12 Candidates Who Could Be Sunderland's Next Manager

Another season, another manager. The revolving door at the Stadium of Light is spinning again, with another boss exiting Sunderland, albeit this time on a high note. Dick Advocaat was a lukewarm, temporary replacement for Gus Poyet in March, but after staving off retirement for a little longer, the Dutchman departed as a hero after saving the Black Cats from relegation and even winning a Wear-Tyne Derby in the process. The 67-year-old has now retired in peace, calling time on an illustrious career that took him around the world as a domestic and international manager, leaving Sunderland chairman Ellis Short and Director of Football Lee Congerton with a huge decision to make before pre-season kicks off. The same names are forever being linked to the Sunderland job, as well as every other lower-half team in the Premier League, as well as a scattering of fresh names, both realistic and unrealistic. Let's get one thing straight. Sunderland will certainly not be even whispering the name of a certain former-Dortmund manager, nor will they be deluding themselves into think Real Madrid's departed Italian boss will be in the mix. With that in mind, here are some of the most likely candidates for the job, in order of likelihood. But who do you think will be sitting in the dugout when August comes around?