Sunderland defender, Dan Ballard has opened up about the departure of Tony Mowbray following his sacking last week.
This week saw some big news come out of Sunderland which may have come as a surprise to some but was welcomed by others.
This news saw Tony Mowbray relieved of his duties at the Stadium of Light following an up-and-down start to the season.
Prior to this weekend’s win, which saw them go sixth, the Black Cats had won eight, lost eight and drawn the other three. Not a poor record, it was the inconsistent nature which arguably cost Mowbray his job.
Given what the English manager had come into, he did manage to have a successful stint in the North East, that is for sure.
It has been made clear that the players liked the former manager and there will be some disappointed faces around the place.
What has Dan Ballard said about Tony Mowbray?
Considering the way that Alex Neil departed the club and how Mowbray came in on short notice, he did great work to get Sunderland into the playoffs.
It has been a good season in spells for the Black Cats but it clearly wasn’t enough for the hierarchy. This has left some players surprised. Speaking with the Sunderland Echo, Dan Ballard has opened up about the decision.
On that, he said: “I think of course it was surprising. It’s always tough when there is a managerial change. You think back to the Alex Neil time, that was again surprising. It’s never nice when someone loses their job but as players, we have to get on with it.”
The current crop of players, for the most part, have played for multiple coaches in their time with the club. This will hopefully put them in good stead moving forward under the eventual successor to Mowbray.
With that being said, it is clear that the players liked the former manager on a more personal level as well as professionally.
Making that point, Ballard added: “I think the lads will probably all speak to him over the next week or so and wish him all the best because I think that is genuinely how we feel because he was a really good guy.
“I think as a group of players we all really got on well with him. He’s just a really down-to-earth good guy. There was a little bit of disappointment because he gave his all in his time here so we all wish him well in the future.”
It is safe to say that Ballard may be disappointed to see him leave. Given the performances in recent weeks, who knows how the situation could be different if results were better.