HE might have inherited a somewhat impossible situation when he agreed to replace Simon Grayson in November, but if Sunderland are relegated to League One, Chris Coleman is adamant the blame should fall squarely on his shoulders.

The Black Cats will drop into the third tier of English football for only the second time in their history tomorrow if they lose to Burton Albion and both Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers claim at least a point in their respective fixtures. Even if Sunderland win, they will still be three points adrift of safety at best with matches against Fulham and Wolves to come.

It is an almighty mess, although much of the damage was already inflicted well before Coleman moved to the Stadium of Light to take over a side that was sitting at the foot of the Championship table. For years now, Sunderland have been on a downward spiral.

Nevertheless, if the worst comes to pass this weekend, Coleman will not be looking to absolve himself of responsibility. Tomorrow’s game will be his 27th league fixture in charge of the club, and he admits that should have been more enough time to turn things around.

“I’m right in the middle of this,” said the Sunderland boss, who has seen his side pick up 23 points from a possible 78 on his watch. “If you are the manager of a football club and you walk in the front door, into this situation, if you have any type of experience, and I’ve got plenty, then you know what you are walking into.

“I knew that. The carrot of managing Sunderland was too big for me to concentrate on the problems that could come with it, but it’s my team now, and whatever I’ve got, I’ve got.

“I’m not going to sit here thinking that I’m not a part of this, I’m right in the middle of it. Whatever I’ve inherited, now I am here, that is it. So I am very much a part of it, absolutely.”

Coleman suffered relegation as a player with Crystal Palace, and readily admits the experience scarred him despite the Eagles winning promotion back to the Premier League in the following season.

In the eyes of many neutrals, his reputation will not be too badly tarnished if Sunderland drop into League One, such was the size of the task he inherited at the end of last year.

It will still be a painful experience though, and while he has had to plan for a range of different scenarios with chief executive Martin Bain, he has tried to avoid spending too much time thinking about the worst-case eventuality.

“When I was relegated as a player, it was the worst feeling,” said Coleman. “It never leaves you. We’re not there yet though, and fingers crossed it doesn’t happen. But it’s on my watch and if it does happen, it’s something that will stay with me, that’s for sure.

“Fingers can be pointed here, there and everywhere, but we can only look at us. We have not done what we needed to do to be away from where we are, and that is not a fluke. We are too long in the journey.

“It doesn’t help that there is a lot of negativity but, up to this point, we are where we are and we have not been unfortunate, we have not been unlucky. This is where we are. Over the course of the season, the table doesn’t tell too many lies.”

The table might look slightly better tomorrow night if Sunderland were to claim what would be only their third home win of the season, and while recent results might not have represented much of an upturn from previous months, Coleman has been buoyed by his side’s performances in the last few weeks.

The draws against Leeds United, Norwich City and Reading could all have been victories had Sunderland not thrown away winning positions, and while it is hard not to reflect on how costly those six dropped points have been, at least there have been belated signs of life as the season reaches its conclusion.

“I have been more buoyant in the last four or five games because I have seen a team performing for all the right reasons, and that’s what we have got to do again,” said Coleman. “Just concentrate on that.

“We should have had six more points from the last three games. We’ve got ourselves into the lead and not held on to it. There’s a feeling we should be on 40 points and the pressure on the teams around us should be different.

“But there’s still a glimmer of hope, and while there’s still a glimmer of hope, we have to go for it. The future is not written. Even if it’s just an outside chance, we have to make sure we still have a chance after this game.”

Lynden Gooch and Donald Love have been ruled out for the remainder of the season, and both Bryan Oviedo and Joel Asoro are unavailable for tomorrow’s game. However, Adam Matthews and Billy Jones have returned to training and John O’Shea has also received the green light to play.