Roker Roundup: Two ex-Sunderland managers - and not Jack Ross - in the running for Scotland job

League Cup Final huge for O’Shea

After announcing that he will retire at the end of the season, former Sunderland captain John O’Shea has been speaking to The Times about his career.

The 38-year-old says despite not being from the North East, Sunderland got into his blood and it was huge to see how much the 2014 League Cup final meant to everyone involved with the club:

I’m Waterford, I’m Irish but when you go to a club, when you live in a place, when you meet the supporters, become friends with the groundsman, the kitchen staff, the cleaners, it gets into your blood.

Walking out at Wembley for the 2014 League Cup final, seeing what it meant to all those people, that was huge.

Interest in Shrews defender?

Sunderland have been playing midfielder Luke O’Nien at right back for most of the season, to some success but could they be interested in League One regular for that position?

According to the Shropshire Star, several League One ‘big hitters’ are interested in Shrewsbury Town’s James Bolton.

The names of those clubs have not been released but the 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has yet to sign a new deal with the club despite manager Sam Ricketts hoping to keep him.

Bolton has played 82 games in all competitions for Shrewsbury since signing from Gateshead back in 2017.

Former duo linked with Scottish job

Two former Sunderland managers have been speaking about the possibility of taking on the mantle of Scottish national team manager.

David Moyes and Dick Advocat have both been speaking about the role but although Moyes refused to rule out the possibility, he told Talksport that his priority is to get back into club football:

Scotland have got the nucleus of a team which is forming.

Obviously we’re short of a centre forward at the moment and one or two others but there is a group of Scottish players you’d hope would get better results than what we’ve had.

I prefer the day-to-day but can I see myself being a national manager? Of course, but at the moment my first choice would be to go back into club management.

I think I’d be open to whatever’s right [in England or Scotland]. The best league to manage in is the English Premier League.

I played for Celtic, but I’ve got to say, if I got a chance to go back and work in Spain again or in Germany or Italy I would take those opportunities as well.

Advocaat was much more enthusiastic about the possibility however, when he was introduced on Dutch TV station Veronica as the ‘the new manager of Scotland’:

No, that’s not right yet.

My name has been mentioned for the job, but nothing more so far. Whether it’s going to happen, I don’t know.

But one thing is certain, if I am approached I would definitely say yes.