McCarthy hails ‘remarkable’ rally

Mick McCarthy has heaped praise on chairman Bob Murray and his players for the fightback they have staged both on and off the pitch to resurrect Sunderland’s fortunes.

The former Ireland manager walked into a club stricken by financial problems and doomed to relegation when he took over from Howard Wilkinson in March last year, knowing things were likely to get worse before or even if they got better. "I understood when I took the job that changes were going to have to be made because I remember asking the question," said McCarthy.

"There have been maybe more changes than I thought would be made, I have to be honest, but that's that. But the club have done a remarkable job because I've seen Bob's comments, saying that the business side is now in a far better position and a stable position.

"On the other side, the players have been brilliant. Without being fourth in the league and playing as well as the players have, nobody would be bothered about the other stuff". "After two games at the start of the season, I saw the word 'freefall' was mentioned and it's about turning it around," said McCarthy.