Sunderland have 'parted ways' with manager Martin O'Neill following the Black Cats' 1-0 home defeat to Manchester United on Saturday, the club have announced in an official statement.
Sky Sports claim he was sacked. The official statement reads;
"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."
Titus Bramble's ill-timed own goal in the mid-day kick-off at the Stadium of Light was enough to see Sunderland succumb to the Premier League champions elect, piling misery on the North East club who are now on a miserable eight game winless run. The latest in a long line of bad results has left the Wearsiders just 1 point above the relegation zone, looking nervously over their shoulder with the two teams below them, Wigan and Aston Villa possessing games in hand over them. A win for either club in their next game would send Sunderland into the bottom three. O'Neil had said after today's game to
Sky Sports, sounding confident about the club's chances of survival with seven games left to play;
"We were a little bit tentative in the first half and the own goal just about sums up the way things have been going. "I think there was a little bit of tension and a lack of confidence. We gave Manchester United a bit too much time and space when they are the best team in the league. "We tried to do something about it and we exerted a lot of pressure though without actually creating a clear-cut chances. The players were disappointed at half time but they galvanised and it was a terrific performance in the second half."
Managerless Sunderland next face two daunting fixtures... away to European Champions Chelsea next Sunday, followed by the pressure cooker of the Tyne/Weir derby against Newcastle United at St. James' Park which could be a huge relegation six-pointer. A successor to O'Neill "will be made in the coming days", the official statement declares.
Sunderland fans - what do you make of Martin O'Neill's shock parting of the ways with the Black Cats tonight? What manager do you realistically see as being brave enough to take on the challenge of those set of fixtures?