Sam Allardyce has said it will take time for things to get back on track at Sunderland.

The 60-year-old held his first press conference as Black Cats boss on Tuesday and admitted that the Wearside club finds themselves in a very precarious position after just eight games of the new Premier League season.

Allardyce revealed that he has given himself a healthy amount of time to turn things around at the Stadium of Light but will be relying on the help of those already engrained in the club as he continues to look for a trustworthy assistant coach.

"The opportunity to have the next 30 games to get us out is as important as anything else and it could take the vast majority of that," he said.

"The club has had to wait until the last game to ensure safety three or four times over the last few years. I want to make sure we don't get into that panic zone, and 30 games to get there is one of the reasons why I took the job. It gives me a bit of time.

"The club has fantastic facilities to support the players and I hope it has the fantastic staff to support them. What I want to find out is whether the staff are doing as much as they can to help the players, and some of the players are disappointed with what they've produced up until now.

"I'm happy to give people here a chance. They're highly qualified, but I just want to see if they can work to my methods and if we all get on. If that's okay, then I don't envisage many changes. If it doesn't work, then I'll suggest a change, but I wouldn't envisage that is going to be a priority.

"Getting in my assistant is a priority. I have a few irons in the fire but nothing definite as yet and I won't disclose who it is until I get a yes from them. When I get my number two in then I'll be happy."

Allardyce's first game in charge of Sunderland is a trip to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.