Next Sunderland manager odds
Who is Sunderland’s manager?
Sunderland’s manager Tony Mowbray was born in North Yorkshire in 1963. It was not far from his birthplace, in the town of Middlesborough, that Mowbray began his playing career. A robust and reliable centre-half famed for his heroic performances, he would go on to appear nearly 350 times for the North East club he loved, captaining the side from the remarkably tender age of 22 and becoming a fans’ favourite in the process. After his instatement as skipper, Mowbray would lead Boro, who were then on the brink of financial ruin, out of the third division in English football and into the first in the space of just two seasons.
Before hanging up his boots, Mowbray would spend four seasons with Scottish giants Celtic before moving back south of the border to Ipswich. An affable character, Mowbray was well-liked and respected at each of the three clubs he played for - this, as well as his clear leadership qualities and tactical intellect, led him to be offered the role of first-team coach with the Tractor Boys upon his retirement. After a brief spell as caretaker manager, Mowbray would leave Ipswich to join Hibernian where he enjoyed two successful campaigns as manager– the Edinburgh club finished both 3rd and 4th successively.
His successes earned him a move to West Midlands club West Bromwich Albion, who then resided in the second tier of the English football Pyramid having been relegated the previous year. Over the course of his three seasons with the Baggies, Mowbray would guide the club back to the Premier League, winning the Championship with 88 points on the way. Although his side would be relegated from the top division, Mowbray remained in the fans’ good books; they wore Tony Mowbray masks on the final day of the 08/09 season away at Blackburn Rovers, a club which Mowbray would ultimately return to as manager.
Despite relegation with West Brom, the Celtic hierarchy saw Tony Mowbray as an ideal replacement for the previous managerial incumbent, Gordon Strachan, who had resigned the previous season after failing to deliver the Scottish League title. Mowbray fared little better than Strachan in his time at the club. He was unable to complete a full season with the Hoops and was sacked in March 2010.
In October 2010, Mowbray made a dream return to boyhood club Boro, coincidentally replacing Gordon Strachan once again. Mowbray faced a difficult task in turning around the fortunes of a Boro side who, at the time of his appointment, were languishing at the foot of the Championship table. He achieved what was expected of him, however, guiding the club to a mid-table finish. The following season, Boro narrowly missed out on a play-off place, finishing 7th. This would prove to be Mowbray’s highest finishing position with Middlesbrough – he was relieved of his duties after a poor run of form at the start of the 13/14 campaign.
After nearly an 18 month absence, Mowbray returned to football management, again with a side who were battling relegation: Coventry City. Although Mowbray was able to save the side from falling into the fourth tier, his time at the club was relatively unsuccessful. He resigned in September 2016 after a poor run of form.
Blackburn Rovers was Mowbray’s next destination. The former Premier League champions were in a dire position, second from bottom in the Championship with 15 fixtures remaining and under the ownership of the Venkys, the Indian poultry firm generally regarded as the reason behind Rovers’ undignified fall from grace. Although Mowbray’s Blackburn went undefeated in his first seven league games in charge, he was unable to save them from relegation. Despite this, his contract was renewed for the following season which would turn out to be one of the most memorable in recent history for the long-suffering Blackburn Rovers fans. He made several superb additions to the squad, Bradley Dack and Richie Smallwood, for example, were two players instrumental in Blackburn’s promotion back to the Championship. The following season was a success too, Rovers achieving a mid-table finish against the odds.
On 30 August 2022, Mowbray was appointed head coach of Sunderland replacing Alex Neil.
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