The improbable escape ended in defeat to Burton last weekend. A one-goal lead ended in a 2 – 1 defeat to Sunderland’s fellow strugglers and a quirk of the fixture list meant the Black Cats were down.
Three successive draws after an impressive 4 – 1 win at Derby weren’t enough; only wins would do, and Sunderland were woefully short of those this season. League One awaits, with a new manager in tow after Chris Coleman was sacked by the club’s new owners.
A consortium led by Eastleigh FC chairman Stewart Donald bought an end to Ellis Short’s controversial spell in charge of the Wearside club.
Short confirmed he “been trying to sell Sunderland” for some time. However, he “waited until the right group came along” meeting his expectations for “experience, finances and [a] plan to take this great club back to where it deserves to be.”
He admitted to being disappointed – “Overall my chairmanship has not gone the way I would have wished” – while admitting “the low points of the last two terrible seasons” have taken the shine from the Premier League years.
Donald is to “relinquish control of Eastleigh” to satisfy Football League rules. His first job is to find a replacement for Coleman. Having walked away from Wales, the former Fulham defender was unable to avert a relegation which many saw as inevitable from the start of the season.
With new ownership, the decision wasn’t a surprise. The club issued a statement confirming Coleman’s departure.
“Sunderland AFC announces that manager Chris Coleman and his assistant Kit Symons have been released from their contracts.
“The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Chris and Kit for their tireless efforts in what has been a hugely disappointing season for everyone involved with the club.
“The club is unable to make further comment at this time.”
Under Coleman’s stewardship, Sunderland won just five (17.2%) of their 29 games, failing to win consecutive matches in the season.
It is the low of his managerial career and left concerns the club might not immediately recover from the relegation to League One for a number of seasons. Already, they have seen a number of Championship clubs, as well as local rivals Newcastle United, looking to pick over the bones of a youthful squad.
A new owner may be the fresh start they need.