“He’s showing signs” – Sunderland fan pundit makes Alex Neil claim after impressive win

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Alex Neil picked up his first win as Sunderland boss in style last time out, as his side beat Wigan 3-0 away from home.

Given his stuttering start since replacing Lee Johnson, combined with the Latics form, many expected the Black Cats to struggle. However, they ran out deserved winners after putting in a pretty complete away performance.

The challenge for Neil and the players will be to ensure that is the catalyst for a positive end to the season, with promotion still a possibility.

And, FLW’s Sunderland fan pundit Jack Austwicke certainly believes that result shows Neil has what it takes to be a success on Wearside.

“On Saturday against Wigan that was obviously a huge win. I don’t think any Sunderland fan was going there expecting anything from the game, so to come away from one of the top two teams in the league with a 3-0 victory was brilliant.

“As for Alex Neil, it does look as though he’s showing signs. He struggled at the start, with a few poor games, but you could say that’s down to him trying to fit in his system and it’s going to take some time.

“But, to go away and win 3-0, it does show that if he can deliver things like that, he’s definitely the right man for the job. If he doesn’t take us up this year through the play-offs, I could see signs that next season, with his own players, he could really push us far.”

Neil’s men are back in action at Charlton this weekend as they look to remain in the play-off places.

The verdict

That felt like a crucial win for Neil in more ways than one. Firstly,