With Coral traders now giving no more than 1/200 on Sunderland to be relegated to the Championship at the conclusion of this season, it’s looking nailed on that the great escape fans had been hoping for is now beyond them.
The Black Cats will not do a Crystal Palace, Leicester or West Ham and turn things around. They will not be involved in a twist-or-bust drama tie on the last day of the season, but will instead be sinking to the second-flight of English football, trading places with derby rivals Newcastle, who pass them in the FA corridors going in the opposite direction.
Black Cats have been bad luck
It’s yet another low point in the career of David Moyes, who has had very little to cheer since leaving Goodison Park for the promised land of Old Trafford in 2013. The Scotsman was sacked by Man Utd after just 10 months. Later in 2014 Moyes was thrown a scrap by Spanish outfit Real Sociedad, but it proved another ill-fated moved. Hired in November, David was punted a year later following a poor start to the season.
With interest in Moyes very thin on the ground, the 53-year-old Glaswegian was tasked with taking Sunderland forward, but it was a poisoned chalice, with the restrictions placed on him by the board meaning he was effectively operating with one hand tied behind his back. That has been reflected in his side’s performances, and on Easter Sunday they found themselves rock-bottom of the Premier League, nine points off Hull City and safety, having won just five of their 32 league games.
David Moyes – who has now managed at Preston, Everton, Man Utd, Sociedad and Sunderland – won’t be in a rush to do his current employers any favours when they do go down, and there won’t be many in the game who would blame him if he was to jump ship in the summer either. It’s surprising he has lasted so long under his current working conditions, but the Scotsman is a man of pride, if nothing else.
With Moyes making that famously controversial statement about slapping a female reporter earlier this year, both parties may be happy to go their separate ways. So, what would lie ahead for Moyes if he was to cut ties at the Stadium of Light? He hasn’t been mentioned in the running for too many decent jobs recently, but his country could come calling soon enough.
Scotland job a perfect fit
With the Tartan Army up against it to qualify for the next World Cup in Russia, and fans turning against current gaffer Gordon Strachan, some labelling him past it, Moyes would certainly rank as a ready-made replacement. Scotland have England at Hampden next, lose that and Strachan’s time may be up. Moyes would then send in a CV reminding the SFA that he turned out for the blues at youth level as a captain, and enjoyed stints at Celtic, Dunfermline and Hamilton during his playing days.
He boasts big game experience as a leader with Everton and Man Utd, and was touted by Sir Alex Ferguson as the next big thing not too long ago, a solid recommendation north of the border. During his time at United he guided them to qualification for the knock-out stage of the Champions League as group winners, and has been crowned Premier League manager of the year on three occasions, most recently in 2009.
