A solid, if unspectacular, start to his reign at the Stadium of Light has seen Sunderland pick up seven points from a possible twelve thanks in part to the players willingness to keep going to the bitter end for their new boss. The late goals that secured wins against Blackburn and QPR would have been difficult to predict under the old regime. But a mark of O'Neill's immediate influence on the side has been the determination to keep plugging away and it has proved most worthwhile with the team gaining four points that would have been unlikely towards the end of the previous management.
When assessing the squad, O'Neill was quick to spot something he liked in former Derry City winger, James McClean, who was plucked from the reserves and introduced as an impact player. His pacey, direct style certainly lifted proceedings for the team and the home crowd when he made his debut in the latter stages of the 2-1 win against Blackburn and it will be interesting to see if he can earn a permanent place on the left hand side. Other than McClean, there have been no surprises in team selection and many of the same old problems are there to been seen each Saturday. It may be that O'Neill believes he can bring the best out of the existing squad of players and stave off a relegation battle or maybe he is plotting to improve in one or two areas in the transfer window to keep pace with the inevitable team strengthening that will be happening at other mid-table hopefuls.
When he first arrived, O'Neill surprised many pundits and fans by saying he had not discussed a war chest with Ellis Short and has since said he is in no hurry to get involved with transfer activity next month. But would that be a wise decision? We've all seen what can happen to this bunch of players on the back of a few bad results and O'Neill's opposite numbers are determined not to stand still this winter.
At Craven Cottage, Martin Jol wants to address his side's shyness in front of goal which is the main reason Fulham are flirting with danger in the bottom half of the Premier League this season. Already, the Cottagers are being linked with a move for Doncaster striker Billy Sharp who has a £3.5 million get out clause in his contract.
If anyone had told Paul Lambert that Norwich would be in the top half at Christmas, he might have recommended they seek medical attention. Lambert is not resting on his laurels after laying solid foundations in the first half of the seasonand has handed the Norwich City board a list of players he would like bring in for the rest of the campaign. At another promoted club, Neil Warnock has said he wants four new signings as QPR look to arrest a slide down the table and has admitted the club is already working hard to see who they can bring in.
Steve Kean wants to move quickly in the January transfer window as he looks to bring some fresh faces to help Blackburn clamber away from their position at the bottom of the Premier League table. Kean has been letting it be known that he has had discussions with Blackburn's owners and plans are afoot to strenghten the squad sooner rather than later.
Fifteen miles up the road, Alan Pardew's surprising start to the season may have contributed to Steve Bruce's downfall as Wearside fans quickly grew tired of the excuses for Sunderland's underperformance while their 'poverty-stricken' neighbours were plundering points at will. Pardew was disappointed at the collapse of the deal to take Modibo Maiga to the Sports Direct Arena ahead of the January window when the Sochaux striker failed his medical. The ongoing shortage of funds could mean Pardew will have to forego paying inflated prices to replace 14-goal Demba Ba who will be heading for the African Cup of Nations next month, but he will be looking to strengthen Newcastle's defensive options.
It's difficlult to know what O'Neill plans for the transfer window, he says he has good players and wants to give everyone a chance. But he has shown over the years that he loves to toy with questions from the Press and carries a straighter bat then Geoffrey Boycott at his tedious best - MON rarely lets slip his innermost thoughts. Perhaps he gave us all a clue when commenting on Stephane Sessegnon's solo goal at Loftus Road, "When he goes clear, as he did in that situation, you don't really feel as though anyone is going to catch him. We're not blessed with a great deal of pace in the team, so that is very encouraging." Sessegnon and the whippet-like Kieron Richardson are the only players with genuine pace in an otherwise pedestrian squad when judging by Premier League standards while McClean has looked fast enough in his cameo appearances. The requirement for pace in the modern game is no secret and perhaps the manager has decided he requires some fleet footed help around the pitch.
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