Dick Advocaat leaves Sunderland

Sunderland could turn to Steve McClaren as Dick Advocaat leaves



• Dutchman led Sunderland to Premier League survival
• Advocaat: ‘At certain moments in your life you have to make a decision’
• Former Derby and England manager McClaren potential target

Dick Advocaat celebrates after the draw at Arsenal which secured Sunderland's Premier League survival.

Dick Advocaat has turned down the chance to become Sunderland’s permanent head coach, leaving the club bitterly disappointed and forcing them to embark on a managerial search that could see them compete with Newcastle United for the services of Steve McClaren.

Advocaat informed Sunderland of his decision on Wednesday night and, while it was not the news that Ellis Short, the owner, and Lee Congerton, the sporting director, wanted to hear, the expectation was the Dutchman would walk away and bring the curtain down on his managerial career in club football. Sunderland did everything in their power to try to convince him to stay on after being hugely impressed by his impact since replacing Gus Poyet on a short-term basis. It is understood he was offered the most lucrative contract in the club’s history. Advocaat, however, had assured his wife that he would not extend his arrangement beyond May and, as much as he enjoyed his time at the Stadium of Light and gave serious consideration to taking up the position he was offered, he has stayed true to that original promise.

All of which leaves Sunderland back in the managerial marketplace along with Newcastle, their north-east rivals, and West Ham United, and it is inevitable that there will be some crossover in terms of targets. McClaren is one of the names on Sunderland’s and Newcastle’s shortlist, although nothing has been taken further at this stage and there is no indication the former England manager is the frontrunner for either job. Short may take some convincing that McClaren is the right man to succeed Advocaat. Sam Allardyce, the former Newcastle manager, could also be in the frame while the merits of pursuing Paul Clement have also been explored but considered problematic. Clement, who has spent the past two seasons working as Carlo Ancelotti’s No2 at Real Madrid, is believed to favour cutting his managerial teeth at Championship level and everything points to him succeeding McClaren at Derby, which is regarded as almost a done deal.

Short understood Advocaat’s decision. “Although I am extremely disappointed, I understand and absolutely respect his decision. In his brief time here, he made a real impact and lifted the club with his experience and enthusiasm. We will always be grateful to him for what he achieved.”

Advocaat, who won three and drew three of his nine games in charge to haul the team clear of the relegation zone, said Sunderland was the only position he would have taken in club management. “At certain moments in your life, you have to make a decision and I am almost 68 now. A number of clubs contacted me but the decision was always Sunderland or nobody. I would like to thank the chairman, Lee [Congerton, sporting director], the staff and of course the fans. We gave everything in our time there and achieved what we set out to. Sunderland has been one of the highlights of my career.”

Congerton will have the job of identifying a long-term head coach, having hoped that Advocaat might have spared him that difficult task. “I know it was a tough decision for Dick to make, but he felt that he couldn’t commit to the intense rigours of club management on a longer-term basis and we respect his honesty.

“In his short time here, he was fantastic to work with. He had and will continue to have the utmost respect of everyone here at Sunderland. I would like to sincerely thank him, along with his assistant Bert van Lingen and coach Zeljko Petrovic, for the hard work and dedication they showed in the last two months and they leave with the very best wishes of everyone at the club for their achievements.”