Dick Advocaat to stay as Sunderland manager after shock u-turn
Dutch manager agrees to sign a one-year contract at Stadium of Light, just a week after insisting he was retiring from football
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Dick Advocaat is to stay as Sunderland manager, according to reports Photo: Getty Images
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By
Luke Edwards
12:37PM BST 04 Jun 2015
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Dick Advocaat is understood to have stunned Sunderland by agreeing to remain as manager just a week after telling them he wanted to retire because of family commitments.
The Dutchman delivered a bitter blow to owner Ellis Short last week when he told the American he could not commit to the club long term after
saving them from relegation. Short had promised him a significant transfer kitty and the final say on transfers in an attempt to persuade him to remain on Wearside.
However, it is thought Advocaat has changed his mind as he realised he was not going to be given the opportunity to manage the Belgium national team and will accept a one-year deal.
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Dick Advocaat sheds tears after keeping Sunderland in the Premier League
Telegraph Sport has been told several Sunderland players – including captain John O’Shea and striker Jermain Defoe - contacted the former Zenit St Petersburg boss after learning he was not going to stay to express their disappointment at his decision.
Advocaat impressed both Short and Director of Football Lee Congerton in saving the Black Cats from relegation and they were both confident the 67-year-old would sign a 12-month rolling contract.
Indeed, the Sunderland hierarchy were so convinced he would stay after a series of meetings that they had not even drawn up a shortlist for potential candidates when he told them he would not take the job.
Advocaat was brought in on a short term contract in March after Sunderland sacked Gus Poyet following a 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa. They collected 12 points from a possible 27 under Advocaat to survive in the top flight.
The resurrection of the plan to make Advocaat their permanent manager is thought to have been down to Congerton, who went back to him on Tuesday and asked him to reconsider.
Congerton knew Advocaat had wanted to stay and only turned the job down as he had promised his wife he would not take another club role. Congerto suspected he would answer another SOS if he found out the Black Cats could not find anyone else at such short notice.
Congerton was unimpressed with the alternative options, particularly when David Moyes and Sam Allardyce ruled themselves out of the running and former Real Madrid assistant manager Paul Clement agreed to take the manager’s job at Derby County.
