Poyet out and Advocaat in at Sunderland

Experienced Dutch boss Dick Advocaat has been brought in as Sunderland head coach until the end of the season.

On Monday Sunderland dispensed with the services of Uruguayan boss Gus Poyet, after the team’s disastrous 4-0 home defeat against Aston Villa.

The decision did not come as a major surprise considering the situation at the north east club.

The Black Cats had failed to win in their last six games in all competitions, losing four and also scored just once in that time period.

The writing was on the wall for Poyet when he was approached in his dugout by a number of irate fans during the Villa defeat.

The defeat against fellow strugglers Villa means Sunderland are now just a point above the Premier League relegation zone.

Chore

Gus Poyet throughout the last few months has looked like managing Sunderland has been a chore, rather than a challenge or an enjoyable job. I am sure many Black Cats fans will have felt like watching their team has also been a chore in recent months.

Gamble

Sunderland acted with lightning speed in replacing Poyet, by bringing in veteran Dutch boss Dick Advocaat on a contract until the end of the season.

The decision may be seen by many as a gamble, as the 67-year-old has never managed in England and is also accustomed to fighting at the top of leagues not at the bottom. He has never been relegated in his managerial career though, which may be clutching at straws slightly considering the teams he has managed.

Big Club

On his appointment as the new Sunderland head coach Advocaat told Sky Sports: “Sunderland is a big club and I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead,”

“We must now concentrate on Saturday as a priority and I can’t wait to get started.”

Experienced

Advocaat may not have managed in England before, but he is a vastly experienced boss. The veteran has managed at both club and international level. He managed his homeland on two occasions, as well as South Korea, Serbia and Belgium.

At club level he has managed at Rangers, PSV Eindhoven, Zenit St Petersburg and AZ Alkmaar amongst others. His last job was boss of the Serbian national team, which lasted less than six months and he left his position of November 2014.

Advocaat has seen success during his club career, winning league titles in Scotland with Rangers, in Holland with PSV and most recently in Russia in 2007 with Zenit.

Advocaat will need his vast experience if he is to help Sunderland escape their current predicament. The veteran Dutch boss will have a good knowledge of the English game, having managed against English teams.

The Premier League will not come as a shock to such an experience boss as Advocaat and he will no doubt learn very quickly about his players and the opposition teams.

Stale

To say that the Sunderland team had gone stale in recent months would be a major understatement. Advocaat’s predecessor Poyet was brought in to save the club from relegation and instil fresh impetus. He did just that, but in recent weeks the team have just looked so lacklustre.

Poyet seemed unhappy, the Black Cats players seemed unhappy and the fans of the club were also unhappy. Something had to change and Sunderland owner Ellis Short decided it had to be the team’s boss, which judging on the last few results may be a fair reflection on the situation.

Quality

The Sunderland squad does contain some talented players, but they have just been underperforming for too long. The squad is full of international footballers and players that no doubt would get into a lot of Premier League teams.

However, for one reason or another they just have not been able to come together as a team to gain decent results this season.

Survival

Sunderland fans will be hoping that the arrival of Advocaat at the club will give the team the lift it needs to escape the threat of relegation this season.

The Black Cats came close to the drop last season and survived by putting together a miraculous run at the end of the campaign. They are not in as bad a position this season, but they need to start collecting points quickly or they could very well be dragged into that relegation zone in the near future.

Is Dick Advocaat a good appointment by Sunderland?