Sunderland manager Gus Poyet was fired Monday after an embarrassing 4-0 loss against Aston Villa over the weekend. The manager leaves the Black Cats just one point above the relegation zone with nine games left in the Premier League season.
The scene at the Stadium of Light on Saturday sent a clear message that Sunderland supporters had grown disenchanted with the Uruguayan after his 17 month stint in charge. After all, Aston Villa sits just two points above Sunderland and a win over the weekend would have done wonders for the Black Cats’ relegation battle. Poyet has been replaced by Premier League newcomer and former Netherlands manager, Dick Advocaat.
Despite winning just one match in a series of 12 league games before his sacking, at one point Poyet did seem to be the man for the job at Sunderland.
In the all-important Tyne-Wear Derby (Sunderland vs. Newcastle), Poyet achieved a perfect three for three win record. Two of those victories in the inter-city match-up came away from home at St. James’ Park.
Another high point of Poyet’s time at Sunderland happened last season when the Black Cats traveled to Stamford Bridge and ended Chelsea’s 77-game home winning streak. The 2-1 Sunderland victory handed “The Special One” his first ever Premier League loss at home.
And who could forget last year’s League Cup run? After an impressive, first-leg victory over Manchester United at the Stadium of Light, Poyet’s squad travelled to “The Theatre of Dreams” to try to finish off the Red Devils. No football fan ever thought that Sunderland would eventually go on to beat Man U in penalties and advance to Wembley for the League Cup final.
Despite falling in the final to Manchester City at Wembley, Sunderland did put up a valiant fight, and even went a goal up at one point in the match.
Unfortunately for Poyet and Sunderland…. The good just didn’t outweigh the bad.
The Aston Villa defeat over the weekend was obviously the nail in the coffin for Poyet, but it wasn’t the only low moment of his time at Sunderland.
For all the success that Sunderland had in last year’s League Cup, Poyet couldn’t find the same success in the FA Cup. Both years that Poyet was in charge, the Black Cat’s were easily dismissed from the competition. Last season it was a 3-0 defeat to Steve Bruce’s Hull City side. The worse loss may have been this season’s dismissal, when Sunderland was dropped out of the competition by League One side Bradford.
Then, of course, there was the horrific 8-nil defeat at Southampton earlier this season. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Saints have put together an impressive club system that should provide them with some longevity in the Premier League. But no one can disagree that Sunderland, and Poyet, looked simply out-smarted, out-classed and out-played. It would be hard to argue that the scoreline of that match wasn’t a fair representation of the Black Cat’s performance.
So what’s next for Sunderland? Enter Advocaat.
The new manager will immediately be faced with the challenge of keeping his squad out of the relegation zone and in the Premier League next season. With the North-East Derby and away matches at Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton looming, Advocaat will have his hands full.
The 67-year-old Dutchman has never managed in the Premier League, however he did have a stint with the Scottish side Rangers from 1998-2002. Advocaat also won a league titles with PSV Eindhoven and Zenit St. Petersburg.
Although Advocaat boasts an impressive resume, he has no experience in English football. This appointment will force him to not only quickly adjust to the EPL, but to literally save a team from relegation. Not an easy task. With little time to instill his coaching philosophy, Advocaat will be facing trail-by-fire.
Has Sunderland picked the right man? Only the next nine games will tell.