Alex Neil admits he is between a rock and a hard place having to decide whether to field players who are jaded and need a break, or others who are not yet up to match fitness.
The new Sunderland head coach has walked into a storm on Wearside, taking over a side that had won just one of its last seven games and that had slipped way off the automatic promotion pace.
And after drawing his first game in charge at AFC Wimbledon and now losing 2-1 against MK Dons in his first home game at the helm, the crisis shows no sign of easing.
