Sunderland have axed goalkeeper coach David Preece and first team coach Phil Jevons in a shock shake-up of their backroom staff. The duo have been told this week that they won't be part of the club's Championship campaign after playing a role in guiding the Black Cats to the second tier.
Sunderland were promoted out of League One after beating Wycombe in a play-off at Wembley last month. Preece, a boyhood Sunderland fan, had returned to the club as goalkeeper coach in October.
He had previously come through the youth ranks at the club in the 1990s. Having been coaching in Sweden, he was brought back to the club by former manager Lee Johnson, and after Johnson was sacked in January, was retained by the club and assisted Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor when they took caretaker charge for three games.
He worked with Sunderland's three goalkeepers Lee Burge, Thorben Hoffman and Anthony Patterson, and helped the latter develop into the No.1 by the end of the season. Jevons was brought to the club by Johnson in 2021.
The former Everton U18s chief has also been told his services are no longer required and leaves after nine months on Wearside where he also had a role overseeing the development and transition of the club's 16-25-year-olds as well as coaching the first team. ChronicleLive understands that the duo were called into meetings with manager Alex Neil and Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman on Tuesday, having been preparing to return to training after a summer break on Wednesday.
The duo now face a race to find another club before the start of the new season. Neil, who guided Sunderland to promotion with 10 wins from 18 games, and just one defeat, after taking the helm, is now expected to bring his own coaching staff into the club.
When he arrived in February, he initially brought in Martin Canning, his former team-mate at Hamilton Academical, as his assistant. As part of the shake-up behind the scenes, one person who could be set to benefit is Dodds.
The coach was initially appointed as Head of Player Development after joining Speakman in moving from Birmingham City, where the pair had worked closely. His role altered after U23s chief Elliott Dickman's departure to Newcastle United, and he oversaw the second string alongside Proctor. Dodds could now be set for an increased role in the backroom team.
We want to hear your thoughts, so LOG IN and leave your comment below
