Sunderland warned against Will Still appointment over Stadium of Light factor | OneFootball

The Black Cats are searching for their successor to Michael Beale, with an appointment likely to be made soon due to the Championship season coming to an end.

Mike Dodds was placed in charge of the team on an interim basis in February following Beale’s dismissal.

Dodds was put in the role until the end of the campaign, with the Wearside outfit struggling to 16th in the table after last weekend’s final day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

A number of candidates have been linked with the vacancy, including 31-year-old Still.

Gabbiadini highlights Sunderland’s Will Still issue

Gabbiadini believes that Still lacks the required experience to take over the Sunderland head coach role.

The former Black Cats has urged the club to go in a different direction when appointing the replacement to Beale this summer.

“I’m just not sure about Will Still, whether he is the kind of person who, if we start the season with a couple of defeats and a couple of draws, how would he handle that as a young manager at a club with a fan base that is desperate for success, voices its concerns in the most outward way imaginable in football,” said Gabbiadini, via Total Sport.

“The Sunderland crowd let people know what they’re thinking, and I think, for me, I would be looking for more experience.”

Still was manager at Ligue 1 side Reims, but parted ways with the French outfit earlier this month.

He enjoyed a relatively successful 18 months or so in charge of the side, winning 25 of his 65 games in charge, and leading them to solid mid-table finishes in the top flight.

However, a poor run of form in his final weeks as manager led to him departing with just a couple of games remaining in the campaign.

Sunderland’s poor end to the season

Sunderland finished 16th in the Championship table, falling away from play-off contention in the second half of the term.

Three defeats in their final three games of the season saw them fall out of the top half of the standings, only ending up six points clear of the relegation zone.

It will likely be a busy summer ahead at the Stadium of Light for whoever comes in as Beale’s long-term successor.

The Black Cats will be aiming to fight for a top six finish next year, but will have a difficult job keeping hold of top stars like Anthony Patterson and Jack Clarke in the summer transfer market.

Still fits the Sunderland model

A lack of experience hasn’t stopped Sunderland from promoting a first team squad filled with young players.

That same philosophy could be applied to their next head coach appointment, and Still certainly fits that same mould of young, up-and-coming and exciting.

His time at Reims only lasted just over 18 months, but he was competing in one of Europe’s top divisions, where he earned pretty great experience in a short space of time.

Still would be a very exciting appointment, and the kind that Sunderland should be making if they are to compete for promotion next year.