employed since he took full control of the club.
Sunderland manager Gus Poyet at Bradford City’s Valley Parade ground for their FA Cup fifth-round tie last month. His team were beaten 2-0 by the League One club (Getty)
Short released a statement yesterday following the dismissal of Poyet. “I would like to thank Gus for his endeavours during his time at the club, in particular last season’s ‘great escape’ and Cup final appearance, which will live long in the memory of every Sunderland fan,” it said.
“Sadly, we have not made the progress that any of us had hoped for this season and we find ourselves battling, once again, at the wrong end of the table. We have therefore made the difficult decision that a change is needed.”
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