O’Neill backed by Ferguson as Sunderland close in on deal

Martin O’Neill was deep in negotiations with Sunderland last night as Sir Alex Ferguson issued a ringing endorsement of his credentials.

The 59-year-old former Celtic and Aston Villa manager met Black Cats chairman Ellis Short for a second time in an attempt to thrash out a deal after positive talks last night, albeit talks which broke up without an agreement in place.

It is understood slow progress is being made as the fine details are discussed, and that negotiations could continue into the weekend. However, if the former Northern Ireland international does finally put pen to paper, he will do so with the blessing of Manchester United manager Ferguson.

Asked about O’Neill’s candidacy, the Scot said: “Martin has a very good track record. The job he did at Villa Park was excellent, he did a great job at Celtic, he won the League Cup with Leicester, so Martin has got the experience and track record to do well. If that’s the job he’s going to, I’m sure he will do well.”

O’Neill has been out of the game since leaving Aston Villa on less than friendly terms in August last year, but enjoys popular support in Sunderland. His name has been on the lips of the majority of supporters whenever the post has become vacant, and they will hope the outstanding issues can be resolved swiftly to allow an appointment which would bring new hope to Wearside.

A dismal start to the season has yielded another derby defeat to Newcastle and just two victories in 13 Barclays Premier League games, the 11 points gathered leaving the Black Cats 16th in the table, only two points clear of the relegation zone.

Tomorrow’s visit to Wolves and next weekend’s clash with lowly Blackburn at the Stadium of Light will be followed by a series of more testing fixtures against Tottenham and QPR away and Everton and Manchester City at home.

Sunderland desperately need a marked upturn in fortunes to avoid heading into the new year facing a battle for top-flight survival. However, Ferguson expressed his disappointment with the club’s decision to dispense with Steve Bruce’s services, and suggested unreasonable pressure had been applied by fans. He said: “Fans just don’t have the patience any longer, just see what happened to Steve Bruce up in the north east, where being a Geordie didn’t help him.

“In that part of the world they are so passionate and committed to their football team and what happens the other side of the Wear means a lot to them.

“I think Brucie has suffered because of that, but that’s the kind of supporters we have these days – no patience. He rebuilt a whole team and that requires a bit of patience from everyone, including Steve. I think Steve was realising that himself that he was going to have to wait. There was a complete turnaround in the summer, they lost a few players – the boy [Jordan] Henderson, the boy [Asamoah] Gyan, Anton Ferdinand, and you need that time.

“I think losing to Newcastle earlier on in the season didn’t help him either because of the way they are in that part of the world, but he will be back, Steve. In general, his managerial record is very good.”

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also labelled Sunderland’s decision to sack Bruce as “a mistake”. Discussing Bruce’s exit, Wenger said: “I think it is a mistake because the one to question at Sunderland is certainly not Steve Bruce. He has competence, the desire to win and he is the last one I would question on that. Unfortunately he went through a bad run and paid the price. I’m pretty sure that he should not have done.

“Change does not always sort out problems. History shows that it is not successful. It is statistically proven that a change of manager is not always successful. A club that creates its own instability is always in trouble – it is linked with technical stability, change of players, financially being in the red. All that together is linked with a change of manager.”

In the meantime, Bruce’s assistant Eric Black will take charge of team affairs at Sunderland. He and the players received a visit from former chairman Niall Quinn, who informed them of the latest developments, at the Academy of Light yesterday morning, and the Scot quickly turned his attention to the game at Molineux.

Black told the club’s official website, www.safc.com: “It is important that everyone is focused on the game and prepares in the right manner, so that’s what we will be concentrating on today and tomorrow.

“Naturally it’s a difficult time for everyone at the club, but we have to be professional and get on with the job in hand.”

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy admits that the task of overcoming Sunderland in tomorrow’s crunch relegation clash at Molineux has been made harder by the expected arrival of O’Neill.

McCarthy, who also managed Sunderland, said: “If Martin O’Neill is sat in the stand, they will be running around like scalded cats trying to impress. It has not made my job any easier.”