Amongst the likes of Roy Keane, Sam Allardyce and Tony Mowbray, it was the Black Cats’ current head coach who took the top spot, external in Barnesy’s round of Winner Stays On: Sunderland Manager Edition.
“It was a big gamble to take someone who nobody had heard about,” Barnes told BBC Radio Newcastle.
“It was a bold, brave appointment and credit to the club that they appear to have got it right.
“No Sunderland fan I’d spoken to thought they’d be in the top six or certainly top four at this stage of the season.”
But do you agree?
Let us know your thoughts on who you think Sunderland’s best boss has been since Mick McCarthy took the reins in 2003 and why they get your vote.
Many Sunderland fans will tell you this is one of the most unusual transfers in the club’s history. Ross Stewart was a good player, and scored 40 goals in 80 games for the Black Cats as he helped them escape League One. Sounds like he’s worth £8m then, right?
Well, the odd thing is, Southampton paid the bumper fee for the striker in the summer of 2023 when he was severely injured. He’s still never quite gotten over that injury, either, and to this day has only featured nine times for the Saints, with a total of 183 minutes to his name.
