Sunderland legend Michael Gray believes that Chris Coleman deserved a chance under the new owners.

Coleman was sacked with the club languishing in bottom place and just one game remaining.

They won five times in 28 games during his time in charge which is an atrocious record, but the quality of the squad as well as the funds available were limiting factors on what success could achieved when he came in.

This means they have suffered consecutive relegations which puts them in a dangerous positions because of the hard transition that is needed financially in order to stop the slump and ensure the club can start moving forwards.

Gray played for the club for 12 years and is one of the key voices in the media for anything Sunderland related. This is how he reacted to the latest news at the club:

The Verdict

Gray is right to point out that Coleman was never able to utilise a significant transfer budget to remodel the squad.

However, his record was poor even with other external factors taken into account, so it's understandable that the new owners wanted to bring someone else in.

This is a key period for the Black Cats and the new owners need to ensure they bring in the right person for the job because Sunderland have to aim for getting back in the Championship as quickly as possible in order to hold on to their talented prospects coming through the youth academy.