Sunderland

Sunderland owner Ellis Short is not a man renowned for his patience when the going gets rough at the Stadium of Light.

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane told The Irish Times (via Daily Telegraph) that his resignation in December 2008 had been a result of his deteriorating relationship with Short and then-chairman Niall Quinn.

Ricky Sbragia lasted almost six months before quitting after keeping the club in the Premier League; another Old Trafford favourite, Steve Bruce, was at the helm for two-and-a-half years before the Dallas-based businessman dispensed with his services in November 2011.

Now Martin O'Neill has been axed by Short after 16 months with Sunderland, the club he supported as a boy. For a successful businessman, Short does appear to have lost his acumen when it comes to his footballing strategy.

O'Neill is a master at the art of man-management. His successes at Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa were all based in the ethic he learned from his mentor, Brian Clough—getting the best out of limited players.

For O'Neill, though, this is a case of his heart ruling his head. The Sunderland supporter, who cited Roker Park legend Charlie Hurley as his favourite player of all time (via Daily Mail), worked his magic immediately after his appointment and won six of his first eight matches to lift the Black Cats away from the relegation zone.

But the former Nottingham Forest and Northern Ireland midfielder was still not given a full season at the club to make the changes required.

O'Neill has also developed a reputation for butting heads with his chairmen, as Brian Quinn at Celtic (via The Sun) and Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner (via The Guardian) may be prepared to testify.

But Short backed O'Neill in the transfer market with the signings of Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson for a combined total of £22 million in the summer followed by the arrivals of Danny Graham and Alfred N'Diaye for £8 million in January.

Carlos Cuellar and Louis Saha also joined the O'Neill revolution last summer on free transfers.

Short might be displaying the behaviour of a "spoilt brat," according to former Reading boss Steve Coppell (via BBC Sport), but the bottom line is that Sunderland is the property of the American.

O'Neill's record before his departure was not a pretty one. The defeat by Manchester United on Saturday extended their winless run to eight matches and left the club one point above the relegation zone.

The ex-Northern Ireland international has not been helped by a number of out-of-form players with only Fletcher truly hitting the heights with 11 goals this season, while midfielder Craig Gardner has contributed six strikes and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has performed heroics.

Perhaps the single greatest disappointment to O'Neill was not having his long-term sidekick John Robertson alongside him at the Stadium of Light.

The former Forest winger had been assistant to O'Neill throughout his managerial career, but opted out of the move to Wearside for personal reasons (Sunderland Echo).

Akin to his mentor Clough, who lasted just 44 days at Leeds United without his long-standing No. 2 Peter Taylor, O'Neill was not the success he was with the former Scotland international by his side.

O'Neill has now moved on, and Short already has his successor lined up, according to Sky Sports, with names such as Paolo Di Canio, Steve McClaren and Roberto Di Matteo all currently looking for work.

Axing O'Neill, though, no matter what the circumstances, at this stage of the season with just seven games left is a huge gamble by the American.

But it is just a reminder of how high the stakes are for club owners with a new television deal worth £3 billion coming into play next season (via The Guardian).

Queens Park Rangers and Southampton made their managerial changes earlier in the season, while Reading appointed Nigel Adkins last week to succeed Brian McDermott in a bid to stave off the drop.

Sunderland, though, are a bigger proposition. Despite spending periods in the Championship before their current top-flight stay, they retain one of the most passionate and loyal fanbases.

No matter who comes in to replace O'Neill, he will receive the full support of the fans, but there has to be a certain sadness that Sunderland have lost "one of their own" fans as a manager.

But Sunderland supporters will need no reminding of what can happen when a club legend attempts to steer his team clear of relegation in just a few matches (via BBC Sport).

Just over 10 years ago, Martin O'Neill was celebrating a place in the UEFA Cup semifinals with Celtic after guiding the team past Liverpool in the last eight.

Portuguese club Boavista lay in wait, and the Hoops boss also had his eye on another third successive Scottish Premier League title.

O'Neill would guide Celtic to a memorable first European final since 1970, when the emerging talents of Jose Mourinho would deny the 10-man Glasgow team the trophy in a 3-2 extra-time defeat to FC Porto.

The 96th-minute dismissal of defender Bobo Balde was a pivotal factor in Celtic's defeat, and O'Neill missed out on the SPL title by a goal difference of one to Rangers.

This was the zenith of O'Neill's time at Celtic, and the former manager is still a revered figure at Parkhead after ending Rangers' dominance in Glasgow and Scotland.

