GUS POYET’s 17-month reign as Sunderland manager came to an end yesterday. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson charts the highs and lows of his time at the Stadium of Light.
1 Losing 4-0 at Swansea in his first game (October 2013)
Having been appointed with Sunderland rooted to the foot of the table, Poyet’s first game in charge highlighted the scale of the task he had inherited.
The Black Cats lost 4-0 at the Liberty Stadium, with all of Swansea’s goals coming in a calamitous second half that saw the visitors collapse completely as they made a succession of defensive errors.
2 Beating Newcastle 2-1 in his first Wear-Tyne derby (Oct 2013)
Eight days after his baptism of fire, Poyet led his Sunderland side into his first Wear-Tyne derby. Just as with Paolo Di Canio, a game against Newcastle provided an early boost to his reign.
Steven Fletcher’s early goal settled the Black Cats’ nerves, and while Mathieu Debuchy grabbed an equaliser at the start of the second half, Fabio Borini drove home a winner with six minutes left.
3 Capital One Cup semi-final triumph at Old Trafford (Jan 2014)
Sunderland were already in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup when Poyet was appointed, and subsequent wins over Southampton and Chelsea secured a two-legged semi-final with Manchester United.
A Borini penalty secured a 2-1 first-leg win on Wearside, and after a dramatic finale to the second leg that saw two goals in the final two minutes, Vito Mannone proved the hero as Sunderland won 2-1 on penalties.
4 Capital One Cup final appearance at Wembley (Mar 2014)
Sunderland’s first Wembley final appearance in more than two decades ended with them suffering a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City despite Borini’s searing early strike having given them a half-time lead.
Regardless of the result, though, the Saturday night meet-up in Covent Garden was an unforgettable moment, with thousands of Sunderland supporters singing Poyet’s name as they partied in the streets.
5 Tottenham defeat and “miracle” comments (Apr 2014)
Wembley might have been magical, but the mood had turned sour by the time Sunderland returned to London a month later and suffered a thumping 5-1 defeat at Tottenham that seemed to make relegation inevitable.
Poyet’s decision to switch to a three-man defence backfired spectacularly as Spurs ran riot, and his post-match admission that his side needed a “miracle” to survive suggested that even he had accepted that the game was up.
6 Victory at Chelsea and successful ‘Great Escape’ (Apr 2014)
Having claimed a surprise point at Manchester City, Sunderland pulled off the shock of the season when they became the first team to beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge.
Eight days later, and a resounding 4-0 win over Cardiff took the Black Cats out of the bottom three. By the time the season finished with them in 14th position, Poyet’s ‘miracle’ had been realised.
7 Breakdown of his relationship with Lee Congerton (Aug 2014)
As someone who liked to be involved in transfer matters, Poyet’s relationship with sporting director Lee Congerton had always been strained.
It broke down irreparably this summer as Poyet vetoed a number of Congerton’s proposed transfers, most notably that of full-back Toby Alderweireld, with the pair also clashing over the protracted, and ultimately unsuccessful, pursuit of Borini.
8 Humiliating 8-0 defeat at Southampton (Oct 2014)
Sunderland suffered a number of heavy defeats during Poyet’s reign, but nothing compared to the eight-goal embarrassment that was inflicted at Southampton earlier this season.
The Black Cats were ripped apart as they suffered the joint-heaviest defeat in the club’s history, and Poyet’s squad were forced to reimburse the supporters who had travelled to the south coast to watch the humiliation.
9 Last-gasp 1-0 win at St James’ Park (Dec 2014)
Having won the two previous derbies at St James’, Poyet’s side completed a remarkable treble when Adam Johnson scored the only goal of a tense affair in the final minute of the game.
Poyet leapt from the bench when Johnson scored, and while he avoided the histrionics of his predecessor, Di Canio, his satisfaction at a second derby win was clear.
10 Arguments with supporters prompting an open letter (Feb 2015)
Poyet enjoyed a warm relationship with the Sunderland fans during the early stages of his reign, but it fractured rapidly when he accused a section of the Stadium of Light support of desiring a return to the “kick and rush days” of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips.
The Uruguayan returned to the theme again after a home defeat to QPR, and after he rounded on the media in the wake of the FA Cup defeat to Bradford, he was forced to issue an open letter to supporters in an attempt to repair the damage.
11 Johnson suspended following his arrest (Mar 2015)
In fairness to Poyet, some of the difficulties he encountered on Wearside were outside of his control. Johnson’s shock arrest for alleged sexual activity with a minor was one such instance.
Johnson was immediately suspended, and while the club were right to act decisively, Poyet was deprived of one of his most creative players at a time when he needed him most.
12 Home defeat to Aston Villa heralds his dismissal (Mar 2015)
The straw that broke the camel’s back came as Sunderland conceded four goals in a catastrophic first half against Aston Villa.
A group of fans attempted to vent their fury in front of the home dug out, Seb Larsson was late for the start of the second half, and by the final whistle, it felt as though Poyet’s position had become untenable. Forty-eight hours later, and he had been dismissed.
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