List of Sunderland A.F.C. managers

Peter Reid, manager of Sunderland from 1995 to 2002, gained the club's highest league finish since 1955.

Sunderland Association Football Club was founded in September 1880 as Sunderland and District Teachers Association Football Club.[1] After turning professional in 1886, the club appointed Tom Watson as their first manager, and under Watson the team won the Football League First Division three times in four seasons.[2] The percentage of games won under Watson remains the highest of all time for a Sunderland manager. Watson left to manage Liverpool and was replaced by Robert Campbell, but the new manager failed to continue the success of his predecessor. The next three managers, Alex Mackie, Bob Kyle and Johnny Cochrane, each won the First Division title while at the club. Kyle's 817 games in charge, spread over 19 full seasons either side of the First World War, make him Sunderland's longest-serving manager.[3] Cochrane led the club to their first FA Cup victory, beating Preston North End 3–1 in the 1937 final.[4] The closest they had come in previous seasons was as losing finalists in 1913 under Kyle.[5]

After Cochrane, no manager won a trophy until Bob Stokoe led the team to their second FA Cup with a 1–0 win over Leeds United in the 1973 FA Cup Final.[6] Stokoe took Sunderland into European competition for the first time in their history, but they were knocked out in the second round of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup by Sporting Clube de Portugal.[7] Len Ashurst led Sunderland to their first League Cup final, which they lost 1–0 to Norwich City, but relegation brought him the sack at the end of the season.[8][9] Under Lawrie McMenemy, Sunderland were relegated to the Third Division for the first time in their history.[10] Following this, Denis Smith was named as manager, and saw the club back into the Second Division.[11]

Peter Reid brought Sunderland to the Premier League for the first time in their history in the 1996–97 season, but they were relegated in their debut season.[12] The team progressed as far as the Division One play-off final in 1998, drawing 4–4 after extra time before losing 7–6 on penalties,[13] and went one step further the following season, winning promotion as champions with a record total, at that time, of 105 points.[14] Still led by Reid, they went on to achieve their highest place finish in the Premier League, finishing seventh in two consecutive seasons, and narrowly missed out on a UEFA Cup place.[15] In 2002–03, Sunderland had three different managers, with Reid, Howard Wilkinson and, towards the end of the season, Mick McCarthy; the club ended that season with a then record low total of 19 points.[15] Under McCarthy, a third-place finish in the Championship earned Sunderland a place in the 2003–04 play-offs, only to lose to Crystal Palace in the semi-finals;[16] in 2004–05, they were promoted as champions, clinching the title with a 2–1 win over West Ham.[17] In March 2006, McCarthy was sacked in a season where Sunderland gained just 15 points, breaking their previous record, with former player Kevin Ball taking over as caretaker manager for the remaining games.[18] Following a takeover of the club, incoming chairman Niall Quinn acted as manager until Roy Keane's appointment three weeks into the 2006–07 season.[19] Keane went on to win the Championship title in his first season of management.[20] After keeping the side in the Premier League, he resigned in December 2008 and Ricky Sbragia eventually assumed the role after a spell as caretaker.[21][22] Sbragia resigned immediately after the final match of the 2008–09 season, when Sunderland had achieved survival in the Premier League.[23] Wigan Athletic manager Steve Bruce was appointed as his successor in June 2009.[24] Having spent two-and-a-half years as manager, Bruce was sacked on 30 November 2011.[25] Martin O'Neill, a boyhood fan of the club, was appointed as manager on 3 December 2011. Sunderland's form soon took off, picking up 27 points in O'Neill's first 18 league games in charge, as well as reaching an FA Cup quarter-final. However, the team underperformed during the 2012–13 season, and on 30 March 2013, O'Neill was sacked. The following day on 31 March 2013, Paolo Di Canio was appointed on a 2+1⁄2-year contract. Di Canio was sacked less than six months later with Sunderland bottom of the Premier League.[26]

  1. ^ "Happy Birthday Sunderland AFC – 136 Years Old!". Ryehill Football. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Past Manager Profile — Tom Watson". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  3. ^ "Sunderland AFC Manager Summaries". The Stat Cat. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  4. ^ "FA Cup Final 1937". FA Cup Finals. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  5. ^ "FA Cup Final 1913". FA Cup Finals. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  6. ^ "FA Cup Final 1973". FA Cup Finals. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  7. ^ "1973–74 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup". UEFA. Archived from the original on 25 March 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  8. ^ "England — League Cup Finals 1961–2001". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  9. ^ "Past Managers 1979–1985". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  10. ^ "Past Managers — Lawrie McMenemy". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  11. ^ "1980–99". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  12. ^ "1996/97 season". Premier League. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  13. ^ "Championship Play-Off — Final". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  14. ^ "1990–1999". Sunderland A.F.C. Archived from the original on 4 January 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  15. ^ a b "Sunderland AFC". Premier League. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  16. ^ "Football Club History Database — Sunderland". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  17. ^ "Football: Championship: Elliott sends Sunderland up as champions". The Guardian. 4 April 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2005.
  18. ^ "Sunderland sack manager McCarthy". BBC Sport. 6 March 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
  19. ^ "Keane becomes new Sunderland boss". BBC Sport. 28 August 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2008.
  20. ^ Andrew McKenzie (29 April 2007). "Quinn astonished by Keane success". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  21. ^ "Keane resigns as Sunderland boss". BBC Sport. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  22. ^ "Sbragia appointed Sunderland boss". BBC Sport. 27 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
  23. ^ "Sbragia resigns from Sunderland". BBC Sport. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
  24. ^ "Bruce named as Sunderland manager". BBC Sport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  25. ^ "Sunderland part company with manager". Sunderland A.F.C. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  26. ^ "Paolo Di Canio: Sunderland part company with Italian". BBC Sport. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.