Steve Bruce was sacked by the Black Cats on Wednesday night after two and a half years in charge at the Stadium of Light.
It has been reported that former Aston Villa boss O'Neill has already held initial talks with the North East club.
The 59-year-old had been linked with the vacant Northern Ireland job, but he has since stressed that he would prefer a return to club management.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Sunderland | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 19 |
| 2 | Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 19 |
| 3 | Burnley | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 18 |
| 4 | West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 17 |
| 5 | Leeds UnitedLeeds | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| 6 | Watford | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 16 |
| 7 | Norwich CityNorwich | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 15 |
| 8 | Blackburn RoversBlackburn | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 10 | Oxford UnitedOxford Utd | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 12 |
| 11 | Swansea CitySwansea | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| 12 | Derby CountyDerby | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| 13 | Hull City | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 12 |
| 14 | Plymouth ArgylePlymouth | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 11 |
| 15 | Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 11 |
| 16 | Bristol City | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 11 |
| 17 | Stoke CityStoke | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 10 |
| 18 | Millwall | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| 19 | Preston North EndPreston | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 9 |
| 20 | Coventry CityCoventry | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 8 |
| 21 | Luton TownLuton | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | -7 | 8 |
| 22 | Queens Park RangersQPR | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 7 |
| 23 | Portsmouth | 9 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 20 | -11 | 5 |
| 24 | Cardiff CityCardiff | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 18 | -14 | 5 |
| > Championship Full Table | |||||||||