But O'Neill had been no stranger to success before joining Celtic in the summer of 2000 to replace interim boss Kenny Dalglish.

He remains the most successful manager at his first league club Wycombe Wanderers after leading the Chairboys into the Football League for the first time in 1993 and collecting the FA Trophy for the second time in three years in the same season. In their first season in the league, Wycombe were promoted with a 4-2 win over Preston North End at Wembley.

O'Neill left Adams Park in 1995 for an ill-starred six-month stint with Norwich City and immediately joined Leicester City, where the success kept on coming.

The previously underachieving Filbert Street club reached three League Cup finals, winning two under O'Neill and regularly finishing in the top half of the Premier League for the last four seasons of his reign.

His subsequent stint at Celtic from 2000 to 2005 is the stuff of legend for Hoops supporters. From the 6-2 win over Rangers in O'Neill's first Old Firm derby to regular Champions League appearances, these were halcyon times for the fans and the club.

O'Neill's time at Parkhead, especially its latter stages, was dogged by rumours of issues behind the scenes with then-Celtic chairman Brian Quinn, who infamously and accidentally left a message on the mobile phone of a Walsall teenager instead of the club's public relations official in April 2005 (per BBC Sport).

Just over a month later, O'Neill resigned his post at Celtic to care for his wife, Geraldine, who had been receiving treatment for cancer (via BBC Sport). He was replaced by Gordon Strachan.

During his time at Celtic, O'Neill was touted as the man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and was twice overlooked for the England job (per Daily Mail).

However, Ferguson performed a U-turn on his decision to retire, and the Football Association opted for Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello instead.

O'Neill took over at Aston Villa in August 2006 and again proved his Midas touch. He guided the Villans to three successive sixth-place finishes in the Premier League by 2010. He also led the team to their first major final for 10 years in the League Cup against Manchester United.

Again, though, the issue of finances of squad rebuilding was to play its part in his departure, and he quit Villa Park in August 2010, just days before the start of the new season (per Daily Telegraph).

When Sunderland sacked Steve Bruce as manager on Nov. 30, 2011, O'Neill, who had been a Black Cats supporter as a child, was appointed three days later.

His arrival had an immediate impact as the team won four of his first six games in charge. Even without the presence of trusted right-hand man John Robertson at the Stadium of Light, O'Neill's touch hadn't left him.

This season, though, has not produced the same effect for either O'Neill or the Black Cats.

According to BBC Sport, the 61-year-old was sacked on Saturday evening, with the club hovering a solitary point above the relegation zone and club owner Ellis Short desperate to maintain the club's top-flight status.

From Old Trafford manager-elect to sacked by his boyhood favourites, O'Neill's pride will be hurting after the first dismissal of his managerial career.

But while the former Northern Ireland international may be considered a senior in managerial terms now, his return to the dugout somewhere at another sleeping giant will not be far away.

It was his dream job, to manage the club he supported as a boy growing up in Northern Ireland. But after Sunderland slipped closer to the relegation zone thanks to 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, Martin O'Neill's time in charge at the Stadium of Light was brought to an end (via Safc.com)

It all started with a dramatic leap in the air as an injury-time winner secured a win over Blackburn Rovers in his first game in charge last season. But it all ended in a whimper with just one shot on target—in the 90th minute—at home to Manchester United.

So what went wrong for O'Neill? And how did it get to the point of being sacked with seven Premier League games remaining and Sunderland sitting just one point above the relegation trap door?

A lack of goals and a lack of imagination and creativity, particularly since the turn of the year, has seen Sunderland go from a potential top-10 finish to being Championship-bound.

A run of no wins in the last eight games and only three points picked up in the same period appear to have been the final straw for owner Ellis Short.

Although O'Neill was still working with a vast chunk of former manager Steve Bruce's purchases, his own activity in the transfer market has largely been unsuccessful.

Only striker Steven Fletcher, with his 11 goals since joining from Wolves and, at a push, free transfer signing Carlos Cueller and loanee full-back Danny Rose, have been successes.

The summer's marquee signing Adam Johnson has been disappointing since his switch from Premier League champions Manchester City, while January capture Danny Graham has yet to find the net since joining from Swansea City. His arrival has coincided with the poor run of form, just as midfielder Alfred N’Diaye’s has.

Injuries have counted against O'Neill throughout his time at the Stadium of Light, particularly in defence, but no more so than former manager Bruce suffered with.

It is the lack of ideas and creativity and the natural conservatism of his tactics that have been O'Neill's downfall. His insistence on playing players in unfamiliar positions has also contributed to his fate.

