Big Si is back; Sacked Sunderland manager Grayson set to take up role with struggling MK Dons?

Failed ex-Sunderland gaffer Simon Grayson has been offered the job at League One strugglers MK Dons, potentially leading to him taking up his first managerial role since he was sacked as Sunderland manager in October.

Grayson was relieved of his duties almost immediately after the final whistle of our frustrating home draw with Bolton Wanderers in October, and has been without a job in football management since.

The news was revealed this evening by BBC Sport’s Ian Dennis, who claims that Grayson is the top target of the Milton Keynes-based side and though he’d prefer to wait for a Championship job, he’ll mull over his options and will make a decision on where his future lies in the next day or two.

Though Grayson’s spell in charge of Sunderland cannot be seen as anything other than an unmitigated disaster, he has a favourable record with League One clubs and has four promotions out of England’s third tier to his name.

After a run of one win in eleven games, former Hearts boss Robbie Neilson was sacked as manager of the Dons on Saturday and leaves the side in 21st place, one point above Oldham in the position below them.

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Grayson’s impressive past as a man with a plan in the lower leagues means that his spell in awful charge of Sunderland can be largely ignored by potential suitors, and though he’d prefer to wait for another Championship role he may well have to rebuild his faltering reputation as a solid, steady pair of hands by taking over the reins of yet another League One club that are desperate for some stability.

The ex-Leeds head honcho was removed from his role as Black Cats manager just fifteen minutes after the full time whistle blew against fellow strugglers Bolton, having failed to win any of his previous eleven games in charge.

Though Grayson was a likable enough person and was quite patently a principled man, he never seemed up to the task of steadying the ship at Sunderland and towards the end of his tenure said a number of unfavourable, confusing things which only served to further harm his reputation in the eyes of the supporters.

That said, MK Dons are no Sunderland, and Grayson is just the man you call upon when you’re a side struggling towards the foot of League One. Even despite my feelings on his time in charge of our club, I can concede that he’d likely be a shrewd appointment at the Stadium MK and would no doubt be able to keep them up.