David Moyes resigns as Sunderland manager

David Moyes has resigned as manager of Sunderland, following a disastrous 2016-17 campaign.

Sunderland are Championship-bound for the first time in 10 years, and now they find themselves without a manager. The club announced on Monday that David Moyes has stepped down, after just one season in charge.

Moyes helmed Sunderland to a disastrous last-place 2016-17 season, as fans saw their club relegated in April. The team managed just 24 points this season, by far their worst performance in a decade. The drop to England’s second division will reportedly cost Sunderland as much as £65 million next year.

“I wish the players and my successor well in their efforts towards promotion back to the Premier League,” said Moyes in a BBC statement.

The 54-year-old Scottish manager has had a catastrophic few years, never really recovering from his debacle at Manchester United. Moyes was touted by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 as the one to continue his legacy at Old Trafford, but he was sacked by the club after just 10 months, leading United to a seventh-place finish.

After his United firing, Moyes went to Spain to take over as manager of Real Sociedad, where he had an up-and-down first year. He managed to beat Barcelona, but ended up finishing 12th in La Liga. The following year, Moyes was sacked again after Sociedad started the season poorly.

It seems Moyes has never managed to rekindle the success he had in charge of Everton. He spent 11 years as the Toffees’ manager, named Manager of the Year three times by the League Managers Association. He led Everton to multiple Europa League appearances and one Champions League qualification, prompting Ferguson to pick him as the next great Scottish manager.

Next: Top 10 Managers in Soccer history

Sunderland will now search for their 12th manager in 10 years, as the troubled side look to make their stay in the Championship a short one.