Sebastian Larsson, the club’s best crosser of a ball and one of the best in the Premier League, has been utilised in a central midfield role since the arrival of Johnson, and midfielders Craig Gardner and Jack Colback have spent time operating as full-backs.

The lack of pace has been all too evident too with Stephane Sessegnon and James McClean, two of the quickest in O’Neill’s squad, failing to hit the heights they achieved last season.

All of that has contributed to just 33 Premier League goals in 31 games and just nine different goal scorers in total.

Defensively, Sunderland have the second best record in the bottom of half of the Premier League behind Stoke City. But they have required a clean sheet to secure five of their seven wins, underlining O’Neill’s inability to change a game when going behind.

O’Neill’s time at Sunderland has been spent without his regular sidekick John Robertson, who had been by his side throughout his managerial career. It appears not being able to bounce ideas off his trusted man was a crucial factor.

It wasn’t all bad, of course. Larsson’s late winner against Blackburn Rovers in O’Neill’s first game in charge kickstarted a run of seven wins in his first 10 games in the Sunderland hot-seat including a memorable 1-0 success over Manchester City.

From being troubled by the threat of relegation when O’Neill took charge, Sunderland finished 13th last season despite failing to win any of the last eight games.

That appeared to be the start of the demise of O’Neill as the current season started with just one win in the opening 10 games.

A run of five wins in eight games in December and January—including another 1-0 win over Manchester City—looked to have turned around Sunderland’s fortunes, but they have not won since overcoming fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic on Jan. 19.

O’Neill was dealt another blow ahead of the Manchester United defeat with Fletcher sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury suffered on international duty with Scotland. Captain Lee Cattermole was also ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

And O’Neill, who won 16 of 55 Premier League games in charge of Sunderland, paid the price for the poor run of form and a 14th Premier League defeat of the season. It was the first sacking of his managerial career, as his dream job ended 16 months in.

Sunderland’s 2012-13 campaign has not gone the way the club was expecting, and Martin O’Neill has been relieved of his managerial duties.

BBC Sport reported the news via Twitter, and the club confirmed its decision via a statement on SAFC.com:

O’Neill was sacked after the Black Cats played a competitive match with league-leading Manchester United, which resulted in a 1-0 defeat. An own goal from defender Titus Bramble provided the only mark on the scoresheet.

The loss dropped Sunderland to 16th in the table. The club is just one point ahead of Aston Villa and Wigan, who both have a game in hand on the Black Cats.

O’Neill was hired midway through the 2011-12 season to replace Steve Bruce, who was fired after a poor start. The 61-year-old Northern Irishman made an immediate difference in the team’s form, and he eventually coached the team to a 13th-place finish. 

There were many positive signs from the team’s previous campaign, and a mid-table finish at worst was likely what the club’s higher-ups were expecting this year.

Teams sitting near the bottom of the table are desperate to make any change necessary to avoid relegation, as failing to stay in the top flight this year will be especially costly. The Premier League’s television income will surpass £5 billion pounds next season, and the teams who go down to the Championship will miss out on a massive payday. 

Reading already fired Brian McDermott, while Southampton got rid of Nigel Adkins in hopes of staying in the Premiership.

Now, O’Neill is the next casualty, and the club will be desperately hoping that the move will allow the team to stave off relegation. 

It has not been the best of times at the Stadium of Light this season, and Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill finally paid the price for his club's lack of form.

Sunderland's official Twitter account reported that the club and O'Neill had parted ways. The club also released a statement on its sacking of O'Neill (via SAFC.com).

The statement on the Sunderland website is brief but gets the point across.

The club has parted company with manager Martin O'Neill.

Sunderland AFC has announced that it has parted company with manager Martin O’Neill this evening.

The club would like to place on record its thanks to Martin and wishes him well for the future.

An announcement will be made in the coming days regarding a successor.

The final match of the O'Neill tenure on Tyneside saw the Black Cats lose to league leaders Manchester United on an own goal by Titus Bramble on Saturday.

The loss extended the club's league winless streak to eight matches. The last match that the Black Cats won was against Wigan on January 19 on the road. Sunderland's last home win was back on January 12 against West Ham.

The eight-match winless streak has seen the Black Cats drop down to 16th place in the table, and they are in for a major relegation battle for the rest of the season. 

O'Neill took over as Sunderland's manager on December 3, 2011 and led the Black Cats to a 13th-place finish last season. The Northern Ireland native has also managed at Leicester City, Celtic and Aston Villa in the last two decades, and he will surely pop up on a club's radar sooner rather than later.

