The Sunderland manager hunt is underway after the Black Cats parted company with Tony Mowbray last night, and a front-runner has quickly emerged to take over at the Stadium of Light.
Not even 24 hours have passed since Sunderland parted ways with Mowbray, who lasted little over a year in charge of the Black Cats, and already we have a front-runner emerging.
Sunderland drew 1-1 with Millwall in the Championship on Saturday, leaving the club winless in three but still just three points outside the top six.
It’s said that the Black Cats want a younger, more contemporary coach to come in, and also that the club will use analytics to decide on the right man to replace Mowbray.
Sunderland sack Mowbray
The decision was met with surprise online, and the Sunderland players are said to have been generally surprised at the decision as well.
Only last season did Mowbray steer Sunderland to a widely unexpected top six finish, and only several weeks ago were his side in the top six and looking set to challenge for another play-off place.
But things have quickly fallen apart, forcing the Sunderland owners to take action.
Sunderland are lacking in certain areas of the pitch and the idea of the club now achieving a top six finish this season seems a distant one.
Whoever comes in will inherit a good squad, but reinforcements are still needed.
Odds on next Sunderland manager
- John Eustace 5/1
- Nathan Jones 6/1
- Neil Warnock 6/1
- Paul Heckingbottom 8/1
- Steve Bruce 12/1
OLBG have quickly put together a list of candidates for the Sunderland job, with a familiar face in the running in Steve Bruce at 12/1.
Another veteran manager in Neil Warnock comes in at 6/1 along with former Luton Town and Southampton boss Nathan Jones, with Paul Heckingbottom thrown in at 8/1.
But former Birmingham City boss John Eustace has emerged as the early front-runner at 5/1.
Who is John Eustace?
Eustace, 44, was recently sacked by Birmingham City.
He left the club in 6th place of the table after an impressive 3-1 win over neighbours West Brom, only to be replaced by Wayne Rooney who’s overseen a plummet down the table.
Eustace was then tipped to take charge of Bristol City before they opted for Liam Manning, with Eustace widely hailed for his good work at Birmingham City.
He took over last season and despite a lack of investment, guided the club to a commendable 17th place finish in the Championship.
And he did so playing an effective brand of football which this season saw Birmingham City become a really solid defensive unit at the start of this season; that has since crumbled under Rooney.
Eustace is a UEFA Pro License holder and has previously worked as an assistant with the likes of QPR and the Republic of Ireland national side.