Neil was in charge when Sunderland won promotion via the League One play-offs, but just three months after presiding over the Wembley win over Wycombe, he was leaving the Stadium of Light under something of a cloud.
Repeated clashes with the Black Cats hierarchy over recruitment were a factor in the parting of the ways, but Neil has also suggested that contractual issues were at the heart of the breakdown in relations that eventually led to him being replaced by Tony Mowbray.
Discussions over a new deal took place after promotion was secured, but Neil did not feel those above him were adequately acknowledging the quality of the work he had put in to help get Sunderland promoted.
“From my perspective, it was just very non-committal,” said Neil, who will be back at the Stadium of Light today in charge of Millwall. “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.
“I absolutely loved it (at Sunderland). “It was one of those ones where I knew it was a job I needed to go and get them up. They had been so close for four or five years.
“It was one where people said, ‘It’s a bit of a poisoned chalice – it’s a hard one and everyone has tried to do it’. But that, in itself, makes you determined to go and give it a bash if you’re lucky enough to get the job.”
READ MORE:
Neil left Sunderland to take over at Stoke City, but lasted just under a year-and-a-half at the bet365 Stadium, where he was unable to turn the Potters into promotion contenders.
Sunderland made the play-offs under Mowbray, and currently sit fourth in the Championship table under Regis Le Bris, and Neil has been impressed with the rate of the Black Cats’ progress.
“They’ve had a great season,” he said. “They’ve added good experience in good areas of the pitch. The two centre-backs are experienced, whether it be Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien or Chris Mepham.
“Wilson Isidor has made a big difference in terms of giving them that goalscorer who can hit double figures in a season. A lot of the younger players like Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil, Chris Rigg, Dennis Cirkin and Trai Hume have all got another year under their belt at the level. That has really set them up to have a good year.”
Millwall desperately need a positive result on Wearside to keep their promotion hopes alive, and Neil is hoping Sunderland’s position between the top two and the edge of the play-off zone will work in his side’s favour.
“They are a little bit in limbo until the play-offs come along,” he said. ““You can’t argue with the points they have got on the board, but they are in a bit of a difficult situation in that they are probably too far away from that top two and they are never going to drop out of the play-offs.”
