Sunderland have announced that Simon Grayson will take charge of the club for their upcoming season in the EFL Championship, with the 47-year-old signing a three-year deal on Wearside.
Grayson the man tasked with leading the Black Cats back to the top-flight
Grayson, who succeeds David Moyes as Black Cats boss, leaves fellow Championship club Preston North End to take the reigns on Wearside and is set to meet his squad for the first time tomorrow before heading to Austria as part of the club's pre-season plans.
Glynn Snodin, his assistant manager at Preston, will also be joining him in Austria while former assistant manager Robbie Stockdale and goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker will continue their roles with the club.
Speaking to the club's official website upon becoming the new Sunderland boss, the 47-year-old said that he is "delighted to come to Sunderland" and described the club as one with a "wonderful history and tradition".
Grayson stressed that he wants to "bring the good times back" to Wearside following several seasons of struggle under various managers in the Premier League, adding that he is "excited by the opportunity".
The now former Preston boss praised the "tremendous support" of the Sunderland fans and stated that he wants to "give these fans a team they can be proud of.”
CEO pleased to conclude long and arduous managerial search
His managerial career holds a vast amount of Football League experience, amassing over 600 games for Blackpool, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Preston before his move to Sunderland.
Speaking about the type of player he wishes to have playing in the red and white stripes, he said "desire, team spirt and a never-say-die attitude" are "very least that we should expect from a Sunderland player."
Grayson admitted that although the Championship is undoubtedly a "demanding league", his main priority from this point forward is to "get the club back to where it belongs".
Sunderland's CEO Martin Bain also spoke to the club's website following the announcement, saying that the board "warmly welcome Simon to Sunderland".
The Scotsman continued by saying that Grayson "demonstrated a tremendous enthusiasm for the job" from the beginning and his "desire and ambition" was key to earning him the manager's job.
Bain said that Grayson's managerial history shows "a clear indication of his ability to build a team on solid foundations", with his most recent achievement being Preston's return to the Championship via the League One play-off final.
He concluded by stating that he wishes to "extend my thanks to the chairman and board of Preston North End" following "their cooperation during the discussion process."