It was the morning after the night before. Sunderland were waking up as a relegated club, after a defeat at Leicester sealed a fate that had looked increasingly likely as April progressed.
The Milk Cup run had perhaps taken some attention away from the league danger that was never lurking too far away, and the 2-0 defeat to the Foxes, thanks to two goals from ’long-term Sunderland target’ Gary Linker, sealed relegation with one game left.
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In truth, the turgid run of form since beating Norwich at Carrow Road a week before Wembley deserved little more. In 11 games the club had won just one and drawn two, and after a 4-0 hammering away at Villa Park, the game against the Foxes put the final nails in a well built coffin.
After the game, Ashurst said:
Relegation has been staring us in the face for some weeks, but our travelling fans typified tonight what we have going for us. It shows what an overwhelming obligation we have to get back up at the first attempt.
Of course, most reading this will know that Len Ashurst wasn’t in charge come the start of the next season, so it’s interesting to look at Chairman Tom Cowie’s immediate thoughts on the manager’s culpability or otherwise in the immediate aftermath.
Because, as far as Mr Cowie was concerned, Len was staying despite demotion.
Len Ashurst has a contract for three years. He has just started it and there is no reason to suppose that he won’t continue in charge.
I am shattered by what has happened and it is a sad state of affairs that we have been relegated. However, I have considered it a foregone conclusion for some time that we would go down.
Instead, Cowie seemed to lay the blame at the door of the medical staff, who’d underestimated the timeframe of Mark Proctor’s injury.
No-one could envisage the injuries we have had to endure. The loss of Mark Proctor on New Year’s Day began our troubles. We were informed by the medical team that he would be back shortly. With hindsight perhaps we should have gone out and bought a replacement.
But everyone can be wise after the event and just before the transfer deadline we talked of strengthening the squad, but Len felt we would be alright.
Money was available then and will be again in the close season, when we must try and bring in better quality players.
Sunderland’s financial position was significantly stronger than it had been thanks to the Milk Cup run, and it certainly seemed Ashurst would be given the chance to lead Sunderland back up to the top table, especially given he and assistant Frank Burrows had only signed new, three year deals in January, less than a year after taking charge.
All of that changed over the course of May, however. Interestingly, the club statement announcing Ashurst’s departure was ambiguous in that it didn’t say whether it was the club’s decision to get rid, or Len’s to resign.
Later, it transpired it was the club’s, and interestingly, it was ’rebel shareholder’ Barry Batey, who was in the press talking about the decision to get rid of the former Sunderland defender, citing a concern that Sunderland’s crowds would drop below 9000 should Ashurst continue in the post.
In the immediate aftermath of Ashurst’s departure, Arthur Cox and Ian Porterfield were considered the favourites for the post, with Mick Buxton, Keith Burkinshaw and Bob Paisely also mentioned in dispatches.
We all know what happened next, of course, and you wonder how much the fact that Lawrie McMenemy had decided to leave Southampton on 1 June played in that decision-making process…