This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Sacked manager Jack Ross may only just be out of the door at Sunderland, but the board are seemingly not hanging about in looking to appoint a replacement.
One name who is reported to have already applied for the post is former Burton Albion and QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who has been out of work since being sacked by Northampton Town in April 2018.
So would Hasselbaink be a good appointment at the Stadium of Light?
We discuss.........
Sam Rourke
"Steer well clear.
"Hasselbaink showed a lot of promise when he was in charge at Burton Albion as he guided them to the third tier, however when he moved onto QPR, it's fair to say he was out of his depth.
"The former Chelsea striker just could not seem to get it right at the west London outfit, and it makes you wonder whether he has the managerial nous and experience to operate and take charge of a 'big' club.
"Sunderland is a sleeping giant in League One, and ultimately they need a manager to come in who has strong experience and that will come in and make an impact straight from the off, someone like Daniel Stendel or Mark Robins make sense here."
Louie Chandler
"I would steer well clear of this one.
"Yes, Hasselbaink has performed well in League One before with Burton Albion, but above that level he has always flopped.
"He even struggled badly with Northampton Town so I fail to see in what world this would be good appointment for the Black Cats.
"Unless he has been through a radical managerial crash course, this is one that should be avoided."
Ben Lang
"I think Hasselbaink's managerial credentials should earn him the chance to be interviewed by the club, but I can't see the Sunderland hierarchy following through with this appointment.
"Hasselbaink has previously achieved success in League One with Burton Albion, but I just feel the Sunderland job is too big for him given his recent failures at QPR and Northampton.
"The Sunderland job is a big one to take on and the club now needs to make a stable, convincing appointment in order to get the supporters back on their side. I'm not too sure Hasselbaink fits that bill.
"Sunderland need someone with a proven track record who can help them improve results, and it would represent too great a risk to appoint Hasselbaink."
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