PETER Reid sent Howard Wilkinson a good luck message last night as he ruefully reflected on what might have been had he remained Sunderland manager.

Reid, speaking publicly for the first time since he was sacked on Monday, made it clear he feels the fates conspired against him in the final few weeks of his Sunderland reign - notably with the loss of Kevin Phillips.

But he put his personal disappointment to one side to lend his support to Wilkinson and urge his replacement to capitalise on his good work during his seven-and-a-half years in charge on Wearside.

Reid, who still referred to Sunderland as "we", said: "We've got three games coming up now against West Ham - for which I'd have had Kevin Phillips back - then Bolton and Charlton.

"And personally, I think we'd have had a great chance of getting points from all of those games.

"Had that happened, things would have looked a lot different. But it wasn't to be."

Reid is confident Sunderland, who have taken eight points from their first nine Premiership games, can recover from their poor start to the season under the stewardship of Wilkinson.

He said: "I know things don't look too clever at the moment with us just a place above the relegation zone.

"But the bigger picture is that I've left Howard a club in a very healthy position, and I genuinely want him to succeed.

"It will be no consolation to me if Sunderland nosedive now. That's no good to me. I want the club to go on from here because I'm proud of the fact that I've taken them from where they were to where they are now.

"And from this point on, I want Sunderland to take the next step forward. That's what the fans deserve.

"Howard comes in with a great stadium, a fantastic set of supporters and a wonderful new academy on the horizon.

"He's also got some very good players to work with, a lot of talent and a lot of players who Sunderland fans have yet to see the best of.

"I wish him well and I hope he makes the most of the situation he has inherited."