Top 5 Choices To Replace Steve Bruce As Sunderland Manager

Lee Clark or Brighton's Gus Poyet could've been good shouts for the position but, asides from Clark's obvious affections to local rivals Newcastle, the chairman will presumably splash the cash on names that will more likely grab the attention of the media. The bookmakers have caught on to this and names such as ex-Chelsea managers Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink could be gambled upon with odds as short as 33/1. To consider these ex-Champions League winning managers in the same bracket as a team who have been slated for relegation this year might be a little too far. Then there's the option of going local, or at least local for Ellis Short. Ex-USA national team manager Bob Bradley has been mooted as an option for the Black Cats. Bradley was linked to the vacancy at, similarly American owned, Villa in the summer but the deal failed to materialize. However, considering Bradley has only recently taken over as coach of the Egyptian national team a mere 2 months ago, it's unlikely he'll want to either a) juggle the two commitments, or b) terminate his national contract so soon. Despite all those names having valid chances of replacing Bruce at Sunderland, here are the 5 manager's who we think are most likely to be in the running:

The Front Runners

Ex-Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill was near instantly linked with the job since the vacancy opened on Sunday. O'Neill is not only experienced but experienced in the Premier League too. The Northern Irishman has a sterling CV with two League Cup wins with Leicester City, League Cup runner-up with Aston Villa and seven trophies in Scotland during his tenure at Celtic, including 3 SPL titles, 3 Scottish Cup wins and a Scottish League Cup victory. Sunderland owner Ellis Short may well be in contact with fellow American owner Randy Lerner, of Aston Villa, to hear his experience of working with O'Neill. After bringing Villa to Wembley in 2010 for the League Cup final, O'Neill left his post at the Midlands club after a bust up with Lerner over transfer funds. Despite this, Lerner claimed they "remain good friends" but "no longer shared a common view as to how to move forward" - a very diplomatic approach on a departing manager. Mark Hughes is the next man who the media and bookmakers alike feel will be among the first choices to take the helm at the Stadium of Light. Since his departure from Fulham at the start of this season due to Fulham not meeting his ambitions as "a young, ambitious manager" he felt he needed to move on. Whether Sunderland's plight near the relegation zone was the ambition that Hughes was looking for six months ago is unclear, but the financial backing that Ellis Short and co can provide Hughes will no doubt fuel that "ambition". However, is Sparky a manager who thrives on money? Comparing his times at Blackburn and Manchester City, you would assume not. He drove Blackburn into some of their best finishes since the glory days of the mid nineties, getting them into Europe on a standard budget for a Premier League team, but at Manchester City it was a different story. Funded by, the then newly appointed, Sheik Mansour, Hughes splashed the cash on such flops as Roque Santa Cruz, Jo, Tal Ben-Haim and Robinho. An unsatisfactory display at Eastlands lead to the Welshman's sacking in 2009 - proof that he worked a lot better with more limited resources.

The Big Name

If Ellis Short is looking for a big name, then Rafa Benitez could be the man he's looking for. A two time La Liga winner with Valencia and Champions League winner with Liverpool is certainly a considerable medal collection to come into the Stadium of Light with and would certainly impress the fans with his esteemed resumé. Despite claiming Champions League winning managers are a little out of Sunderland's depth earlier, Benitez holds a partially different claim to Ancelotti and Hiddink. His fall from grace at Liverpool and equally so at Inter Milan (despite not being quite as bad as more recently sacked Gian Piero Gasperini) has put Benitez in a less so esteemed position than the aforementioned Italian and Dutchman. Plus, he is a proven manager in the Premier League and he knows the league well. Benitez would certainly be the most pricey appointment, wage wise, but would he pay this off with success?

The Outsider

Now for a choice from the left field. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be a very possible outsider for the position, following in the footsteps of fellow ex-Sir Alex managed players Roy Keane and Steve Bruce. Sunderland's links with Manchester United have been quite close since the appointment of Roy Keane in 2006. Keane signed no less than six players permanently, including the still present Kieran Richardson and Phil Bardsley and two players on loan from United during his two year reign at Sunderland. Steve Bruce continued this affiliation, signing Danny Welbeck on loan last season and Frazier Campbell, John O'Shea and Wes Brown on permanent deals during his time. Could Solsjkaer be the next evolution of the United-Sunderland relationship? The Norwegian has become an instant success in his managerial career, after providing solid results for the Manchester United reserve team he was offered the role of manager at the team where he signed for United from, Molde. In his first season, the year of their centenary, Molde had secured the Tippeligaen title thanks to the baby faced assassin but will he be tempted to return to the Premier League?

The Caretaker

Another man who may follow in the footsteps of a different previous Sunderland manager, Ricky Sbragia, is Eric Black. Black has already been appointed as caretaker manager, but will he be able to motivate the Mackems to stop the rot and earn his stripes as a contender for the managerial post permanently? The Scotsman has been in the caretaker role previously for Birmingham after Steve Bruce left the club for Wigan in 2007. He was re-united with Bruce after he left Wigan for Sunderland but finds himself in the caretaker role again once more. With some managerial experience under his wing for Motherwell and Coventry City, Black can't be seen as just a temporary measure between appointments and does know the squad well. With winnable, yet vital, games against Wolves away and Blackburn at home up next, Black could impress if he was to galvanize the team and notch up some victories but the allure of a new style of play at Sunderland could be too tempting for the board.