Sunderland manager ratings: How does Dick Advocaat compare to his predecessors?

Follow us on Google Discover

How does Dick Advocaat compare to the last five full-time Sunderland managers?

Dick Advocaat – N/A

Dick Advocaat was appointed the Sunderland manager earlier this month following the dismissal of Gus Poyet.

The Dutchman has been in charge of just one game, which ended in a 1-0 defeat to West Ham United away from home in the Premier League.

Advocaat’s primary objective is to make sure that the Black Cats retain their Premier League status.

It would be a bit premature to rate Advocaat based on just one match.

Gus Poyet – 7/10

Poyet was in charge of Sunderland from October 2013 until March 2015. The Uruguayan had a win percentage of 33.3.

Poyet’s main objective last season was to keep the Black Cats in the Premier League, which he did but only just.

Once again Sunderland are fighting for survival in the English top flight, but under the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, the team were in a free fall.

However, when Poyet was sacked, the Black Cats were a point and a place above the relegation zone.

Paolo Di Canio – 5.5/10

Paolo Di Canio was appointed the Sunderland boss in March 2013 with the sole objective of preserving the club’s Premier League status.

The Italian was a controversial choice, but he achieved his primary aim of making sure that the Black Cats do not go down to the Championship.

However, things began to unravel in the 2013-14 season, as Sunderland failed to pick up points consistently.

Di Canio was eventually sacked in September 2013 and ended his Sunderland tenure with a win percentage of only 23.1.

Martin O’Neill – 6/10

Martin O’Neill was in charge of Sunderland from December 2011 to March 2013 and had a win percentage of 35.2.

During the tenure of the Northern Irishman, the Black Cats finished 12th in the 2011-12 season, but the following campaign, the team started to regress.

Sunderland were aiming for a top-10 finish, but instead they ended up fighting against the drop, leading the club to part company with O’Neill in March 2013.

Steve Bruce – 7/10

Steve Bruce was appointed the Sunderland boss in June 2009, and he was in charge of the first team until November 2011.

The Englishman led the Black Cats to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League in the 2009-10 season, and the following campaign, they ended up in a respectable 10th spot.

However, Sunderland and Bruce parted company in November 2011 following a run of poor results which left the team close to the bottom three.

Ricky Sbragia – 7.5/10

Ricky Sbragia was in charge of Sunderland for less than a year. The Scotsman was appointed the Black Cats manager in December 2008, and he stepped down from his position at the end of the 2008-09 season.

Sbragia did a respectable job at the Stadium of Light while in charge of the first team, guiding the team to 16th in the Premier League table in the 2008-09 campaign.