Sunderland make 'difficult decision' to sack Tony Mowbray

Sunderland have sacked Tony Mowbray following a poor run of results, with assistant Mark Venus also departing.

Mowbray did exceptionally well in his first season in charge, replacing Alex Neil in August and guiding the Black Cats to the play-offs.

Things haven’t gone so well this season either, although it has had its bright spots, not least the 5-0 win over Southampton.

However, the team has slumped lately,, winning just two games in their last nine and apparently forgetting how to score.

Defeats to Huddersfield and Plymouth, as well as failing to score against ten-man Swansea, left Mowbray blaming the strikers for failing to convert chances, even though they weren’t actually getting any.

And, when managers start deflecting blame, it tends to mean it is only trending one way, and Mowbray has now left the Stadium of Light.

“All at SAFC have thoroughly enjoyed working with Tony and he is quite rightly held in high regard by our players and staff, and our supporters,” Kristjaan Speakman said.

“After arriving at an uncertain time, he helped guide us to the Sky Bet Championship Play-Offs and played an important role in developing our team. 

"This was a difficult decision to make, but we remain loyal to our ambition and our strategy, and felt that now was the right moment to take this step.

“We are now focused on identifying the right candidate and we will continue to support our coaching team and players throughout the interim period.”

Mike Dodds will be in charge until a replacement is announced. 

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