Former Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has suggested that Lee Johnson faces a ‘massive’ job to try and get the Black Cats promoted out of League One and also that he might have made a mistake taking charge of the game against Wigan Athletic.

Johnson has been out of work since he left Bristol City towards the end of last season, and the new Sunderland boss was in the dugout straight away for the Black Cats’ meeting with struggling Wigan at the Stadium of Light despite having only been announced as the new manager a few hours before the game kicked off.

Sunderland made the decision to dismiss Phil Parkinson due to a dip in form and also struggles at the top end of the pitch that he was never able to really address. Johnson will be needing to ensure that he does that to try and get their season back on track and recover from a poor start in their 1-0 defeat against Wigan.

Quiz: Which club did Sunderland sign each of these 25 players from?

Speaking to EFL on Quest, Allardyce suggested that he would not have made the decision to stand in the dugout straight away and would have instead sat in the stands for the first game to assess the squad. While he also believes that it will be a ‘big job’ for him to try and get them going again.

He said: “It’s a big decision, personally it wouldn’t be my choice I would be sat in the stands making notes on what I was actually seeing what I was actually watching to get a better picture of what I needed to do.

“Of course Sunderland is a massive job for Lee and previous managers since I left have found it hugely difficult to manage that football club and I have to say I was a little bit shocked that Phil Parkinson left because I thought he was doing a reasonable job.

“But this one’s a big job for Lee and when the fans get back if he does well they’ll get right behind him and so it’s a big challenge for him and the players to get Sunderland back in at least the Championship.”

The Verdict

Allardyce was the last manager at Sunderland who really got a grip on the first-team and got them picking up positive results when he guided the Black Cats to safety in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season. However, that is a long while ago now and it is now vital that they start to move back in the right direction under Johnson.

Johnson is a manager who had been building a strong reputation over the last few years for the progression he was making with Bristol City’s squad, but their underperformance last term in terms of missing out on the play-offs is something he will be eager to put right at Sunderland so he arrives with a point to prove.

The new Sunderland boss will need backing in the transfer market and if he can get that backing then he should have the ability to at least ensure they are in the top six come the end of the campaign. Johnson will be hoping that he can be more like Allardyce was than his predecessors have been able to do.