Martin O'Neill: I'm best man for Sunderland

Martin O'Neill insists he is the "only man" to steer Sunderland out of their current relegation-battling troubles.

The Black Cats are third from bottom of the Premier League and face fellow strugglers Reading on Tuesday.

O'Neill said: "So what do you do then? You go and put someone else in charge, he gets a group of 12, 13 games and can't win any? It's the same thing.

"I don't want to be boastful, but not only am I the best man for the job, I am actually the only man for the job."

Sunderland were beaten 3-1 at home by Chelsea on Saturday as they slipped down into the top-flight drop zone, with only Reading and QPR below them.

They have won just two of their last 23 Premier League matches and doubts have emerged over O'Neill's position.

"We will steer through it, we will get calmer waters ahead - it might take us a few months to do that - and then we will see," added the 60-year-old, who led Sunderland away from relegation after taking over a year ago.

The match against the Royals was originally postponed because of a waterlogged pitch in August and O'Neill believes his side's poor run has not affected the players' morale levels before the fixture.

"It's a game we can win," said O'Neill. "I'm sure Reading possibly feel the same themselves, but it's really up to us.

"It's far from doom and gloom around the place. The players are very positive, they're really upbeat and they've been in this position before, so they know how to cope with it."

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Source: BBC