David Moyes has insisted he is big enough to handle the pressure of implementing a long-term plan at Sunderland in the face of yet another battle for Premier League survival.
The 53-year-old has endured an eventful week in the wake of a 2-0 defeat at Stoke which left the Black Cats rooted to the foot of the table, a depressingly familiar situation in recent seasons.
Sources on Wearside have dismissed claims that a Chinese consortium is ready to reinstall Sam Allardyce as manager should it mount a successful takeover bid -- sources say informal exploratory talks foundered some time ago -- and Moyes and new chief executive Martin Bain remain firmly focused on their blueprint.