Sunderland have sacked manager Martin O’Neill after just sixteen months in charge of the premier league club. Sunderland are on a abysmal run of form and find themselves just a point above the drop zone with seven games remaining.

O’Neill took over the Wearside club in December 2011, when the club found themselves in a similar position around the relegation zone. O’Neill’s first game in charge was a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at the stadium of light. The club pushed on to secure a mid-table finish.

In the summer of 2012, O’Neill spent big on both striker Steven Fletcher from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Adam Johnson from Manchester City. Many anticipated that Martin O’Neill would take Sunderland to new heights and hopefully achieve European football. However this season hasn’t materialised as planned and Sunderland are hovering above the drop zone and now searching for a new manager.

The timing of O’Neill’s sacking has surprised many. With only seven games of the season remaining, it’s difficult to see who Sunderland can bring in to make an instant impact and turn the clubs form around.

Whoever is O’Neill’s successor has a tricky start, with trips to Chelsea and Newcastle followed by a home game with Everton.  Early bookmakers at time of writing have made Paulo Di Canio the shock front runner for the job just ahead of ex-England boss Steve McLaren and Mark Hughes.

Martin O’Neill leaves Sunderland with a win percentage of 38%.