Parkinson’s ‘thick skin’ helped him go from boo-boys target to manager of the

League One: 3pm

PHIL PARKINSON admits he needed “thick skin” to come through a Christmas nightmare that had Sunderland fans calling for his head.

On Friday the Wearside chief was named League One manager of the month after walking through a storm that would have finished off less experienced campaigners.

Protests from leading fanzines called for owner Stewart Donald to sell up and for Parkinson to go, following a run of two wins in 14 games after Jack Ross was sacked.

Perhaps the jolt from the terraces focused minds and injected some urgency. Since then Sunderland have won five out of eight league games, losing once, and in Parkinson’s words the Mackems are “back in the mix” for promotion ahead of today’s clash with top-six rivals Ipswich Town.

While he cracks the whip against complacency, Parkinson has reflected on how negotiating fan fury focused minds. He said: “How do you come through it? By blocking everything out and concentrating on the process.

“I knew what I wanted to get to in terms of a way of playing. I feel we have the personnel who can do that.

“You accept the criticism but we had cup games in there which distorted my record.

“We have changed the team a lot and we lacked cohesion.” A few weeks ago Parkinson (right) took on his players saying it “wasn’t the best dressing room” he’d managed.

“Now there are characters emerging and we needed that. In the last six weeks we have got a way of playing, a good rhythm, and the lads are really buying into everything. “They are having a real go, for themselves and the fans. That has got us this far, we have to be ready to push on.” Sunderland presents a big challenge for any manager – just ask the 11 other men who have tried the Stadium of Light hot-seat in the last decade. They tumbled out of the Premier League, then the Championship, faced financial meltdown, got a new owner and failed in a promotion bid, via Wembley playoff defeat, last season. Parkinson has bossed Bolton, Bradford and Charlton amongst others but never had to revive such a large fallen giant. He added: “I have