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After a run of one win in the last eight games and just six points picked up in the same period, Sunderland have gone from looking toward a top-half Premier League finish to nervously looking over their shoulders.

Martin O’Neill’s side have hit a slump at just the wrong time and, as the weeks have passed, they have edged closer to the relegation trap door—so much so that just four points now separates them from Wigan, who occupy the final spot in the drop zone.

But just how safe is Sunderland from relegation? The short answer would be not very safe.

Only Stoke City are in worse form over the latest eight games and, only this week, Sunderland were dealt a cruel blow with the news that both captain Lee Cattermole, and leading scorer Steven Fletcher will not play again this season.

The absence of Fletcher, who suffered ankle ligament damage while on international duty for Scotland, for the final eight games of the season is a bitter blow given the fact he has scored 11 of Sunderland’s paltry 33 Premier League goals.

And the onus is now placed on January signing Danny Graham, who is yet to score in a red and white shirt, and young forward Connor Wickham to fill the void left by Fletcher and fire Sunderland to safety.

The problem, however, is the forthcoming games offer little respite to a team in need of a confidence boosting result.

Manchester United visit the Stadium of Light this weekend, and trips to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea and St James’ Park for the northeast derby with rivals Newcastle United follow afterwards. It is then Everton at home in another tough-looking fixture for O’Neill’s struggling side.

On current form, there is every chance that Sunderland will still be stuck on 31 points after those four games. It is the next three games, however, on which the club’s fate could be decided. In those three fixtures, they travel to Aston Villa before hosting Stoke City and Southampton.

O’Neill will be keen to ensure Sunderland’s Premier League status is secured before the final day of the season with his side signing off the campaign at Tottenham, who could potentially still be embroiled in a battle for a Champions League qualifying berth.

How the Sunderland manager would give for another of the type of backs-to-the-wall performances that secured victory over Manchester City in December. That was one of only seven Premier League wins, and at least another two are needed to stave off the threat of relegation.

Adam Johnson arrived with big expectations on his shoulders when joining Sunderland in a £10million move from Premier League champions Manchester City.

But the winger has failed to live up to both his price tag and his star billing in a season of struggles for Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland.

Johnson arrived as a marquee summer signing along with Steven Fletcher, who joined from Wolves. But he has been well and truly outperformed by the Scotland striker. Johnson’s return to his native northeast simply hasn’t worked out the way it was planned.

Johnson spent a significant portion of Manchester City’s title-winning season on the bench and subsequently missed out on a place in the England squad at Euro 2012 under Roy Hodgson as a result.

The move to the Stadium of Light was thought to be the perfect chance to gain his England berth back by playing regular first-team football. Only half of that has come to fruition, however, with Johnson starting 27 times in a Sunderland shirt but failing to impress Hodgson to get back into the England picture.

It is no surprise, either, given that Johnson has arguably been Sunderland’s least effective player this season, which is no mean feat given his teammates have also struggled to make an impact in the EPL.

Johnson was brought in to provide some creativity from the flanks and add to Sunderland’s goalscoring prowess, but he has found the net only four times.

Of more importance has been his disappointing supply line from both wings—he has alternated between right- and left-sided roles—with Sunderland scoring only 33 times in the EPL this season, the sixth worst in the division.

Admittedly, new signing Danny Graham, creative man Stephane Sessegnon and midfielders James McClean and Sebastian Larsson have also failed to live up to their potential this season in an offensive sense.

But the fact O’Neill has chosen to substitute star man Johnson on several occasions this season—in an attempt to change games Sunderland were struggling to win—underlines the ineffectiveness of the winger in a red and white shirt.

Sunderland currently sit 15th in the Premier League table, which may sound safe, but it isn't at all. The Black Cats are currently being dragged into the relegation fight, and the international break couldn't come at a better time for Martin O'Neill's side.

Sunderland's form is currently as poor as their manager's dress sense when he tucks his tracksuit bottoms into his socks. Without a win since January 19, Sunderland are currently in a downward spiral.

Of course, there are teams much worse off than the team based at the Stadium Of Light. Reading have lost their last five matches, Queens Park Rangers are struggling to lift themselves off the bottom, and both Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa are still odds on for the drop. But Sunderland's descent towards the relegation zone has been both rapid, and worrying.

Just 10 games ago, Sunderland were sat comfortably in 13th place, and considering their improvement last season when O'Neill took over, their name was barely even mentioned when it came to discussing who would be dropping to the Championship.

