Four weeks after arriving, a former Sunderland player was thrown into the deep end at one EFL team. After playing with the Black Cats, a number of former legends have gone on to become managers.
One individual that immediately comes to mind is Niall Quinn, who briefly worked in the Stadium of Light’s dugout. Similar to fellow Sunderland veteran Lee Cattermole, he intends to pursue a career in coaching after finishing his playing career.
Catermole joined Matt Taylor’s team as a member of the backroom staff at Bristol Rovers, a League One team, just days ago, but the Rovers manager was relieved of his responsibilities.
After the brave decision by Bristol Rovers’ management, Cattermole is now in a position of authority that he never would have imagined a few days ago.
Legendary Sunderland player Lee Cattermole accepts a temporary position with Bristol Rovers
Following the confirmation of Smith’s departure from Bristol Rovers, Cattermole and fellow coach David Horseman will “take interim responsibility for first-team football duties,” according to a club statement.
The former Sunderland player may be in the hot seat for a run of games with the League One squad, as the club has also announced that a “thorough recruitment process for a new first-team manager” will be conducted in the next few days.
During his coaching career, Cattermole managed the Middlesbrough U18s for 31 games from the beginning of 2022 to February 2023. In October 2022, he also spent 20 days as Boro’s temporary assistant manager.
Considering that Bristol Rovers have lost their last three games and are staring at the relegation zone, sitting just two points above Crawley Town in 21st place, it would be an understatement to say that Cattermole has been thrown into the deep end.
Having only joined the team a few days ago, the former Sunderland player would also struggle to fit in, and his unfamiliarity with Bristol Rovers’ present roster may not be good for him either.
Since Cattermole has only managed at the youth level up until this point in his career, it will be challenging for the Sunderland legend to ride the wave of a challenging situation in south west England. However, there is no doubt that his footballing mind will help him transition into a top level coach. Players entering management are frequently very hit or miss.
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