O’Neill believes he earnt the right to stay until the end of the season.
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Former Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill has hit out at the club over his sacking according to BBC Sport.
The Mackems parted ways with O’Neill last week and have since been surrounded by controversy after appointing Paolo Di Canio in his place.
The club were criticised by many in the game who felt that O’Neill’s sacking was unjust and that the club should have shown more patience with the manager.
Speaking on the matter for the first time, O’Neill agreed with those critics, stating his belief that he should have been given the benefit of the doubt by Sunderland after ‘saving the club’ when it was ‘on its knees’.
O’Neill was shown the exit door after the club’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United left them just one point above the relegation zone.
Survival this year is more important than ever with clubs in the Premier League next season set to benefit from the League’s renegotiated television rights.
That deal is set to provide each club with an extra £20-£30 million a season and Sunderland was perhaps persuaded to act swiftly by the prospect of losing out on that money.
O’Neill was the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job this year, following in the footsteps of Roberto Di Matteo, Mark Hughes, Nigel Adkins and Brian McDermott.