SUNDERLAND chairman Bob Murray last night insisted that only Mick McCarthy could have steered the Black Cats out of the Premier League wilderness.

Having spent just two seasons away from the top-flight, the Wearsiders are back among the elite in August after cruising to the Championship title by seven points.

It was accomplished with very little money to spend on the transfer front and attained with a tremendous degree of team spirit within the dressing room - something that has left Murray purring.

And the Sunderland supremo, under-fire from supporters himself when the club lost its Premiership status two years ago for the demise, claims McCarthy has proven he was the ideal man to succeed Howard Wilkinson.

"I wouldn't say we were surprised with the success Mick has had, but he has surprised us with the way he has done it sometimes," said Murray, who is now actively working behind the scenes to strengthen the squad this summer in preparation for rejoining the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

"Mick has done it in a unique manner.

"The great skills he had, which we didn't identify early on, was the network of contact he has from being an international manager.

"It is far-reaching and he has brought that capability into the club. He doesn't just identify players with the right quality, he identifies players with the right attitude who will fit into the club."

Initially, after taking over from Wilkinson and charged with trying to secure safety, McCarthy lost his first nine Premiership games in charge.

The former Republic of Ireland boss inherited big-earners from the previous regime and was forced to work with a number of those he could not move on during the close-season.

It was not until last summer that McCarthy finally had the licence to wheel and deal in the transfer market and he managed to pinch a number of relatively unknowns from the lower leagues or reserves.

A number of those - Dean Whitehead, Stephen Elliott and Liam Lawrence were the main three - became vital parts of Sunderland's rise to top spot in the Football League.

And Murray believes McCarthy's early days in charge on Wearside helped him to learn the true extent of the task in hand.

"He benefited from those first nine games," said Murray.

"He saw exactly what he had to work with and saw things for himself."

"He had a fantastic first full season in the Championship. We finished third in the league and unfairly went out of the play-offs to Crystal Palace. When you also consider we reached an FA Cup semi-final, it was an excellent season.

"We kept hold of our key players, we rejected offers and we offered improved terms to reward people. We will be adopting a similar approach this summer in preparation for the Premiership."

Two of those expected to be on the arrivals list are Ipswich duo Kelvin Davis and Tommy Miller.

Goalkeeper Davis was understood to have rejected the chance to move to the North-East in a £1m deal in favour of staying further south.

* Sunderland target Darren Carter is set to hold talks with Birmingham manager Steve Bruce before deciding whether he has a future at the club.

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