I reckon all of us have a high regard for Dick. He will go down as one of our 'good' managers and should he ever visit the SOL will get a very warm reception. We (the fans) don't know the full story although we all have our ideas, lack of funds for better players being my thoughts. He's going without asking for any compensation and has left on good terms with everyone. A proper gent. All the best for your future Dick and thanks for all you've done.
Refused a severance packet. Reckon they did? Didn't hang around when it was clear he had to go. Left of his own accord with what was best for the club his motivation. That should start you off. The fact he's not a **** would be another.
Results wise i wasn't really was he. Yet i had more confidence in him then PDC and Poyet. That being said it would be interesting to see what PDC could have done with this squad versus the ****e he was given from DeFanti
He'd have pissed them off sooner or later mate. In my ways I respected him and agreed with a lot of what he said but it's pretty apparent that he's a ****ing loon.
Advocaat has told Studio Voetbal: "I already made my decision last week, but the club asked me to do the match against West Ham and I really wanted to finish this in style. "The struggle against relegation is not my cup of tea. I think it was time for someone else to take over at Sunderland. I became negative and that didn't feel like myself." Have to say, you lot are being very kind to him. I would be spitting blood if a Saints gaffer treated the club like that. It got a bit tough so I couldn't be bothered. How on earth did this guy get 35 years in management, unbelievable.
What appears to be coming out is that the funds he got fell far short of what he was led to believe he was getting. He was unable to get the quality players he wanted. We got him back under false pretences and then continued to try to do it on the cheap. Basically, Dick got conned into coming back.
He was 'persuaded' to take the job on, almost pressured and to his credit he tried. There was improvement last Saturday, so we can hope.........but looking back (hindsight is a wonderful thing) it was a step too far for a man past his retirement age. I think he realised that he was getting himself into a relegation battle that he was not up too and threw in the towel. He could have carried on, things may or may not have gotten us out of this mess and he could have gotten compensation if sacked. I think he fell in love with the club and only wants the best for us, hence him stepping away from the helm and not taking any payoff I for one have no complaints, he kept us up last season and I was in the clamour for him to stay. All of us hoping for a man of 68 to stay on to save us this season was really a huge gamble and it has shown us up for clutching at straws. We need To see changes in the boardroom and a strong character with a footie brain as the new manager,, we can only hope and as Sunderland supporters we KTF. DA? I wish him well in his retirement, would like to thank him for the magnificent end to last season and too remind him always to listen to his other half, she knew best. Remember where the saints were a few years back, the shananigans going on with redshit and Portsmouth. Every club has its ups and downs. We KTF
I too am grateful to DA for keeping us up and then returning but there too many ingredients to make much sense of background to him returning and then leaving. Firstly there is team selection, using two rookie centre halves in our first two fixtures, ambitious attacking formations that left us vulnerable to counter attack. Secondly there was the much discussed player fitness and the DA prediction that we would struggle until Nov/Dec. Thirdly, the three main signings we did make were all connected to DA's past with other clubs but then there was the rejection by the Belgian centre half who had also worked with DA via the Belgian national team. None of us know the full story yet but the reliably straight talking Dutch will have it before long.
He is the best manager we have had in a long time imo, real class, he came back and was let down, not by us, but by the club and we all know how he feels, thats why we loved him, he wore his heart on his sleeve and did his best, we can not ask for more in all honesty.
