Ricky Sbragia wants to avoid spotlight
Dec 23 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
NIALL Quinn will sound out caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia about the possibility of staying on until the end of the season when the pair meet this week, but the unassuming Scot remains uncomfortable with the idea of becoming a full-time manager.
The Sunderland chairman has been in regular contact with Sbragia since he took over from Roy Keane but the pair have yet to hold in-depth discussions about the way forward after the Christmas programme.
That is expected to change this week when Quinn (pictured right) plans a face-to-face meeting at which Sbragia’s future and the likely identity of the next manager will be on the agenda.
With the club under no immediate pressure to name a successor to Keane, and the club performing well, Quinn has the breathing space to put a number of suggestions to the caretaker boss.
One of those will be taking the club until the end of the season, a popular option on the board.
Sbragia continues to play a straight bat when asked his feelings on taking over permanently but The Journal understands that he privately reaffirmed his reluctance to take on the role permanently after the Hull victory.
That might change if he is offered a job which would hold obvious financial appeal, but Sbragia is unlikely to press home his claims when he meets Quinn.
The chairman knows there is little point in giving the job on a permanent basis to a man clearly not sold on the huge strains that it would place on his time and personal life.
If Sbragia was sold on the idea of taking the job on a temporary basis, Quinn would become more involved in player acquisitions and departures during the January transfer window and beyond.
It would also carry the benefit of allowing Sunderland to continue to pursue more experienced candidates like Martin Jol, Slaven Bilic and Gordon Strachan – all currently in employment.
From Sbragia’s weekend comments it could be a solution that appeals. “If it is working, why look to mend it?” he said after guiding Sunderland to a 4-1 victory over Hull City. “I'm just happy with the way things are going. The good thing is that I think it's working at the moment.”
The key to Sbragia’s success has been easing the pressure on the players on the training pitch and during games, with no recriminations on individual mistakes any more.
“At the end of the day, I just said to them, it's about what you see on the pitch,” he said. “It's all about decision making. If I see a pass intercepted, then fine. I let them express themselves and I would never ever be too critical.”
Meanwhile, reported managerial target Leo Beenhakker is understood to be in conflict with the Polish FA. He has a contract until 2010 but has made public criticisms of the association recently and was summoned for talks with key officials over the weekend.
