As first weeks in a new job go, this is one that Alex Neil will not forget in a hurry.
Confirmed as Sunderland's head coach late last Friday night having already already taken his first training session, and after being pictured travelling with the team in club tracksuit, meant his welcome was overshadowed by the derision over the delayed announcement.
Then came an uninspiring 1-1 draw against relegation strugglers AFC Wimbledon, after which he gave a frank assessment of the problems with the squad he had inherited - namely the divide between young players who looked jaded after playing too many minutes, and senior men who had played too few.
