After four years of a consistent struggle, it is now the time to stop the rot for fed-up Sunderland
fans. Five managers have had a crack in trying to bring stability to the Stadium of Light since Steve Bruce’s departure, but none of them have succeeded, so is Dick Advocaat the man?
Sunderland went to desperate measures to re-appoint Advocaat to the Stadium of Light, and it’s obvious to see why. The experienced Dutchman has done it all in his career, and certainly has the reputation to attract the high-calibre players needed to bring stability, one being Jeremain Lens, who arrived from Dynamo Kiev this summer.
Throughout his nine-game spell towards the end of last season, Advocaat never seemed agitated by being deep in the midst of a relegation scrap. The one thing he demanded from his players throughout his tenure with the Black Cats was ‘respect’ because of his past achievements.
With only signing a one-year contract with Sunderland, Advocaat’s job is to stabilise Sunderland in the top-flight so that the next successor does not have the job in cleaning up the mess which has been undeniably forced upon by previous managers in the past.
There’s no doubt about it, Sunderland need to learn from their previous seasons and avoid yet another relegation squirm. Stability is absolutely decisive to long-term and sustained success for any football club, and for a fanbase as passionate as Sunderland’s, this is all they cherish.
