ELLIS SHORT could have looked to the longer term by opting for the younger manager with an intention to transform the way Sunderland Football Club do things.

Instead the American went for Sam Allardyce, handing the 60-year-old a two-year deal with plenty of clauses enabling a parting of the ways at the end of the season if relegation falls the club’s way.

It certainly doesn’t have the feel of a bright new era, does it?

And yet, despite the obvious reservations which Allardyce had before accepting the chance to end his break in Spain, there is so much about Short’s move that makes sense.

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He could be exactly what Sunderland require, which is why most Sunderland fans have bought in to it so soon. Since Martin O’Neill left the Stadium of Light in March 2013, Short cannot be accused of sticking to the tried and tested.

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Paolo di Canio’s controversial style and willingness to tear things up instantly was followed by Gus Poyet’s attempts to repair the fractures from his predecessor’s reign. Both, though, ultimately departed, shortly after citing ‘problems’ with the fabric of the Wearside club.

Dick Advocaat’s worldwide experience of managing at the highest level helped turn things around temporarily again, but he just felt the task of transforming Sunderland’s fortunes was just too large for a man of his age.

Allardyce’s arrival offers no guarantees. But whatever people tend to think of the way his teams are set up, Allardyce has never been relegated from the Premier League since leading Bolton to promotion in 2000-01.

And unlike Advocaat – whose nine games last season as Sunderland boss were his first experiences of the Premier League – Allardyce has spent his career working in the English leagues.

That will not instantly lead to a Sunderland revival, but it does give them a chance. A contract until the end of next season might not seem the greatest of long term thinking, but it might not need to be.

With a guaranteed increase in cash from TV revenue for top-flight clubs from next summer, this season carries more importance than those before because of Sunderland’s significant debts.

If Allardyce turns out to be the saviour, he could soon get the taste for more - and that might be just what Sunderland need after far too many years of struggle and strife.