However, in the last seven matches, they have lost to Reading, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion and QPR, and drawn with Swansea, Fulham and Norwich. But the most concerning of those was the most recent result against the Canaries.

TalkSPORT radio presenter Georgie Bingham summed up the game perfectly when she tweeted:

How are Sunderland not winning this when Norwich are down to 10, had a pen against them + stonewall pen denied? Booing understandable.

— Georgie Bingham (@georgiebingham) March 17, 2013

And booing there was. After some questionable officiating decisions, Sunderland were handed the game on a red and white platter. But they failed to make the most of their opposition being down to 10 men, being awarded a penalty although there was a potential offside and avoiding conceding a penalty thanks to the linesman deeming Danny Rose's handball to have come outside the box when he was clearly inside. As Chris Hughton pointed out: "It was in the box. It was not a good day in terms of decisions against us."

The substantial lack of clinical finishing shown on that day, and the recent drop in form, shows that Sunderland are starting to self destruct.

And when Connor Wickham—a player whom has scored just one Premier League goal—is brought on to try and change the game, you know that the club is in trouble.

Sunderland fans will breathe a sigh of relief this weekend as the international break gives their club a chance to take time to work on their weaknesses and try and regain composure. As their current spiral towards the bottom three looks to be unstoppable at the moment.

The players and supporters will be looking to Martin O'Neill to take this week off competitive football to put some hard graft into the tactics board and the training ground. And this weekend could prove influential on whether Sunderland turn that corner and drive towards survival, or if they continue to plummet at a fast pace towards certain relegation.

And this break will benefit Sunderland the most out of all those in the relegation race, as they have a manager who knows how to survive in the Premier League and has a squad that has the potential to stay a top flight side. They just need to stop this slide they are currently hurtling down, and a weekend break could well be they key to stop the rot.

Sunderland were in trouble last year, but O'Neill brought them back from the dead. And all involved in Sunderland AFC will be looking to the Northern Irishman to use all of that experience to take stock in the next 10 days, regroup, reassess and rejuvenate their survival challenge.

A summer of significant spending may have heightened preseason expectations, but the EPL season promised so much more than Sunderland have managed.

In his first full season in charge at the Stadium of Light, manager Martin O’Neill had envisaged a strong season playing for a top-half finish in the table. That top-half finish is not out of the question still, but as it stands, he is nervously looking over his shoulder at the relegation zone.

More was expected when striker Steven Fletcher and winger Adam Johnson joined in big-price transfer moves in the summer from Wolves and Manchester City, respectively. Defender Carlos Cueller also arrived on a free transfer from Aston Villa, and Danny Rose joined on loan for the season from Tottenham.

Eleven-goal Fletcher proved an immediate success as a lone striker, although the goals have dried up more recently. Cueller formed a tight partnership at the heart of defence with John O’Shea prior to suffering injury. Rose won over the Sunderland fans with marauding runs and tough tackling at left-back.

Johnson, on the other hand, has failed to live up to his star billing as the England international winger is yet to replicate the form he showed when winning the EPL title with Manchester City.

O’Neill continued his overhaul of the Sunderland squad in the January transfer window with the capture of Alfred N’Diaye from Bursaspor to add more physicality to the midfield, and also spent £5 million to bring Swansea City striker Danny Graham to the Stadium of Light.

Graham has yet to hit it off in his new partnership with Fletcher, while N’Diaye is still adapting to life in the EPL—the pair’s introduction coinciding with a poor run of form for Sunderland.

It would appear, with Sunderland continuing to flirt with the relegation zone rather than push on and become established as a top-10 club, that major changes are still required to the first-team squad this summer.

For starters, O’Neill’s squad is not big enough to cope with the injuries suffered at regular points during the season. That is evident in the fact he named only six substitutes in recent weeks or a bench packed with defenders, who were the only fit players.

That squad is set to become even smaller at the end of the season when defenders Titus Bramble and Matt Kilgallon are out of contract and free to leave the club. Ji Dong-Won and Ahmed Elmohamady, loaned out to Augsburg and Hull City, respectively, are also expected to depart on a permanent basis.

Bit-part midfielder David Vaughan’s days at the Stadium of Light could also be numbered, as he failed to force his way into O’Neill’s plans.

With the potential of other departures, the situation could leave O’Neill needing to bring in up to eight players—new faces across the entire back four, midfield reinforcements and potentially another forward should he opt to send Connor Wickham out on loan for the season to gain experience.