Neil has now taken 19 points from his ten games, marking his progress from taking over a side who had lost three games on the bounce and looked to be heading out of the promotion reckoning.
Key to his progress has been a significantly improved defensive record, while he is now beginning to benefit from more depth in attacking areas as players either return from injury or edge towards something close to full match fitness.
There is much work still to be done but the Black Cats are in a far stronger position now than when Neil arrived.
So how has each player fared so far and who have been his key and most trusted performers?
We calculated every player’s average from our weekly player ratings to find out…
There is much work still to be done but the Black Cats are in a far stronger position now than when Neil arrived.