Sunderland appoint Grayson

New Sunderland manager Simon Grayson has vowed to "bring the good times back" at the Stadium of Light.

Grayson quit his job as Preston North End boss on Thursday to take over as Sunderland manager on a three-year contract.

He takes over the role vacated by former Preston boss David Moyes at the end of the season following Sunderland's relegation from the Premier League.

The former Blackpool, Leeds and Huddersfield manager has recruited heavily from League of Ireland clubs to build a team at Preston that finished 11th in the Championship last season.

Cork City striker Sean Maguire is set to move to the Lancashire club at the end of July, while former Dundalk pair Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle signed two-and-a-half year deals in January.

They joined fellow Irishmen Alan Browne, Eoin Doyle and Greg Cunningham at Deepdale.

Grayson joined the club in 2013 and led them to promotion through the play-offs in 2015, and back-to-back 11th finishes in the Championship.

He managed this on a net spend of just over £1m and a wage bill believed to be the third-lowest in the Championship.

His ability to work and recruit players within a limited budget is a key factor in Sunderland's interest.

The Black Cats are £110m in debt and have already sold goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to Everton, with strikers Jermain Defoe and Fabio Borini set to leave the Stadium of Light in the coming days.

"I am delighted to come to Sunderland, a club with such wonderful history and tradition, and I'm excited by the opportunity to manage this club and I want to bring the good times back," he told the club's website.

"Sunderland are so fortunate to have such tremendous support and I want to give these fans a team they can be proud of.

"I want a group of players full of desire, team spirt and a never-say-die attitude - that's the very least that we should expect from a Sunderland player.

"The Championship is a demanding league, but with all the attributes I have highlighted then our aim has to be to get the club back to where it belongs as quickly as possible and I can't wait to get started."

In other Sunderland news, Short had ended takeover talks with a potential buyer after deciding a sale "would not be in the best interests" of the club.

Image: Getty Images

eir Sport channels are available across the eir Vision, Sky and Vodafone TV platforms as well as on the eir Sport app. All 7 channels in the eir Sport pack are available for free if you are a residential eir broadband customer.