Until few hours back, Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill was nowhere accepting that he is on the firing line coz of their recent defeat from ManU, even though this loss has pushed them just above of bottom three in the EPL. The 61-year-old Northern Irishman, who joined the club around one year ago in December 2011, did compare his current stand with that of a glass of water which is three-quarter full, and in just few hours, big news came from Sunderland mentioning his dismissal. The position of Sunderland is just above of relegation mark with as many as seven matches are in hand. Actually, his sacking was confirmed within minutes of their defeat, but he was not informed until a sanction came in from the club bosses. Even performance wise, Sunderland was lacking a win since last eight league matches and this drought of wins led O’Neill’s sacking within 15 months of his job at the helm. Club issued a statement via its website that formally mentioned his sacking; it reads as, “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.”
O’Neill started his campaign brilliantly at Sunderland winning as many as seven matches out of first ten played games, but by the end of current season he lost his charm and ability to motivate the team; hence he had to face a humiliation that every manager wants to avoid – at least during his professional career. Despite his massive allotted budget to buy big players, he could not deliver what he was supposed to be. He spent almost 22 million in buying some of the big names in the business, like Scotland international striker Steven Fletcher, England winger Adam Johnson, Danny Graham, and Alfred N’Diaye, but nothing did work in his favor.
The sacking is against all the odds and even O’Neill had never expected this, that is why he said in an interview post defeat from United that, “There is a determination among the players that we can do it. And I’m as buoyant as I’ve always been. Overall, I’m pleased with the performance and I think it bodes well. But there’s always a danger that you’re going to struggle for confidence and self-belief when you haven’t won a long time.”
So, his self-claimed satisfaction with performance led him down all of a sudden, which is not new in contemporary soccer to see managers going all the way overnight.