Sunderland have announced the appointment of their new manager, Phil Parkinson, on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Parkinson arrives at the Stadium of Light with the Black Cats sitting in ninth place and four points off the automatic promotion places, following the dismissal of former manager Jack Ross. 

Sunderland have endured a mixed start to the season following last year’s play-off heartbreak. They are not a million miles away from where they want to be, however with the quality they have in their squad, many would have been expecting Sunderland to be at the very top end of the league by this point. Ipswich are the current runaway leaders on 27 points.

Parkinson has a strong track record of getting the most out of his squad and achieving promotion in the process, with successes at Bradford and Bolton in League Two and League One respectively.

With this in mind, we take a look at three areas Parkinson must address as soon as possible at Sunderland…

Goal difference must improve

While Sunderland by no means have the worst offensive or defensive record in the league, they are distinctly average in both, conceding an average of 1.08 goals per game and scoring 1.23 goals per game, which leaves them 10th and 12th in those respective categories.

In their squad, they have the talent to be scoring more and conceding less, with undoubted quality proven in this division as well as some in the Championship. Parkinson’s last League One triumph came in the 2016/17 season with Bolton, where he guided them to a second-place finish, boasting by far the best defensive record (conceding 36 in 46 games). While Bolton weren’t high scorers that season, there is no doubt he can unlock the talent of this Black Cats side.

Build some consistency

Sunderland have picked up some good results this season, such as an away draw to high-flying Ipswich and strong wins at home against lower teams. However, there needs to be more consistency against the teams around them and above them.

The Black Cats have played against five of the current top half in League One, without winning a single of those fixtures, drawing three and losing two. If Parkinson is to transform this Sunderland side into genuine promotion contenders, he needs to improve their performances against the division’s better sides.

Gather momentum going into a tough run

Having played five of the current top half, Sunderland now face the other seven from now until Christmas, with the next fixture being against second-place Wycombe.

Sunderland are currently stuttering in their pursuit for promotion after last season’s solid effort. To mount a serious promotion charge and gain on their rivals, they need to build a run together to crucially boost confidence as they head into some very testing months.

Having only been appointed two days before his first game, Parkinson will not be expected to perform instant miracles, especially with such a stern test in Wycombe, however, performances against the top teams need to pick up to prove they have what it takes to challenge them.