Phil Parkinson thanked ‘tremendous’ Sunderland fans after they sang his name during the Black Cats’ win over Bristol Rovers at the Stadium of Light.Sunderland 3-0 Bristol Rovers: Lynden Gooch, Luke O'Nien on target in fine Black Cats win
Three second-half goals saw Sunderland continue their fine form with a deserved 3-0 win over 10-man Bristol Rovers.www.skysports.com
There were calls for Parkinson’s head less than two months ago after his reign got off to a poor start, but since Boxing Day the Black Cats have won nine out of 12 games, climbed from 15th to fourth in the table, and moved to within three points of the summit.
And the turnaround in Sunderland’s fortunes has been reflected in the mood towards Parkinson on the terraces, with the Roker End singing ‘Parky, Parky, give us a wave’, and the manager responding with a clenched fist salute.
“It was great,” said Parkinson of the fans’ reaction.
“The supporters have been tremendous and I said to the lads before the game that it’s important that the intensity of our play is right, the closing down is right, the work ethic is there, because those elements are what have got the supporters right behind you and made this an enjoyable place for you to play.
This bloke deserves a lot of credit right now when he came nobody really wanted him had a shocking start during the Bolton game chants for he’s head which to be fair were about right now look at him he’s got the he players doing the right things and he’s now got the fans onside doing a brilliant job