A lot has been said about Phil Parkinson’s record as Sunderland manager and it will come as no surprise that the Black Cats finally bit the bullet and dispensed with his services this weekend.
However, rather than the usual drawn out appointment saga that often follows a sacking, Sunderland really need only look to one man.
Danny Cowley has been out of work, or should I say the Cowley brothers have been out of work, since leaving Huddersfield just before the end of last season and just after securing their place in the Championship for 2020/21.
It was a dismissal that didn’t sit right with many people not only because Cowley had done a great job to keep the Terriers up but also because he is clearly a superb manager who only ever improves clubs given time.
Huddersfield’s loss will definitely be someone’s gain and that someone should be Sunderland. He’s the perfect man to galvanise the club and equally the Black Cats are probably of sufficient size to tempt Danny and Nicky back into the dugout.
There are a number of good managers they could turn to. The likes of Daniel Stendel and Paul Cook come to mind, but neither of these two have the personality and vision of the Cowley brothers.
When they first came to Lincoln they observed some kids playing football on a local pitch. None of them, or at least very few, were wearing Lincoln City shirts. They saw it as their mission to change that situation and boy, they did not disappoint.
Not only did they take the Imps back into the Football League and then into League One a year later, but they also brought the city on board, turning Sincil Bank into a sold out community hub every Saturday. Away ends across the country struggled to accommodate Lincoln fans as they travelled to support their team in hordes.
This is what Sunderland fans need. A man they can get behind wholeheartedly. Danny Cowley would not only improve the first team but he would stamp his mark right the way through the fallen giant.
Getting Lincoln to the FA Cup quarter-final was some achievement, but turning around a leviathon on its knees would be almost as daunting a task. Jack Ross and Phil Parkinson have both been unable to do it and that speaks of the difficulty getting Sunderland on an upward trajectory, but with the right man it is achievable.
Off the field, Sunderland are still flux but the they needn’t be on it. Danny Cowley and Nicky Cowley have proven they can cut it in the Championship and if the Black Cats persuade them to come on board, it is more than likely the North-East giant will soon be heading back to the second tier, a place far more befitting of both Sunderland AFC and the Cowley brothers.
words James Richards, D3D4 Football