IF Sunderland’s recent history teaches us anything, it is that it is dangerous to read too much into a new manager winning a derby against Newcastle.

Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet were both hailed as heroes after engineering a win over the Magpies in their second game in charge, only for their Stadium of Light tenure to quickly turn sour.

That should be borne in mind when assessing Dick Advocaat’s suitability for an extended role as head coach, but it should not be regarded as irrefutable proof that the Dutchman has already experienced the high point of his reign.

Sunderland owner Ellis Short faces a crucial decision as he ponders what to do this summer, but increasingly it looks as though the answer could already be staring him in the face.

For all his protestations about not looking beyond the remainder of the season, well-placed sources in Holland claim Advocaat would be receptive to the offer of a one or two-year contract in charge of the Black Cats. If that is the case, Short should snap him up.

There will be those who claim the 67-year-old is yesterday’s man, capable of administering a short, sharp shock, as he is doing at the moment, but inevitably destined to struggle once the initial impact of his appointment has worn off.

Others will point to his nomadic managerial record as proof that he is reluctant to put down roots and build for the long term, or highlight his lack of experience in English football as a major handicap when it comes to taking over at a club like Sunderland on a permanent basis.

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All are valid points, but the reality is that the Black Cats have headed down so many blind alleys in the last couple of years that it is time to shelve any grandiose ambitions of building long-term foundations or attempting to engender a managerial dynasty that will last for a number of seasons.

That was supposed to happen under Di Canio, but the Italian’s explosive personality was never going to be suited to the Premier League and, in conjunction with the equally disastrous Roberto De Fanti, his six months in charge resulted in a host of negative ramifications that are still being felt today.

Poyet’s failings were different, but equally damaging. He talked the talk when it came to implementing an attractive style of play that would enable Sunderland to move on from their perennial battles against relegation, but his words counted for nothing when he realised he did not have the players to implement it, yet was unwilling to change tack.

Advocaat will not be making any grand statements about the future, and he will not use the Sunderland job as a platform to inflate his own importance and massage his ego.

If appointed beyond the end of the season, he will set about getting the best out of the players at his disposal in a pragmatic, methodical way. Tactically astute, and renowned as a sharp training-ground operator, his strength lies in organisation and building a team from what might otherwise be disparate parts.

That might not sound especially exciting when posited against the potential arrival of a dynamic young coach promising wild innovations and explosive outbursts of passion, but Sunderland have tried so many different approaches to very little effect in recent years that a ‘back to basics’ philosophy might be just what is needed.

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At the very least, it should limit the potential for another of the meltdowns that were experienced under Di Canio and Poyet. Advocaat might not propel Sunderland into the top half of the table next season, but he’s unlikely to be presiding over a dressing-room revolt or initiating a spell of open warfare with the fans.

On the evidence of his opening few weeks as Sunderland boss, he will be shirking the limelight and eschewing the temptation to throw in meaningless platitudes and soundbites. That doesn’t make for great back pages, but after the chaos of the last two seasons, a spell of bland stability would be welcome.

The players seem to like him, and while public pronouncements about a new manager’s positive impact are only to be expected, private conversations have confirmed the squad’s respect for Advocaat’s experience and astute coach’s eye.

His team selections have been bold and effective, with the switch to a three-man forward line for his opening game at West Ham transforming Sunderland’s attacking outlook at a stroke. Last weekend’s decision to recall Billy Jones ahead of Anthony Reveillere for the derby was equally productive.

Having witnessed just about everything during a 35-year managerial career that has seen him preside over a host of club sides and international teams, he will not be fazed by anything the Premier League throws at him.

He will not be perturbed if Sunderland find themselves in the bottom half of the table again next season, and will not make the kind of panicked decisions that ultimately proved so costly to both Di Canio and Poyet.

He won’t be throwing his toys out of the pram if his input into Lee Congerton’s recruitement decisions is limited, and he won’t be making demands that prove impossible to accommodate within a backroom structure that is clearly here to stay.

In many ways, he is the ‘safety first’ option, but the reality is that safety has to be Short’s overriding priority when it comes to arguably the biggest decision of his spell in the Stadium of Light boardroom.

Sunderland have experimented to disastrous effect recently – it is time to make a decision that limits the potential for further damage.