Sunderland could hire O’Shea alternative who’d be perfect for Clarke

Sunderland won’t be too displeased to see the back of this Championship season when the full-time whistle is sounded on the final day, as the Black Cats hurtle towards an unsatisfactory mid-table finish.

Getting rid of Tony Mowbray looks to be an awful decision now in hindsight, with his immediate replacement in Michael Beale failing spectacularly in the Stadium of Light hot-seat before Mike Dodds was then given the reins in October last year.

The powers that be at the Wearside strugglers will be contemplating who will be their next manager now when Dodds steps down from his interim duties on 4 May, knowing that this appointment has to be spot on to get disgruntled Sunderland fans back on side again.

This potential appointment might bemuse Black Cats supporters initially but could still work, with the rumoured face tasting success with Sunderland in the past before walking away.

Sunderland manager news

A whole multitude of names are being linked with the Sunderland vacancy, including former Black Cats defender John O’Shea who has stated that he would ‘love’ to become the next boss when Dodds is put out of his misery.

A legend at the Stadium of Light during his extensive playing career, with the Irishman making 254 appearances for the Wearside outfit in total, O’Shea would potentially tarnish his reputation if a managerial spell at the Stadium of Light didn’t work out.

Instead, Sunderland could set their sights on getting this manager in through the door who knows the surroundings well from a previous spell.

Alex Neil might well have left on sour terms back in 2022, moving onto Stoke City a mere 24 games into his previous job post on Wearside, but the Scotsman did manage to win promotion from that short spell to put Sunderland back on the footballing map on their return to Championship football.

With a promotion up to the Premier League also present on his CV from his days as Norwich City boss, this controversial decision could also end up working wonders in keeping Jack Clarke around who worked under Neil previously.

Sunderland’s magnificent O’Shea alternative

A report from football journalist Alan Nixon in late February talked up the chances of a surprise Sunderland reunion for Neil, with a return making sense when you remove the hostilities the Scotsman dealt with when he exited.

Neil transformed the Black Cats when he was last in charge, overseeing 12 wins from his quickfire 24 games in charge to clinch promotion at Wembley in the playoff final.

Labelled as “magnificent” at the time for being the Sunderland boss to pull off promotion back up to the Championship by Peter Reid, Black Cats superstar Clarke would also welcome the return of the ex-Canaries manager to Wearside.

Clarke was given his first real chance to shine in the Sunderland first-team when Neil was last in charge, handed the majority of his 20 appearances during his debut 2021/22 season by the 42-year-old.

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger – who has been heavily touted for an exit of late – could well be tempted to stay put knowing that the club is in safe hands again under Neil, convinced to stick it out in the hopes Sunderland mount a serious promotion charge up to the Premier League as a result.

With a preference to use a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout his managerial career also suiting Sunderland, an unlikely return for the Scottish boss shouldn’t be completely ruled out this summer.