Sunderland are reportedly looking at former Stadium of Light hero Kevin Phillips to lead them back out of League One next season.
After going from the Premier League to League One in less than 12 months, there are not many smiles around the Stadium of Light right now. But Sunderland’s prospective new owner Stewart Donald is determined to change that.
And appointing Kevin Phillips as the club’s new manager could be one way to get the fans onside.
Phillips is a bona fide club legend and a nostalgic reminder of happier times, spending six years on Wearside between 1997 and 2003 and even winning the European Golden Shoe as a Sunderland player.
While Phillips would be a popular appointment at the Stadium of Light, it is difficult to argue that a return to his former stomping ground would come at the right time – especially when Mick McCarthy is available.
Phillips might be a respected coach who has built a reputation during spells behind the scenes at Leicester and Derby but he has absolutely no experience as a manager in his own right.
Therefore, the Sunderland job would be his first. But, over the years, so many talented young managers have emerged only to disappear when their first stint in the dugout goes awry and, with the Black Cats slipping into League One, in need of a major rebuild and with a toxic atmosphere on and off the pitch, you could hardly find a tougher first assignment for a young coach.
Sunderland would be taking a major risk appointing Phillips, especially with the experienced, tough-talking Mick McCarthy interested in a return to the North East according to the Chronicle.
McCarthy, unlike Phillips, is a proven, experienced manager who has shown before that he can build teams from the ground up.
Appointing Phillips, however, would put the club in very uncertain hands and, if it all goes wrong, threaten to destroy the former striker’s legacy.
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