Next Sunderland manager: 3,123 fans deliver interesting verdicts on Will Still, Danny Rohl and Rene Maric

Sunderland fans have delivered their verdict on who should be the club’s next head coach in an online poll conducted by The Echo.

The Black Cats have been without a permanent manager since Michael Beale was sacked after just 13 games in January. Mike Dodds was installed as Sunderland’s interim head coach until the end of the season.

However, the Wearsiders’ form nosedived during the second half of the season with the club finishing in 16th position in the Championship after having previously been in and around the play-off spots under Tony Mowbray during the first quarter of the campaign.

Now that the season has ended, talk has turned towards who Sunderland will appoint as their next head coach. With that in mind, The Echo asked supporters on Twitter for their opinions. We asked: Who is your preferred next Sunderland head coach candidate?

Interestingly, Will Still - who has just left his post as head coach of Ligue 1 club Reims - attracted 55 per cent of the vote, making him the most preferred candidate. Sheffield Wednesday boss Dany Rohl received 25.6 per cent of the vote while Bayern youth coach Rene Maric received 10.9 per cent of the vote.

8.5 per cent of the 3,123 Sunderland fans polled chose the “other option” with Steve Cooper’s name featuring heavily as a possible contender. The Echo also asked Sunderland fans in a previous social media post: If you could pick one realistic candidate out of the names mentioned, who would be Sunderland's next head coach?

James responded: “Will Still, Danny Rohl, Rene Maric, Steve Cooper… in that order,” while Daryl added: “Would Scott Parker or Frank Lampard be a good shout?”

Robert Grimwood said: “Sheff Wed or QPR managers - proven they can do it in this league… Will Still is mid-table,” and Chris Scott added: “Sold myself on Rene Maric. Would also be happy with Röhl, Cooper, Still. Would be depressed with Heckingbottom or Lowe.”

Fergus added: “Steve Cooper. Would like someone with a bit of experience as a head coach this time. The others being mentioned are a bit green and we’ve had that with Beale and Dodds.”

“Deano said: “Cooper still top of the list for me. Would be happy with Still, Maric, Rohl but really think we'll end up underwhelmed.”