Sunderland pick Gus Poyet as new manager after he promises to clean up Di Canio's mess
Sunderland pick Gus Poyet as new manager after he promises to clean up Di Canio's mess
Uruguayan must get a discontented squad smiling again, avoid relegation and deliver the more attractive play owner wants
In Gus we trust: Poyer gets the thumbs-up from Newcastle hero Steve Harper
Gus Poyet will become Sunderland manager in the next 24 hours - after
vowing to heal the wounds left by sacked predecessor Paolo Di Canio.
Former
Brighton boss Poyet has convinced owner Ellis Short he is the man to
turn around the discontent Di Canio’s abrasive regime created at the Black Cats.
Poyet
has told Short he will pursue the owner’s wish for a more attractive
style of football, despite the rock-bottom club’s increasingly desperate
relegation battle.
While he is a disciplinarian, Poyet will offer a different style of man-management.
Frequent criticism of players by Di Canio broke the morale of Sunderland players over the summer.
Sources say Poyet, who will sign a three-year deal and bring with him his
old Brighton back-room staff, recognises the work already done by
caretaker manager Kevin Ball in patching up a “fractured” dressing room
spirit.
The two-week delay in appointing Poyet, who has been
favourite from the start, means he will start his reign at Swansea in a
fortnight.
He'll follow that with a North-East derby against Newcastle – against whom he has a brilliant record as both manager and player.
The
Uruguayan has spoken of “nervously” waiting for confirmation the job
was his, and that finally came on Monday as Short acted to stop the rot -
which has Sunderland six points from safety at the foot of the Premier
League, without a win in nine league games.
He was the top choice
of director of football Roberto De Fanti, and may now be under pressure
to integrate more of the Italian’s 14 summer signings into the first
team.
At times, only three new faces have made the starting line-up. Revolting: Sunderland's cheesed-off players ousted Di Canio
Getty
Poyet will face some difficult questions on his
appointment – notably how he intends to build trust with a group of
players who ousted Di Canio because of his relentless regime.
After
being sacked by Brighton in the summer, Poyet said: “I’ve dedicated
myself to watching the games of teams that might call me if things
weren’t going too well.”
Now that call has come from Wearside, he will need to work fast on the training ground.
The
return of Scotland striker Steven Fletcher from injury is a boost, but
he will have to get fellow forward Jozy Altidore looking like he will
score in the league.
Ex-England winger Adam Johnson also needs
revitalising if Sunderland are going to survive - Poyet will also have
to firm up their vulnerability to swift counter-attacks.
Ex-Spurs
and Chelsea star Poyet received an unlikely reference from former
Newcastle keeper Steve Harper, who played for him on loan at Brighton.
Harper
said: “He was very impressive. He will want Sunderland to play total
football, playing out from the back, beginning with the goalkeeper,
because he encourages his players to go out and express themselves.
“He
wasn’t scared to let players know where they were going wrong or when
they weren’t doing what he expected of them, but he was approachable and
friendly and tactically astute with it.
“He is a likeable man. Sunderland’s players will like working with him.
"I could tell from the start he was destined to go on and do a big job in the Premier League.
“The North East can chew managers up sometimes, but I think he’s got the character to do well.
"It certainly won’t faze him.”
Sunderland's upcoming league matches
Oct 19 Swansea (a)
Oct 27 Newcastle (h)
Nov 2 Hull (a)
Nov 10 Manchester City (h)
Nov 23 Stoke (a)
Nov 30 Aston Villa (a)
Dec 4 Chelsea (h)
Dec 7 Tottenham (h)
No comments:
Post a Comment