DICK ADVOCAAT should be confirmed as Sunderland’s next manager today after being offered a £500,000 incentive to keep Premier League football at the Stadium of Light following Gus Poyet’s sacking.

Poyet was informed of owner Ellis Short’s decision to engineer a change of approach after taking charge of his final training session at the Academy of Light yesterday having failed to keep the Black Cats away from relegation danger this season.

Short, largely guided by sporting director Lee Congerton, has been quick to make his move to appoint a successor, with experienced Dutchman Advocaat targeted to fill the role in the hope he will oversee a successful survival fight.

Advocaat, a former Rangers manager, stepped down as Serbia boss last November and his strong links to Congerton have led to him being approached to inject new life into struggling Sunderland with nine matches remaining.

An announcement on Poyet’s successor is expected today and it has been suggested a will meet the players for the first time this morning.

He told Dutch media last night: "I will soon be working at the Stadium of Light."

Advanced talks have taken place with Advocaat and it is understood a lucrative half-a-million bonus will be on the cards if he can keep top-flight football on Wearside beyond May. He will bring in Montenegrin Zeljko Petrovic to assist him.

Congerton is understood to be looking to make a short-term appointment until the end of the campaign before reassessing the situation in the summer. Advocaat could stay in the role longer-term, while other names such as West Ham’s former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce and Derby’s ex-Middlesbrough chief Steve McClaren are among those being considered.

Advocaat's vast experience across the globe will be utlised to guide Sunderland to safety after they dropped to within a point and a place of the bottom three under Poyet.

The 67-year-old has had two spells in charge of Holland since taking his first steps in management in 1980. He had successful spells in charge of PSV and Rangers before he took his country’s reins against in 2002.

Since then Advocaat has managed in Germany, the Middle East, Russia and Holland, while he has also had stints in international management with South Korea, Belgium and Russia before his last role with Serbia.

Among his honours are league titles in Holland, Scotland and Russia, but he has never managed in England. The challenge of testing his ability in the Premier League appeals before retirement.

When Congerton was drawing up his options to succeed Poyet he wanted a man with no long-term ambitions. The decision was made to replace the Uruguayan on Sunday after discussions with Short, chief executive Margaret Byrne and Congerton.

Poyet's assistants Mauricio Taricco and Charlie Oatway have also left the club after a feeling that their situation had become untenable following Saturday’s 4-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, where the vast majority of fans did not even stay to witness the second half. Some supporters tried to storm the Sunderland dug-out to protest against Poyet’s tactics.

Sunderland, whose finest moment under the former Chelsea attacking midfielder was to reach the Capital Cup One final last March before guiding them to Premier League survival last season, have won just two matches at the Stadium of Light all season.

A failure to win any of their last seven matches, losing four of those, culminated in his sacking after and his situation worsened after he moved to pen a letter to supporters a fortnight ago after upsetting supporters for openly blaming them – and then the media – for their part in the club’s malaise.

And in a statement issued by the club yesterday, billionaire owner Short said: “I would like to thank Gus for his endeavours during his time at the club, in particular last season’s great escape and cup final appearance, which will live long in the memory of every Sunderland fan.

“Sadly we have not made the progress that any of us had hoped for this season and we find ourselves battling, once again, at the wrong end of the table. We have therefore made the difficult decision that a change is needed. An announcement will be made in due course regarding the head coach position.”

Short will make his fourth appointment in four years since taking control from the Drumaville consortium. If Advocaat is confirmed this morning, he will follow Martin O’Neill, Paolo Di Canio and Poyet who have operated under the American’s watch.