“Too early” – Wes Brown makes Tony Mowbray accusation following Sunderland’s departure.

Former Sunderland defender Wes Brown believes the club acted too quickly to fire Tony Mowbray.

Former Sunderland defender Wes Brown believes Tony Mowbray should have had more time at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland struggled after Tony Mowbray’s departure.

The 60-year-old was selected Alex Neil’s replacement in 2022, and he had a fantastic first season in command of the Black Cats, leading them to the play-offs with some thrilling, aggressive football.

Therefore, it was hoped Sunderland could push for promotion again in this campaign, but the board decided to sack Mowbray in December, when the side were ninth in the table, although they were just three points away from the top six.

It’s a decision that backfired spectacularly, as Michael Beale was brought in as Mowbray’s successor, but he lasted just two months.

Now, Mike Dodds is leading the team for the remainder of the season, but Sunderland are 12th, and 13 points away from the play-offs with eight games to go, so another year in the Championship beckons.

Wes Brown: In retrospect, Sunderland got Tony Mowbray’s dismissal wrong.

Naturally, some will point to Mowbray’s departure as a watershed moment in the season, given Sunderland were still in contention for a top-six finish and had a manager who had demonstrated his ability to deliver results.

Furthermore, the team’s brand of football was enjoyable to watch, something they have yet to find since his departure.

So it was a big move, and Brown, who made 87 appearances for Sunderland during his playing career, explained why he thought Mowbray deserved more minutes.

“He’s a very experienced coach, where he’s been. He knows what he’s doing and Sunderland were getting there or thereabouts. I think nowadays, in football in general, the expectations are very high.

“Tony was putting on a terrific show and getting what he wanted from the players, which is sometimes all you can ask for. Yes, you want transfers and key players to come in, but this does not always happen.

“In hindsight, you can look at it and say yeah, he was let go too early, but we don’t know what’s happened behind closed doors, but when you’re being promised one thing, and something else is happening, it doesn’t necessarily work out.”