Fletcher piles woe on sorry Sunderland

STEVEN FLETCHER ensured Martin O’Neill will commence work today with the most difficult and challenging task ahead of him in his career.

Resurrecting the fortunes of Sunderland from 17th in the Premier League table will test the talents of the Irishman with the red and white of Wearside running in his blood.

His immediate thoughts will turn to the fact that only one point is keeping his new charges out of the relegation zone, but the statistics of the calendar year point to a far more deep-seated problem which he has inherited from Steve Bruce.