MICK McCARTHY is in no mood to start worrying about the prospect of losing the manager's job and is doing his utmost to concentrate on Sunderland's survival bid.

Speculation has been building this week that a tenth straight defeat at Charlton today could signal the end of McCarthy's reign at the Stadium of Light, something he is refusing to let bother him.

Instead the straight-talking former Republic of Ireland boss remains as determined as ever to turn things around at Sunderland, even if the odds against achieving his wish remain firmly stacked against him.

Charlton, having lost their last six matches, are a club whose fans are turning on their coaching staff and the timing of this fixture offers Sunderland the perfect chance to claw themselves to within five points of safety.

And that, not whether or not he will be in a job come Christmas, is what is keeping McCarthy going.

"Honestly, I'm not concerned about my position in any shape or form, that doesn't drive me on at all," he said.

"The position of the club does, the team does and, with our position, I fully understand the circumstances and accept the consequences if we're not doing well.

"I accept and appreciate whatever comes but I'm not walking around worrying about my position at all. I don't let that effect me on a daily basis, not here or when I'm with my family.

"I can't do anything about the speculation, I can't do anything about it if people can put one and one together and come up with three or four. I just keep doing my job. I come in and scrap away as I've always done. That's never going to change."

Having been with the club's under-fire chairman Bob Murray in a Newcastle restaurant when there was an angry confrontation with a disgruntled fan, McCarthy is all too aware of the frustrations in the stands.

Both men have a good working relationship and now share a friendship away from the job, but McCarthy does not feel that will count for anything if the time comes for him to go.

"I have a good relationship with the chairman but I've always tried to foster a good relationship with everybody. I don't go out of my way to have bad relationships with anyyone," he said.

"I get on very well with Bob, but that doesn't get you a job, keep you a job or lose you a job. What gets you a job and keeps you a job is being successful. For the main part I have been. At the minute we're having a struggle, we all are. But I would always hope that whatever happens in my career doesn't affect my relationship with people. You have to have a professional side.

"I sympathise with the chairman, because he's been getting loads of abuse and he's had a difficult old week."

McCarthy knows if he is to stand any chance of guiding Sunderland away from the drop zone he is going to have to draft in new players in January, something he feels will be difficult, considering the club's plight.

But he has also warned any of the players he has at his disposal not to be expecting to escape the relegation fight by moving on to pastures new in the new year.

"Clubs might think they've got a better chance of taking our better players if we're cut adrift but I don't think that's the case," said McCarthy.

"They're under contract. We're all responsible for the position we're in and I don't suppose any of them are thinking 'happy days, the transfer window's coming, I might get out of this place in January'. If anybody is I've got news for them. It won't happen.

"They'll be here scrapping until the very last day, the very last week, the very last breath, trying to make sure this club stays up. Whatever happens after that, we'll deal with it then, but it won't be the case in January.

"We'll have to have a bit of wheeling and dealing to see if I can bring some new faces in. There's not going to be a huge amount of money."

Sunderland have suffered one blow after another since the excitement of the opening-day visit of Charlton to the Stadium of Light, which marked their return to the Premiership.

And McCarthy readily admits that there will be contrasting emotions at The Valley today to those that were around the camp ahead of the August curtain-raiser.

"There's been a fair swing in mood, that's for sure," said McCarthy, whose side head to the capital knowing their only league win of the season came on their travels.

"We were riding on the crest of a wave that first day after getting promoted, full of optimism, but I'm still looking forward to this game. The only way we can improve is by winning games, but it's a different feeling.

"We're getting very close to the stage where we absolutely need three points, whereas on the first day it wasn't as much the case.