FORMER Sunderland striker Dwight Yorke has backed Will Still to be the club’s next head coach.

The Black Cats’ search for a permanent successor to Mike Dodds remains ongoing, despite the season having ended almost three weeks ago.

Still, who is currently out of work after leaving his previous job at French Ligue 1 club Reims at the start of the month, is known to be a leading candidate.

And Yorke, who was a popular figure on Wearside during his three seasons as a Sunderland player, believes the 31-year-old would be ideally suited to leading the Black Cats.

The Northern Echo: Job hunt: Dwight Yorke fancies the Sunderland job

He said: “It didn’t surprise me that Sunderland lost their form at the end of the season – the wheels came off. There is so much uncertainty at the football club.

“You can see the players haven’t got any sort of control or guidance from the authority at the top so their finish this season was shambolic. They need to get their act together really quickly and bring their club under control.

“They need some good leadership at the top in terms of who they’re going to bring in as the next manager, and they need someone who can take them forward for promotion next season, and, if not, to make sure they’re in the top six to give them an outside chance to qualify for promotion.

I think Will Still would be a good example of someone who is the right fit for the job.”

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Sunderland’s season imploded when Tony Mowbray was dismissed in December, with Michael Beale being appointed as his successor.

Beale’s nine-week tenure was a disaster, and the decision to appoint Dodds as his temporary successor to the end of the season also backfired, with Sunderland eventually finishing in 16th position.

Yorke feels the hierarchy at the Stadium of Light have made a succession of mistakes, and claims any transformation of the club’s fortunes has to start at the top.

Speaking to Crypto Casino, the former Trinidad & Tobago international said: “Sunderland need to sort things out quickly. The board and leadership need to show some more clarity in what they want.

“They need to select the manager quickly so that they can start to put the wheels into motion and come forward with their ideas for next season.

“When the new manager comes in, they’ll be looking to identify the players that they can improve and gather a squad that can really set themselves up going forward.

“When you think of the teams that are coming down from the Premier League, they’ve got the parachute window, so they’ll be tough to beat.

“But, above all you need to make sure your own house is in order and prepare yourself well – and that comes from the top all the way to the bottom within the club. Right now, there is turmoil, and it’s pending on the manager and who they want to select.

“They need someone who has their own identity and a clear idea of how they want to play with the squad he will inherit, and who he can add to that to make sure they’ve got the strongest squad to compete with next season.”