Former Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has been sacked by Sunderland.

Mowbray spent five years at Ewood Park, leaving the club in the summer of 2022. He led Rovers to promotion out of League One in 2018, winning 108 of his 267 games in charge.

The 60-year-old joined Sunderland in August last year, replacing Alex Neil at the Stadium of Light after he moved to Stoke City. Mowbray overachieved last season in leading the Black Cats into the Championship play-offs, where they were beaten by Luton Town.

However, despite being just three points off the play-offs, Sunderland's board have decided to make a change, relieving Mowbray of his duties. Assistant boss Mark Venus has also left the club.

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Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman said: "All at SAFC have thoroughly enjoyed working with Tony and he is quite rightly held in high regard by our players and staff, and our supporters.

"After arriving at an uncertain time, he helped guide us to the Sky Bet Championship play-offs and played an important role in developing our team.

"This was a difficult decision to make, but we remain loyal to our ambition and our strategy, and felt that now was the right moment to take this step.

"We are now focused on identifying the right candidate and we will continue to support our coaching team and players throughout the interim period."

Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus added: “I would like to place on record my gratitude to Tony for his hard work and commitment to Sunderland, a place where he will always be welcome.
 
“As custodians of our great club, we believe in our long-term strategy that we hope will ensure sustainability and success for SAFC. Central to that approach is a relentless demand for a high-performance culture to be implemented throughout the Club and the development of a strong playing identity that you, our loyal supporters, can all be proud of.
 
“Your continued support will also be fundamental to that progress and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Stadium of Light throughout the festive period and as we enter 2024.”