SUNDERLAND’S relegation from the Championship might have been confirmed, but Chris Coleman is still waiting to hear from Black Cats owner Ellis Short about his plans for the club.

Almost a week has passed since the Wearsiders were condemned to life in League One on the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Burton Albion, but Coleman has been unable to get any clarity about the direction the club will be heading in over the summer.

Martin Bain this week insisted that Short would not be putting Sunderland into administration this summer, but a host of questions about the club’s off-field position remain unanswered.

Talks with a number of potential investors remain ongoing – some of whom have signed non-disclosure agreements – but no one is believed to be close to be tabling a formal offer.

Short continues to plug monthly shortfalls to keep the club afloat, but the American financier has provided no indication of how much money will be available to fund a summer rebuilding job, even though the end of the season is now just two games away.

Coleman said: “There’s still been no conversation with Ellis. There’s nothing I can do about that. My conversations are with Martin, who has been here for a bit longer than me, and this season has almost been the front man, taking all the criticism.

“He works his socks off. There’s not a lot he can do about it. He’s got a menu and he has to stick with that and get on with it.

“The unthinkable has happened. The club needs a lot of change, which is obvious. Because of the uncertainty, it’s open season or criticism. A club like Sunderland, almost floating aimlessly in the dark. We can’t start working yet because we haven’t got anyone telling us what we can or can’t do.”

Coleman admits he has had an extremely difficult week in the wake of Saturday’s relegation, but last night’s Supporters’ Association Player of the Year awards helped lift spirits.

The club felt it was important to honour a commitment to the fans and attend the ceremony, which saw John O’Shea pick up the Player of the Year award, and Coleman was humbled by the response of the supporters that turned up despite this season’s abject failure.

He said: “The supporters last night were – I don’t have the words to describe how good they were with us. We didn’t deserve anything from them.

“I said I wanted to come and manage Sunderland. That’s where I am. It hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to go, but I’m still here and I’d still like the opportunity to put things right here.

“That won’t be my decision, it will be someone else’s, who I don’t know. I think it’s a great football club. It’s in a position where it’s very tough and it’s attached with a lot of negativity. We’ve not been able to stop the slide, but it’s still a great football club.

“We’re an easy target, and no doubt that’s what’s coming. But it won’t always be like that. We won’t always be where we are. The sooner we know who it is that’s going to be here and what the plan is, then at least we can get on with things and start moving forward. But at the minute, it’s complete darkness.”

Sunderland head to Fulham tomorrow for their penultimate game of the season, and Coleman will resist the temptation to fill his side with young players.

He said: “We’ve got to be careful for them, that we don’t put them in too early. (Josh) Maja has had game time, so has (Joel) Asoro and Ethan Robson. Even (Elliott) Embleton has had game time, it was too soon for him really but it was needs must.

“We still have to go with the best team we think has the best chance of doing something tomorrow night. If you put someone in too early, it can be detrimental to their future. We’re up against one of the best teams, that are up for everything. We’ll go with how we think is the best match for Fulham.”

Aiden McGeady and Bryan Oviedo will not be involved in this evening’s game, as the former has been playing with injections in his heel while the latter has injured his hamstrings. Lamine Kone and Josh Maja should be available, while full-back Billy Jones is rated “50-50”.