Martin O'Neill can wake up sleeping SAFC

Dec 4 2011 by James Hunter, Sunday Sun

MARTIN O’NEILL is the man to awaken sleeping giant Sunderland.

That’s the view of O’Neill’s former Nottingham Forest team-mate – and ex-Sunderland assistant manager – Frank Clark.

O’Neill will be at Molineux this afternoon to watch the Black Cats take on Wolves, before officially starting work as Sunderland manager tomorrow.

And Clark believes the former Celtic and Aston Villa chief will give Sunderland just the lift they need after a hugely disappointing start to the campaign.

“Martin is an excellent manager and he will be a popular choice with the Sunderland fans,” said Clark, who spent two years as Ken Knighton’s No 2 at Roker Park between 1979 and 1981.

“He will bring with him a great enthusiasm, bags of charisma, knowledge and experience.

“Sunderland is a massive club with a great support, and the infrastructure is all in place.

“I know things haven’t gone as well as expected so far this season and the fans will be hurting because Newcastle have started so strongly.

“But hopefully Martin will come in and give Sunderland the lift they need.”

O’Neill has been out of football since stepping down from the Villa job just days before the start of the 2010-11 season and Clark says the 59-year-old will be excited at the prospect of taking on a new challenge.

He said: “Martin has been out of the game for 16 months or so, and you can bet he will be raring to go again.

“He has been linked with all kinds of jobs since he left but he has obviously waited until a job he fancied came his way.

“He has had a break from football and I would think he has missed being involved on a day-to-day basis.”

O’Neill is known as one of football’s most forthright managers and, during his playing days, Clark remembers the Northern Irishman clashing on occasions with outspoken Forest boss Brian Clough.