Simon Jordan believes Neil Warnock may be the perfect fit for Sunderland after talks with former manager Roy Keane broke down, speaking to talkSPORT (10 February, 10.40am).
When Black Cats owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfuss was born, during December 1997, Warnock was already in his sixth managerial role.
To say the former Sheffield United, QPR and Leeds boss has a history of success in the lower leagues would be an understatement equivalent to saying, for example, ‘that Lionel Messi fella is alright, isn’t he’?
Yes, Warnock may be 73 years of age.
But a man with over 1,600 games under his belt (the most ever managed in English football) is still a force to be reckoned with.
He guided an unfancied Cardiff City side to promotion in 2018, after all. And, in his most recent managerial role, Warnock left Middlesbrough in the comfort of mid-table, having taken over when the club were in the midst of a relegation battle.
Who will be Sunderland’s next manager?
Sunderland appear to be prioritising those with a proven track record in the EFL as they look for a coach to build on the good work Lee Johnson did on Wearside.
Grant McCann, League One champion with Hull City less than 12 months ago, is one of their top targets.
Sabri Lamouchi, formerly of Nottingham Forest, and ex-Preston boss Alex Neil are also in contention.
But, after former Black Cats hero Roy Keane turned down the opportunity to re-join a club he lead to the promised land of the Premier League over a decade ago, Simon Jordan feels Sunderland could do worse than to turn their attention to a man who’s won more promotions than most of us have had hot dinners (Athletic).
“I think people like Neil Warnock are better suited for that job (than Keane),” says Jordan, who worked with Warnock at Crystal Palace.
“He will put his arm around this Sunderland chairman and guide him in the right direction.
“I’m telling you, he’s a pleasure to work with because he makes it easy. And this guy (Dreyfus) needs a bit of help. This football club, it’s a big nut to crack in terms of the disappointment of where they are and the expectation of the fans.
“You need a manager who’s really able to work alongside him.”
A bullet dodged?
Jordan fears that Keane, a notoriously ‘difficult’ character with a tongue sharper than a surgeon’s scalpel, may not have been the ideal sparring partner for a 25-year-old chairman still learning his trade in English football.
“This owner is finding his way around the football world,” Jordan adds. “He’s a young man and you can’t buy experience.
“Roy has been a long time out of frontline management. We’ve seen nothing but Roy Keane in confrontations. You do need a bit of that, but that can’t be the only skill.
“I think there’s more problems for that young owner than there would have been solutions with Roy Keane.”
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