He should accept that he's got a good reputation as a coach working under a head coach/manager and get back to work there rather than try out as another head coach, but I think his ego won't let him.
Yeah I think the daft thing is it really was easier to make it work than it was to fail (on the pitch at least). We went down with a mix of PL players (albeit tarnished ones) and talented youngsters waiting for a chance. All it needed was tweaks and a bit of organisation. Instead we chucked out all the kids and brought in a load of lower league plodders. No plan, no structure. Just a bunch of underqualified spectators recruiting on the basis of who they’d seen play well once or twice. That they let Hill and Coton get the Rothmans out and bladder a chance to return first time is really horrendous.
This was a brilliant listen, a really engaging interview. Flanagan was very open and honest which gives some fantastic insight. He's on the wrong side of history to an extent, but it's fascinating to hear the other side. I think whilst his comments on O'Nien and the ownership will be taking negatively with hindsight, there probably is an element of truth to them. The most compelling part of Luke O'Nien is the story and the journey of continuous improvement. To assume he was the same man he currently is today when he was 23 and had just come from League two does him a disservice in many ways because it disregards the efforts he puts in every day to maximise himself.
I often reflect on this. In the moment, that Charlton goal is the lowest I’ve ever felt as a football fan. With hindsight, it might have been the saviour of the club in a perverse way. I dread to think where we’d be now if those asset stripping scumbags had had the chance to flip us for a profit after promotion.
I feel for some of the lads from the League One era, not the lads who came and went after a season but the lads who actually racked up a lot of games for us over a few seasons down there, they only got to know the Sunderland at that level which was highly strung, on edge and in meltdown, it's night and day compared to with the feeling around the club in the last few seasons, that's why I love Luke, he went through the pain and can enjoy the more positive vibe we have these days.
