Sunderland have recently appointed a new head coach in Frenchman Regis De Bris. He has become the Black Cats’ fourth foreign manager/head coach in their long history. Here is a look back at the other three of Sunderland’s former foreign managers and how they fared in the Stadium of Light hot seat.
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How Sunderland’s Former Foreign Managers Have Fared
Paolo Di Canio, 2013
To say the appointment of Di Canio to replace Martin O’Neil came as a surprise would be an understatement. O’Neil was struggling to keep Sunderland in the Premier League and although a change was on the cards, few expected the controversial Italian to take charge.
Di Canio’s volatile nature, lack of top-flight managerial experience and a habit of blaming his players in public meant he lasted just 13 games. He left with the club bottom of the table.
However, he did save them from relegation in the seven games he had before the end of the previous season. This included a 3-0 victory at rivals Newcastle United which included the famous knee slide from the man himself.
Gus Poyet, 2013-2015
Di Canio’s replacement was former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Gus Poyet. A lack of confidence greeted the new boss and they were defeated 4-0 in his first game at Swansea City. However, a 2-1 victory against Newcastle featuring a stunning strike from Fabio Borini followed.
It was a tough season and despite a League Cup final appearance, the Black Cats were struggling to escape the relegation places. With games running out, a miracle was needed and Poyet and his team provided one. Wins at Manchester United and Chelsea plus a draw at Manchester City helped the Black Cats collect 13 points from their last six games to complete a great escape.
Poyet could not build on the end-of-season heroics and he and his team struggled. An 8-0 defeat at Southampton, Aston Villa winning 4-0 at halftime and getting beat by Bradford City in the FA Cup were just some of the embarrassing defeats that fans had to endure. Following just four wins by mid-March, the Uruguayan was sacked.
Dick Advocaat, 2015
Dutchman Dick Advocaat was tasked with keeping Sunderland in the Premier League following the departure of Gus Poyet. The former Netherlands boss orchestrated another great escape on Wearside collecting 12 points from eight games. This run included another win against Newcastle. Jermain Defore scoring a superb volley.
Following the point at Arsenal that confirmed Sunderland’s survival, Advocaat was in tears on the pitch. He said: “Yeah well, you work so hard with everybody every day, with the staff and all the people, and nobody expected it.
“Everyone said Sunderland will go down…well don’t say that to me. It’s a great feeling [to keep Sunderland up], one I will never forget.”
His original contract was until the end of the season but persuasion from fans and the clubs’ hierarchy convinced him to stay on.
A summer of frustration followed as Advocaat could not add the quality to his squad that he wanted and ultimately the team struggled. Eight games into the new season and the Black Cats winless, Advocaat resigned to give his replacement time to turn the clubs’ fortunes around.
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