Sunderland in chaos as sporting director set to quit

Sunderland in chaos as sporting director set to quit alongside Dick Advocaat

• Lee Congerton disillusioned by internal politics and lack of cash
• West Ham match may be Dick Advocaat’s last as Sunderland manager



The Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat may leave the club after the home match against West Ham. 

Sunderland appear in total chaos with Lee Congerton now set to join Dick Advocaat in quitting the struggling club.

Congerton’s 18 months as Sunderland’s sporting director – effectively the director of football – are understood to be ending after his resignation from the post. The former Chelsea chief scout and Hamburg technical director is believed to have become disillusioned by both the club’s complex internal politics and the limited transfer budget made by available by Ellis Short, the owner, this summer.

The sporting director never saw eye to eye with Gus Poyet, Advocaat’s predecessor, feeling undermined when Short permitted Poyet to force through the signings of players such as Liam Bridcutt, Will Buckley and Ignacio Scocco but he was responsible for Advocaat’s, initially short-term, appointment last spring.

With Sunderland somehow avoiding what had seemed near certain relegation, it proved a masterstroke but since Congerton and Short persuaded the Dutchman to reverse a summer-time decision to retire, little has gone right.

Sunderland face West Ham at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon bottom of the Premier League without a league win this season. There are understood to be tensions in the squad with certain individuals unhappy at Advocaat’s attempts to sideline some long-established players and the manager feeling short-changed by the lack of transfer cash made available to him and Congerton during the close season.

While the former Holland coach is expected to take charge of the game against Slaven Bilic’s side he appears determined to resign at some point afterwards, regardless of the result.

Possible replacements include Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, as well as Nigel Pearson and Sam Allardyce. The new man will be Short’s sixth managerial appointment in the past four years.

Guardian