Alex Neil has been confirmed as Sunderland's new head coach and the Scot arrives on Wearside with an in-tray piled high with pressing problems.
Sunderland sacked his predecessor Lee Johnson because the board had doubts that he could secure automatic promotion but, after two catastrophic defeats while the head coach search was being conducted, the club is now further off the pace than ever,
Neil will be expected to make an immediate impact when he takes charge of his first game at AFC Wimbledon tomorrow and get the club back on course.
READ MORE: Sunderland confirm Alex Neil appointment as Lee Johnson's successor
Our Sunderland AFC writer James Hunter has put together a list of issues the former Preston North End and Norwich City boss must address as a matter of urgency.
Stop the rot
Sunderland have lost their last three games - a run that equals the club's worst ever sequences in the third tier, occurring in April last year, and then again in October-November.
After being humiliated 6-0 at Bolton, beaten at home by basement side Doncaster, and then losing at struggling Cheltenham Town, a fourth successive defeat is unthinkable.
Neil must ensure that Sunderland's abysmal losing streak ends tomorrow at relegation-threatened AFC Wimbledon.
Away form
That embarrassing defeat against Doncaster notwithstanding, Sunderland's home form has generally been excellent.
They have collected 34 points from 15 games at the Stadium of Light, a return eclipsed only by leaders Rotherham who have taken one additional point from the same number of games,
Away from home it is another story.
Sunderland's 16 games on the road have yielded just 20 points, with seven clubs - Wigan, Rotherham, MK Dons, Plymouth, Wycombe, and Sheffield Wednesday - boasting better away records, while Ipswich have a similar record to the Black Cats.
Recalculate based on points-per-game, and Sunderland would slip even further down the away league table.
Neil must address Sunderland's travel sickness, and that must start at AFC Wimbledon tomorrow.
Soft underbelly
In the wake of Sunderland's 6-0 shame at Bolton, then-boss Lee Johnson admitted that his side had proved to have a 'soft underbelly' away from home, given their defensive record on their travels.
Sunderland have conceded 11 goals at home, with only Sheffield Wednesday (10) conceding fewer.
But away from home Sunderland have conceded 32 times, with only Doncaster (34) and Morecambe (33) - both of whom are in the relegation zone - leaking more goals.
It's another problem that Neil must put right. And it's another problem that he must put right starting at AFC Wimbledon. Tomorrow.
Get the best out of the talent available to him
Sunderland have talented players such as Ross Stewart, Dan Neil, Callum Doyle, and Alex Pritchard.
In January they brought in the likes of Patrick Roberts, Jack Clarke, Jay Matete, and Trai Hume to supplement the squad.
It is now as strong as any in League One, and it will be up to Neil to make sure that that is reflected in results and performances.
Not only that, Neil must also work out how to get the best out of another January addition in Jermain Defoe.
Defoe is not ready to start games, but as he builds his match fitness there will come a point where Neil has to decide exactly how he integrates the 39-year-old into his side.
Play-off spot
With 15 games to go, Sunderland are not yet out of the running for an automatic promotion spot - although their recent disastrous run means those hopes are fading fast.
Automatic promotion must still be the aim but, if they fall short, the absolute bare minimum has to be a top six finish and a play-off place.
Looking at the table, Sunderland's form, and the form of the clubs just outside the play-offs, a top six finish looks a lot less certain today than it did even in the aftermath of that defeat at Bolton.
Over the next 15 games, Neil must ensure that Sunderland finish in the top six at the very least. And it would be the very, very, least.
Promotion
This is the bottom line.
The yardstick against which this entire season will be judged.
Be it automatic or via the play-offs, Neil must deliver promotion. This season.
That is the expectation, that is the demand, and anything less will be a failure.
He may have only 15 games, or potentially 18 if you include the play-offs, to achieve that objective but it was the whole point of changing head coach mid-season.
Neil is the man charged with the responsibility of leading Sunderland to promotion but, if he fails, he will not fail alone - sporting director Kristjaan Speakman and the board will come under renewed scrutiny.
Win over the doubters
It is no secret that Neil was not the fans' first choice for the job - and nor was he the first choice of some people within the club.
Roy Keane was the runaway favourite for a return to Wearside but once he dropped out of the running following a series of talks, it was obvious that supporters would be underwhelmed by any of the other names linked with the role.
Neil cannot help the fact that he is not Keane.
What he can do is prove that you do not need to be a stellar name to be the right man for the job.
And if he can successfully tackle the other items on this list, he will win people round.
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