Alex Neil ‘has to be joking’ after what he said about Sunderland exit
Alex Neil will return to the Sunderland dugout this afternoon as his Millwall side prepare to face off against the Black Cats.
Sunderland have enjoyed a successful campaign to date, though the season is far from over with eight games still to be played.
However, while the focus will be on the current happenings on the pitch, the Black Cats, aside from a blip last season, have been on an awards trajectory dating back to their promotion from League One.
Neil proved to be the catalyst behind that promotion, before his departure the following season to join Stoke, in a move that he has tried to justify ahead of the clash at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland offered Neil a new contract
After their promotion from League One, optimism levels were high at Sunderland before Neil decided to ditch the club in favour of a move to Stoke City, where he would eventually face the sack.
However, it wasn’t the actual move that caused restoration on Wearside, but rather the manner of it, to which Neil has tried to defend.
Still under contract at Sunderland, Neil opted against being in the dugout for the Black Cats’ clash with Norwich City to attend a Stoke fixture ahead of his move.
Sunderland went on to lose that game, which would prove to be Neil’s last game ‘in charge’.
| Sunderland | Days at club | Matches | PPG |
| Regis Le Bris | 271* | 40 | 1.73 |
| Alex Neil | 197 | 24 | 1.88 |
It was believed that Sunderland offered a new deal to Neil, but the Millwall boss has accused the Wearsiders of showing a lack of commitment.
Neil said: “From my perspective, it was just very non-committal. I felt like I had just taken the team up, and I felt as if I deserved a little more longevity than what I was offered at the time” [Northern Echo].
Now, a man who ditched his employers to attend the match of a club he had no affiliation with at the time is what many would define as “non-committal”.
Sunderland must avoid added pressure v Millwall
Regardless of Neil’s comments, Sunderland will be well aware of the need to win against Millwall.
Automatic promotion is off the cards, but momentum will be key to take into the playoffs in order to have the best chance of securing a return to the Premier League.
Eight huge games remain for the Black Cats, and they need to return to the form that brought them plenty of success earlier this season.