Is there light at the end of the tunnel for Sunderland?

MICK McCARTHY will draw on his experiences as Republic of Ireland manager to guide him through the potentially stormy waters he faces at Sunderland in the coming months.

McCarthy yesterday became Sunderland's third boss this season following the sackings of Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson, stepping back into club management for the first time since 1996.

With Sunderland seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the Premiership table, and with just nine matches remaining for the Black Cats to preserve their top-flight status, McCarthy is not promising miracles.

While salvation is the short-term aim, stability and revitalisation of a club which has been in decline for virtually two years are long-term goals McCarthy has been asked to realise.

While questions have been raised as to McCarthy's suitability to manage a Premier League club for the first time in his career, there is no doubt during his six years as Ireland manager he was thrown into the lion's den in certain situations.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Charlton was initially daunting, while McCarthy took in his stride the qualifying failures for France 98 and Euro 2000, prior to the well-documented Roy Keane affair ahead of last summer's World Cup.

McCarthy conceded such experiences have given him the strength to cope with the challenges which lie immediately ahead at the Stadium of Light.

"What happened during my time at Ireland can't do me any harm," said McCarthy, whose demeanour throughout the media conference was confident and positive.

"People say to me 'what have you learnt' and it's hard to say. But what I do find is that when situations arise, your experiences good and bad help you handle them.

"I'm now about to find out over the next few months if I can deal with anything."

On the face of it, McCarthy does not appear to be a man initially under pressure as he will not be the one to carry the can should Sunderland be relegated.

But with games coming up against relegation rivals Bolton, West Ham, West Brom and Birmingham in the next few weeks, Sunderland could still find an escape route. First up is Saturday's visit of Sam Allardyce's side.

"I'll be under pressure on Saturday," added McCarthy, happy to sign an open-ended contract which can be terminated by either party at any stage.

"People will be coming in and expecting things to happen. They're saying 'we're not expecting miracles', but those who come on Saturday will be hoping for a good start. If we get it they'll then be thinking 'who knows what might happen?'.

"So that creates pressure. We're all under pressure. I'd sooner be under pressure here at this club than somewhere else which doesn't have the same things going for it. Everything about the club is right except the results, which is important to me and to everybody else. And that is my brief.

"Mathematically it's still possible to stay up. I've had a few texts which have said that maybe I'm sailing a bit close to the wind on this challenge. But I think it's still do-able and I have to believe we can still do it, starting on Saturday.

"We've clubs to play around us, with Bolton and West Ham to start, so who knows. All I can say is I will be trying my damnedest and if we can do it what an achievement it will be.

"We might as well set a target that is what we are going to do, and if we fall short of it then we will deal with it, but I've not come here for that.

"I've come here, with the players and everybody associated with the club, to keep us in the Premier League.

"Of course, I've considered the financial implications of relegation. I'm under no illusions. But let's get on with what I've got. We will deal with it if the worst happens. That's something further down the line. Until then, let me have my glass half full."

McCarthy has brought with him his former Ireland deputy Ian Evans, with the duo effectively needing to acquire almost as many points from the remaining nine games as Sunderland have so far done from the 29 they have played to date.

Vice-chairman John Fickling stated: "We have made this change because we feel it is in the best interests of the club and supporters. It was important we acted swiftly to secure the services of a manager who would have been pursued by several clubs during the summer months.

"We feel by appointing him we are giving him the chance to get to know the players and form a long-term development strategy for the summer and beyond.

"I stress this appointment is not about nine games for the rest of the season, or about our Premiership survival, albeit that is very important to the club. The decision is being taken for the long term because we need to halt the decline and revive the club's fortunes.

"To say our situation has become very difficult is a bit of an understatement, but we believe the change in manager will give us much-needed confidence, revitalise the team as well as provide a boost for the fans."