Simon Grayson became Sunderland’s next manager last night, but with so many managers turning the job down, does he know something others don’t?
There are risks in life that you either take or ignore and Simon Grayson may well be walking into the biggest risk of his career, after Preston North End allowed him to move to Sunderland on Thursday.
The former defender will be tasked with fixing a club in need of his guiding hand, having been relegated from the Premier League last season.
Simon Grayson leaves Preston North End to manage the Black Cats
Not first choice
Grayson has been the favourite to land the job all week on SkyBet and his odds came in massively to 1/20 in the last couple of days, but he was not the original first choice. That distinction went to Aberdeen’s manager Derek McInnes, who could not agree terms, according to SkySports.
The bigger picture was that Sunderland owner Ellis Short had been lining up a German consortium to buy him out, but SkySports reported that the talks with the consortium had ended and a sale was not in the club’s interest now. That left Short free to appoint a new manager.
So what made Grayson take the job ?
Though his three-year contract will surely have been attractive, Grayson had positive words for Sunderland fans, as he is quoted as telling SkySports. “I want to bring the good times back,” Grayson said. “Sunderland are so fortunate to have such tremendous support and I want to give these fans a team they can be proud of.”
He presumably also had his questions answered about current progress to resolve the club’s ownership uncertainties and the potential funds a manager would have for the next Championship campaign at the club.
Simon Grayson gets immediate positive reaction from fans on social media
Still, Grayson will need to be something special to put matters right quickly at Sunderland. There will be a Premier League wage bill to be reduced and no clear vision yet on how to set about the Championship. Grayson clearly must believe he has what it takes to steer the Black Cats through this difficult time. But it’s a loss to Preston North End, who now have to seek a new manager themselves.
Sunderland fans seem to have a bit of optimism about the appointment, and it is hard to feel that they don’t deserve some after what has been a tumultuous 12 months.
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