Sunderland parted ways with Tony Mowbray last night, in what was a surprise decision for most.
Sunderland currently sit in 9th place of the Championship table in what is only their second season back in the second tier.
Mowbray replaced Alex Neil shortly after the start of last season and eventually steered the Black Cats to an unexpected top six finish, with the club falling short in the semi-finals.
The experienced Football League boss was lauded among Sunderland fans, and despite a tough patch of form in recent weeks, he was still a well-liked figure at the club.
But there had been some growing discontent among fans online and after a 1-1 draw away at Millwall over the weekend, Sunderland announced last night that Mowbray has since been dismissed.
Sunderland sack Mowbray
The news, despite many feeling that a change was in the air, has still come as a surprise.
After his heroics last season, many thought that Mowbray would be given more time, especially with the club still just three points outside the play-off places.
Whilst the decision has received a mixed reaction online, journalist James Copley has revealed how the Sunderland dressing room reacted to the news.
He revealed on X that there was a sense of surprise at the decision.
Who will be the new manager?
Given the timing of the decision, the fact that it’s not come straight after the Millwall game and that it’s not during a totally poor run of form, suggests that Sunderland could have a new manager already lined up.
Mowbray was never the long-term answer for Sunderland who’ll surely have had their eye on some potential new coaches for a while, and it’s expected to be a younger, more contemporary coach than Mowbray.
And it’s also said that Sunderland will rely quite heavily on analytical research when finding their next boss.
It’s certainly a pressing appointment for Sunderland and not only will the next boss have the task of promotion dealt to him, but he’ll also have to win over the players and replace a well-liked boss in Mowbray.