Times Sport
Boss O’Neill swift to dampen expectations
8:00am Thursday 2nd February 2012
MARTIN O'NEILL has masterminded Sunderland's climb from 17th to eighth place in the Premier League, but has urged supporters not to get carried away as the Black Cats' boss continued his fairytale start to life on Wearside.
Victory against Norwich City gave O'Neill his fourth win in five home games, galvanising a record of just two defeats in ten in the league. Aided by Fraizer Campbell's goal and assist, a 3-0 win has left Sunderland on 30 points with the top six in their sights.
But Sunderland's manager was keen to dampen down the expectation which has continued to grow since his appointment in November turned around the club's fortunes.
O'Neill said: "I'm very pleased with the position but I'm more concerned about the points on the board right now.
"We're at a landmark with 30 - we might not move again now - but 30 is important. The table is concertina-ed, you can go from eighth to 13th. It was nice to play well and win.
"It's foolhardy to look up the table. Champions League? Now you're being foolhardy. It's nonsense.
"Imagine sitting here talking about Europe on the first day of February, don't get carried away - please.
"We've got some points on the board, that's all. It's my normal defensive mechanism to suggest that we could have lost. We've got great confidence now, some real desire and that's it."
O'Neill was cautious earlier in the week about too much being expected of Campbell, who spent 15 months on the sidelines with a knee injury, but the 24-year-old showed none of that pressure - or ring-rustiness - as he put in a man of the match performance against Norwich, capped by a fine volley on 21 minutes to open the scoring.
O'Neill said: "I'm delighted for him, you should have seen him in the dressing room, with his big smile. It was more than his enthusiasm though, he was brilliant for us. He scored a great goal and played a big part in the second. His overall attitude was terrific, his performance was brilliant.
"He has surprised everyone with how well he has come back. I shouldn't be surprised, his attitude has been excellent. Fifteen months is a long long time, especially when you're young.
"I shouldn't be surprised about his attitude. He's given us a big big lift at an important time."
O'Neill was linked with a move for Kevin Davies, but the Sunderland manager admitted last night that such a move never looked to be on the cards. "I said half-jokingly that a Kevin Davies or that type of player could come in and teach the younger players how to play as a centre-forward with your back to goal," he explained.
"I suppose that's my job to teach them how to play, so maybe we didn't need that help. I'm pleased for Fraizer, and the likes of Ji and Connor have a contribution to make - Fraizer made that in style."