Dick Advocaat wants to add two new faces to his Sunderland squad

Sky Sports News HQ reporter Keith Downie reflects on Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat's clever use of the media to achieve his own aims...

They don’t call him The Little General for nothing.

When Dick Advocaat has a message he wants to put across, he makes no apology for using his pre-match media conferences to do it.

Ever since the former Belgium and Russia manager stepped foot on Wearside back in March, he’s made a successful of job of answering his own questions.

Whatever we in the media put to him in front of the glare of the TV cameras, the Little General sets the agenda.

He consistently arrives at his pre-match news conferences with a message, and whatever he’s asked, that message is the one he ends up conveying.

The veteran manager calls the shots.

This week he wanted to make it crystal clear he wants two more big-money signings this transfer window, and he made his point not once, or twice, but FIVE times.

Advocaat knows that the club’s Sporting Director Lee Congerton will see the clips and read the quotes – it was a message to him and the Sunderland faithful.

It’s not dissimilar to the tactics of his predecessor Gus Poyet, it’s just Dick is a bit more cute about the way he does it.

It’s a trait I’ve noticed each and every time I’ve spoken to the Dutchman in the past five months.

Take Friday for example. The eve of the new season, and a perfect opportunity for Advocaat to put down his marker.  

• What would be progress for you this season?
• How important is it personally for you to get off to a fantastic start?     
• How much better equipped are you as a squad this season?
• Everyone else is strengthening, so can you work out who is going to struggle?
• How can you kick on from flirting with relegation every season?

Each of those questions brought the same answer – he wants two more big-name signings.

He’ll have been frustrated at his failure to land compatriot Leroy Fer – the QPR midfielder failed a medical on Wednesday after Sunderland had agreed a fee of £2m with the London club for a season-long loan.

Advocaat revealed not so long ago that Congerton and Sunderland Chariman Ellis Short had twisted his arm to make him change his mind and go back on his vow to retire from club management.

The wily man-of-many-teams will have ensured at least a verbal agreement that he would have a war-chest to take Sunderland to the next level and ensure his managerial stock remained high.

Advocaat’s relationship with his bosses is a healthy one, and he’ll be making the same point to them on a daily basis. But just to underline his point, he used us to put his message out there in the public domain.

So far he’s brought in defenders Adam Matthews and Younes Kaboul, as well as signing last year’s loanee Sebastian Coates on a permanent deal.

The day after Fer failed his medical Yann M’Vila was borrowed from Russian side Rubin Kazan for the season.

The jewel in the crown for Advocaat is the £9m splashed out on Jeremain Lens. The flying winger arrived from Dynamo Kiev to link up with Advocaat for a third time in his career.

The 67-year-old says Lens will add much needed pace, admitting "there was something wrong in midfield and up front last season".

But as he says, he needs two more from where the 27-year-old came from.

Although he stopped short of admitting it, it’s a striker and creative midfielder (in the mould of  Fer) that he wants. The next three weeks will tell whether he gets what he demanded. Only then, he says, will he set a target on what he can achieve with his Sunderland squad this season.

His parting shot at his pre-match news conference?

"We have brought in some good players so far, but as I say we still hope we can bring in one or two more additions."

And with that he was off. Point made. Job done.