Can we trust Sunderland’s process in the search for a new head coach?

Sunderland’s recent slump on the pitch has been hugely frustrating, given the way we started the season.

Injuries have played a role and the uncertainty in the dugout and on the training ground won’t have helped the players.

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Additionally, what’s clearly impacted performances is a lack of experienced heads in the dressing room to talk to the youngsters and to help Mike Dodds and his staff get them focused on the game and not the off field dynamics.

Despite the fact that Dodds has been part and parcel of Sunderland coaching teams of the recent past, he’s now the head coach and is therefore the boss. He’s not the players’ friend and as much as he’d like to be, he’s certainly not their confidante.

However, although Kristjaan Speakman and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus looked to have been decisive in their dismissal of Michael Beale, who quickly became a square peg in a round hole, we have to wonder how much time and effort has been invested in seeking the man who’ll be one of the most important appointments in my fifty years of following Sunderland.

Lee Johnson departed without the club having a successor lined up and the same can be said for the aftermath of Tony Mowbray’s exit, with some weeks apparently spent identifying and luring Beale to Wearside.

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We know there are strict rules around approaching managers, but the football grapevine is constant and I’m sure that Speakman knows who to talk to in order to sound out a potential new head coach at their discretion, and whether the Stadium of Light job would potentially appeal to them.

The message we’ve always had from the club management is that there’s a ‘data-led approach’ to any decision they make, and they can access, analyse, interpret and hopefully trust it.

Given the data’s failure when it came to the appointment of Beale, that trust might be wavering a little, but we have to hope that with the January window well behind us, all attention has been focused on identifying the likely candidates to become our head coach at the end of the season.

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Although the club’s love of unearthing a young talented investment has been all too evident, finding the right coach is a high priority.

Until we know who’ll be coaching the team, how can we be trying to identify players that we can attract for next season? Indeed, it pains me to say that although it’s highly unlikely, the relegation trapdoor isn’t firmly closed at present.

As I said earlier, the new head coach is likely to be one of the most important, if not the most important appointment of the past fifty years.

We need someone who’ll not only get Sunderland to the Premier League, but will also have a good chance of keeping us there, and as we’ve seen with Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton this season, that’s a harder task than ever.

The new head coach will not only need to win the respect of the players, but will also need the tactical nous to get the best out of the squad, as well as the ability to manage upwards.

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Whilst it’s clear the recruitment structure is set, they’ll need to possess the skill to find a way to convince Speakman and Dreyfus that the model can and should be refined.

The question is, can the recruitment team and the process that appointed Beale deliver the inspirational decision the club requires when it comes to the next full time incumbent?

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