On this day in 1993, Sunderland sacked Malcolm Crosby with the club treading water in the second tier.
Crosby had become SAFC manager in 1991 having been Denis Smith's right-hand man at both York and Sunderland.
Crosby initially took over as caretaker manager when Smith was sacked, but Sunderland struggled to find a permanent replacement. While caretaker, the former midfielder took the Lads to Sunderland’s fourth FA Cup final in our history, which brought calls from fans to give him the job.
Before the FA Cup final, the South Shields native was officially given the manager’s job. However, Sunderland lost the final 2-0 to Liverpool and left London without silverware. Despite taking the lads to Wembley, the new manager was unable to inspire his side in the league, treading water in the second tier.
It felt like although Malcolm was undoubtedly a lovely man, he simply didn't command the authority needed to be a first-team manager and was much better suited to being a coach. He once rang the ALS hotline and left us a voicemail explaining his tactics after an away defeat to Peterborough, apologising for his late substitutions.
Crosby was eventually relieved of his duties with Terry Butcher taking over as player-manager. After leaving Wearside, the Sunderland fan became assistant manager at Oxford before briefly taking over as caretaker.
He then took a variety of roles, such as reserve team manager at Middlesbrough, Oxford’s head of recruitment and Birmingham’s chief scout. Crosby is currently the Chief Scout for Exeter City.
