Last Updated: Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:38
Martin O'Neill has laughed off talk his job is under threat at Sunderland and insisted he's the "best and only" man for the role.
The 60-year-old arrived on Wearside to overwhelming popular acclaim 12 months ago, sparking a revival which hauled the Black Cats away from the Premier League relegation zone and to safety long before even he had expected to accomplish the first phase of his mission.
A year on, O'Neill's men find themselves in the bottom three as a result of claiming only two victories in their last 23 league games, and he heads into Tuesday night's re-arranged clash with fellow strugglers Reading with former England and Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer having used his newspaper column to suggest anything but three points could prove fatal for the former Leicester and Aston Villa boss.
However, O'Neill continues to enjoy the support of owner and chairman Ellis Short and remains confident he can turn things around at the Stadium of Light.
O'Neill said: "So what do you do then? So you go and put someone else in charge, he gets a group of 12, 13 games and can't win any matches? It's the same thing.
"I don't want to sound wildly boastful, but not only am I the best man for the job, I am actually the only man for the job.
"We will steer it through, we will get calmer waters ahead - it might take us a few months to do that - and then we will see.
"If we are continuing for the next couple of years to be in this position, then I will certainly question it then."
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