CHRIS COLEMAN insists he is determined to be the Sunderland manager for as long as it takes to steer the struggling Wearside club out of the mess it is mired in, regardless of what division.

A failure to defeat Preston North End at the Stadium of Light this afternoon will push the Black Cats another step closer to dropping into League One.

There are only nine matches remaining for Sunderland, after a ten-year stint in the Premier League came to an end last May, to avoid the depressing drop into the third tier for the first time since 1988.

Coleman is trying to lift his players, winless in nine, to a level where they can turn in a performance capable winning a game.

But the task of staying up will still be a monumental challenge and Coleman, well aware of the financial debts the club has and the desire owner Ellis Short has to sell, accepts players, non-playing staff and supporters, are desperate for a boost.

Coleman has, though, dismissed a theory that he would walk away from the job at the end of the season if he is unable to keep Sunderland in the Championship.

The former Wales manager said: “It’s hard for me to mention what league because I’m not a defeatist. It’s not about that for me.

“But I won’t be saying, ‘I’m not going to League One, absolutely not.’ I’m still the manager of Sunderland AFC. It’s not knowing who’s going to be here, who’s going to own the club and what’s the plan. Me, I hope to God I’m still here. I signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. I want to be here.

“I don’t want to miss it when this club comes out the other side. It will turn, I know everyone thinks it will be like this forever, and I want it to be me who tries to bring it back from whatever platform we need to work off.

“If I’m not here it won’t be me saying, ‘that’s me done.’ It will be because there’s a new owner who says, ‘we’ve got a different plan and you’re not in it.’ I can’t do anything about that. But I’d love to be here, building, rebuilding - cleansing.

“I want to be here and be part of that because I’ve said all along there are so many good things here, so many good things. At the minute the thing everyone looks at is the football and that hasn’t been good enough, I know that. Everything else is absolutely fantastic.”

Coleman has only managed four victories from his 20 league matches in charge since replacing Simon Grayson. While the form has been slightly better during that time, Sunderland’s position has not improved. They hit bottom spot in the table between the managerial change-over.

Given the circumstances off the pitch, Coleman has avoided major criticism so far.

“I’ve been here three months. I have sleepless nights,” the Sunderland boss said. “I feel the pressure and the stress of it because it’s my team now. I’m still positive there’s a chance to get away from where we are. It’s not dead and buried.

“People think we are dead and buried but I stay positive. It’s my team, it’s my responsibility. I haven’t been here for three or four transfer windows and thrown loads of money at it but nevertheless I’m still responsible for the team and we haven’t been winning.

“The supporters have been absolutely fabulous with me. We were at a school two days ago and a teacher came over and said to me her two sons support Sunderland and she had messages from both. One said ‘please stay even if we get relegated,’ and the other said, ‘pull your finger out!’ Those are the messages I’m getting at the moment. The support I’ve had from the people has been fabulous.”

Sunderland announced season card renewal price reductions this week, just days after Coleman met with some fans to discuss the club’s plight and future with chief executive Martin Bain.

Coleman said: “I was asked a lot of football questions and Martin was asked about the running of the club. It was good. It was honest, as you get in these parts, but very positive.

“I know what supporters think here. I know how they’re feeling. I’ve been here three months but I know it’s been really tough for them. To see us at the bottom of the league is killing them. I do understand it.

“I get it. When you have a little hour with them it’s good because they tell you what they’re thinking and feeling. It wasn’t rowdy, it was really professional and we had a good chat.

“A few weeks earlier we were out somewhere and I bumped into some supporters. They know their stuff, they know the club inside out and what’s needed. They’re just hurting. They’re suffering and they’re angry because of what’s happened. We have to understand that and I do.

“If you stop to fill your car up in this part of the world it’s odds on someone’s going to say something but there’s been no animosity. Even when Newcastle fans talk to me they don’t want to see us where we are. The ones that talk to me want to see us in the same league because they want a derby game. I get a bit of sympathy from them.”