Sunderland Sack Manager - End Of The Road For Martin O'Neill

by Joseph Dempsey

Sunderland have sacked manager Martin O'Neill following this afternoon's defeat to Manchester United and recent slump in form. The Black Cats are without a Premier League win since the 3-2 win over Wigan on January 19th and have recently become embroiled in a relegation scrap. They are just one point from safety and have played a game more than rivals Wigan, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers. The Northern Irishman became the bookmaker's favourite for the axe recently and leaves his post a little over a year after replacing Steve Bruce at the helm. Sunderland have been hit with an injury crisis recently as Lee Cattermole joined star striker Steven Fletcher in being ruled out for the rest of the season, leading to concerns over the club's top flight status. The North East club will be dragged into the relegation zone if Wigan and Aston Villa win each of their games in hand, and the Sunderland board have decided it is now time for a change in direction. The Black Cats are without a win in eight games following this afternoon's 1-0 defeat to top of the table Manchester United, and a successor to O'Neill "will be made in the coming days", the club said.

Contributor
Contributor

Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.